Abstract
Thermodynamics is the study of energy changing from one state to another. The determination of fuel cell potential and efficiency depends heavily on the evaluation of thermodynamic properties, which makes the study of thermodynamics and its relation to fuel cells important for predicting fuel cell performance. The predictions are essential since fuel cells transform chemical energy into electrical energy. Basic thermodynamic concepts allow one to predict states of the fuel cell system, such as potential, temperature, pressure, volume, and moles in a fuel cell. Enthalpy, specific heat, entropy, Gibbs free energy, reversible voltage, net output voltage, and the fuel cell efficiency are some of the important properties explored. The absolute enthalpy includes both chemical and sensible thermal energy. Entropy is another important concept, which is a measure of the quantity of heat that shows the possibility of conversion into work. Gibbs free energy is the amount of useful work that can be obtained from an isothermal, isobaric system when the system changes from one set of steady-state conditions to another. The maximum fuel cell performance is then examined through the reversible voltage. Application of these concepts is the basis of all fuel cell modeling and analysis.
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