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Model Fuel Cell Car Race WorkshopJan 8th, 2009
Job Rijssenbeek, GE Research Center
Honda FCX BMW Hydrogen 7
Fuel cell Internal combustion engine
All images in this presentation belong to their respective owners, are not used by permission and are not affiliated with GE.
Welcome!Welcome!
Plan for today…
Background, rules & ideas– Race Day– Rules, Scoring– Quiz
Demonstration– Hydrogen & Fuel Cells– Building a car– Race demo
Why hydrogen energy & fuel cells
• Environment• Energy diversity• Energy security• Energy efficiency• Hydrogen production• Hydrogen storage• Infrastructure• Cost
This competition will giveyou a taste of the
challenges involved withhydrogen & fuel cells
Race day info
March 7th, 2008 – the morning of Science Bowl
Racing starts at 9am– Inspection– Round-robin– Quiz– Finals– Awards
Eight teams
les carafety firstimensions: 30 cm x 60 cm x 30 cm maximuml power from provided fuel cell and motorust have guiding “eyelet” or hookefuel between races
course0 m long, 60 cm wideuide wire 1.5 cm above the track
ilding your car
tting started - Provided items– FC & motor – use those in FC kit
tting running - Also need– Car chassis– Distilled water
e key to winning is YOU!– Ingenuity– “Trial and error”
ings to keep in mind…
MaterialsWeight vs. Strength
TransmissionPower vs. Speed
WheelsTraction & steering
Hydrogen storageFuel vs. Weight
Materials
• Weight vs. Strength• Ways to add strength
– Laminate– Strong shapes– Add stiffeners
• Minimize weight– Strength only where needed– Remove unnecessary material– Minimize fasteners
Transmission• Power vs. Speed
– Motor has good speed but low power
• Need power to start & speed to win• Don’t forget the weight impact• Minimize friction
race end0 sec
Spee
d
PotentialMax Speed
Not enough power
Not enough speed
Direct Drive
Motor Shaft attached directly
to drive wheel
Friction disc lies directly
on Drive wheel
Belt Drive
Gear Drive
Friction Drive
Pulley
Motor
Drive Wheel Drive Wheel
Pulley
Belt
Low weight, Low friction, Reliable
Wheels
TractionDirectionFriction & weightCommon oversights– Single wheel– Clearance for guide wire
Weight distribution
ydrogen Storage
Fuel vs. weightStorage methods– Tanks (heavy)– Balloons (must be clean)– Tubes– Syringes (easy to over-pressurize; heavy)
Eliminate leaksNeed enough fuel to finish raceWinner will get a new fuel cell for Nationals
eys to winning:
Speed
&
Consistency
Fuel cell care & last thoughts• Don’t let the fuel cell dry out during storage• Make sure the fuel cell is wetted before use
– Do not “flood” the fuel cell• Use the fuel cell & motor from the kit provided
– Others will be disqualified– EVERYTHING else is up to you
• Run tests with a guide wire• Last year’s winning time was ~6 sec• Come prepared to race
– Bring tools & parts to perform small fixes
HAVE FUN!
More information at
http://www.freewebs.com/capitalregionsciencebowl
Any Questions?Any Questions?
Thank you!Thank you!
