Third Orbit Power Systems

Fuel cells are new devices used to produce electrical power. After 160 years of development, they are becoming commercially available and are beginning to receive a large amount of public attention. This web site will provide a brief introduction into fuel cells, and describe what they are, what they can do, why they're important, what their commer... cial implications are, and what Third Orbit Power Systems is doing with fuel cells. What is a fuel cell? A fuel cell is a device that produces electricity through an electrochemical process within the fuel cell itself. This is very similar to the way a battery produces electricity. However, unlike a battery, a fuel cell only produces electricity while fuel is supplied to it. As a result, the fuel cell behaves much like an electrical generator driven by an internal combustion engine that uses conventional fossil fuel. You may have heard of the fuel cells that power the Space Shuttle electrical systems. A chemical reaction occurs at relatively low temperatures inside the fuel cell, and no combustion takes place. The primary fuel used in fuel cells is hydrogen. When hydrogen is supplied, the chemical reaction, between hydrogen and air produces electricity, pure water and some heat. Again, similar to an engine-generator, the electrical power output is proportional to the rate of fuel flowing into the fuel cell, and is limited by the physical size of the fuel cell. There are five primary types of fuel cells, each distinguished by the type of the electrolyte that is used to carry electrical charge between the fuel and the oxygen in the air. Because fuel cells produce power without combustion, they are considerably more efficient than their internal combustion engine counterparts. Gasoline engines in automobiles are approximately 13 to 25 percent efficient. Amazingly, 75 to 87 percent of the gasoline you purchase does not participate in moving your automobile. A fuel cell attached to an electric motor can be in excess of 40 percent efficient, and fuel cells that can be ...Read More