Fuel Cell Operation

Abstract

Consideration of the various kinds of fuel cells suggests that it is unlikely that a working cell could be developed that would give a potential difference greater than about 1 V. Most, if not all, practical applications require potential differences considerably higher than this. Thus it is necessary to consider the methods of grouping cells together to form batteries. In this chapter these considerations will be outlined in a general way and the problems highlighted. Obviously, many of the difficulties will be economic ones, stemming from the cost of providing the most scientifically suitable arrangements, and so a general discussion of fuel cell economics will be found in chapter 12.