Quiz
• Test concepts in hydrogen energy & fuel cells• Based on “Fuel Cells Green Power”• Each team member’s score
is averaged to give a teamscore
• Final score– 50% race– 50% quiz– Race result is tie breaker
reliminary schedule – March 1st, 2008
Lunch11:30 am
Awards11:15 am
Round Two10:40 am
Hydrogen knowledge quiz10:15 am
Round One9:30 am
Introduction & rules9:10 am
Teams arrive; Registration, inspection & refreshments9:00 am
eneral Rulesars must pass inspection before being allowed to race
team members will take the quiz individually– 10 multiple choice questions– Scores will be averaged– Answers will be given at the end of the quiz
ar race will have two rounds– Round 1: Round robin to determine match-ups in Round 2– Round 2: Head-to-head single elimination
nal score will be sum of quiz & race results
ace rulesAll race related activities must be performed by the students only. Teachers, coaches an/or parent should stay “hands-off”.At race time, the vehicle will be placed behind the starting line with all its wheels in contact with the ground. No more than two team members will be allowed in the start area.An early start or push start may result in disqualification or a re-run of the heat. The determination will be left to the race judges. All vehicles will be started when the official signal is given. The winner of the heat will be the first vehicle to cross the finish line or the car farthest down the track when the race is called.At least one team member must wait at the finish line to catch the vehicle.Team members may not touch the vehicle on the track. Vehicles stalled on the track may be retrieved after the end of the race has been declared by the Lead Judge.The vehicle and team member must remain at the finish line until the order of the race has been established.Lane changing or crossing will result in disqualification.Challenges must be made before the race judges begin the next heat. All challenges must come from the team members who are actively competing and directed to the lead judge. The decisions of the race judges are final.Judges will inspect cars prior to the racing and/or at anytime during/after heats.
coring
Quiz Score + Race Score = Final score
(race results are the tie breaker)
Award ceremony after academic competition
Points
Place
20 pts30 pts40 pts50 pts
4th3rd2nd1st
ace order• Round 1
– All teams face each other– Must race within 5 minutes of being announced– Win = 10 pts– Loss = 5 pts– No finish = 0 pts
• Round 2– Single elimination– Seeded by points in Round 1
(Total race time used for tie breaking)– If time allows, a race to determine 3rd/4th place will be held
before the 1st/2nd place race. Otherwise, semifinal time will be used to determine 3rd/4th place.
2007 2007 Quiz AnswersQuiz Answers
Quiz answers1) Who invented the concept of a fuel cell?
a) William Grove in 1839
b) Michael Faraday
c) NASA
d) Albert Einstein
e) Henry Ford
2) Which one of the following is NOT a product of a fuel cell?
a) Water
b) Hydrogen is a fuel
c) Electricity
d) Heat
Quiz answers3) Why is the purity of the feed hydrogen important to the performance of a PEM fuel cell?
a) Impurities can damage the sensitive PEM membrane
b) Impurities decrease the amount of hydrogen present and thus the amount of energy that a fuel cell can produce is less
c) Impurities can react with oxygen thereby preventing the hydrogen from forming water
d) Impurities can deactivate the platinum catalyst and thereby hinder the splitting of hydrogen molecules (H2) into ions (2 H+)
4) Finding alternatives to the platinum catalyst is desirable because?
a) The platinum particles are too small for effective catalysis
b) Platinum is too heavy
c) Platinum is toxic
d) Platinum is too expensive – costs as much as a whole engine today
Quiz answers5) The biggest reason that fuel cells are not 100% efficient is due to
a) Approximately a third (33%) of the chemical energy is lost as heat
b) Electrochemical reactions are inherently inefficient
c) The conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy is limited by the Carnot Cycle
d) Some of the hydrogen is unused and escapes the cell before it can be turned into energy.
6) Which of the following fuel cells operates at the highest temperature?
a) A hydrogen PEM fuel cell
b) A direct methanol fuel cell
c) A molten carbonate fuel cell
d) A solid oxide fuel cell – operates above 800 °C
Quiz answers7) When burned which fuel emits the least carbon dioxide?
a) Wood
b) Coal
c) Natural Gas – it contains the most hydrogen
d) Oil
8) The electrochemical reaction taking place in a fuel cell is:
a) H2 + O2 → 2 H2O
b) 2 H2+ 2 H2O → O2
c) 2 H2O+ 2 O2 → 2 H2
d) 2 H2+ O2 → 2 H2O
Quiz answers9) Which of the following likely does not impact global warming?
a) Cloud cover
b) Volcanic eruptions
c) Water vapor levels in the atmosphere
d) The thickness of the ozone layer
10) What fraction of the total CO2 emissions comes from transportation (cars, planes, trains, etc.)?
a) One tenth (10%)
b) One quarter (25%)
c) One third (33%)
d) One half (50%)