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Technology Stocks : Advanced Engine Technologies (AENG) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brent who wrote (2109)	10/22/1998 3:54:00 PM
From: LIQPLMBER	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3383

TOOK YOUR ADVICE AND THIS IS WHAT I FOUND Seems like a good idea, but there are also disadvantages Ill stick to small engine same or more power, less pollution 3 moving parts Fuel Cell How does it work? The fuel cell electrochemically combines air with fuel and converts it directly into electricity. The conversion is similar to a conventional battery, except the reductant and oxidant are continuously supplied to the cell instead of being contained in the cell. In addition, fuel cells are 'recharged' by filling up the fuel supply. A fuel cell is analogous to a heat engine because its refillable fuel supply is converted into energy. Advantages... The fuel cell has the potential to be more efficient than a gasoline engine for the following reasons: •Fuel cells produce very little friction - A fuel cell has very few moving parts (reactant pumps and valves) which produce very little friction. •No fuel energy is lost to heat during the conversion process - The fuel is oxidized at low temperature instead of being combusted at very high temperatures as in an internal combustion engine. •Low emissions are a result of low temperature oxidation and fuel selection when a reformer is used with hydrocarbon fuels - In the case of hydrogen (the ideal fuel), the only byproduct is water. Disadvantages... The drawback to fuel cells is that they are still under development. Fuel cells need to be improved in the following ways to make them practical for large scale production: •Reduce the size and weight of the fuel cells - The specific power of current fuel cells is approximately 1/3 that of conventional gasoline engines. This means that fuel cells are still relatively large and heavy compared to conventional engines. •Reduce the costs of manufacturing fuel cells - Cost is still very high, mainly because fuels cells are constructed from expensive materials and are produced in low volume. As manufacturing issues are tackled, lower cost materials and lower precision tolerances should bring the cost down considerably. •Fuel distribution infrastructure needs to be expanded - The fuel distribution infrastructure for hydrogen (the ideal fuel) is very limited. As other fuel cells for hydrocarbon, alcohol or ammonia fuels are produced this will be less of a problem. •At high power, the fuel cell's efficiency decreases - The fuel cell becomes less efficient as higher specific power outputs are required. To maintain high efficiency a larger fuel cell must be used which leads to weight and size problems. For those interested in more Fuel Cell technology details, please click here to go to the DOE Office of Transportation Technologies Fuel Cell Program.