Cheaper, efficient fuel cells |
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Written by spacetravel.org
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Friday, 15 April 2005 23:08 |
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Paul Kenis of the University of Illinois has developed a fuel cell that should be more efficient and cheaper than any previous designs. In a normal fuel cell there are two chambers, one of which contains fuel that reacts across a porous membrane with oxygen in the second chamber, liberating electrons and creating electricity. Kenis has managed to do without the use of the membrane and utilize a phenomenon known as laminar flow, where small streams of liquid behave so viscously that they do not mix when hey are squeezed past each other. This will simplify the operation of the fuel cell, leading to an increased efficiency of up to 40%.
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