Horizon Fuel Cell Software Adaptor User Manual
Contents
1. The rectified output of a DC motor generator outputs 2 half cycle positive waveforms as shown here Notice that the power drops to zero on every half cycle which makes DC motors like the ones Thomas Edison developed very inefficient and unreliable In contrast to a simple DC motor there are 3 coils wound on the stator of the 3 phase motor and they are spaced 120 degrees apart There is no commutator in the motor The three rectified phases and rectified DC output waveforms are shown below Photo courtesy www bugman123 com F ri Sue N IN Py en k F Se Rectified Output 0 120 240 Degrees O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies The important concept to realize is that since the 3 coils are spaced equally apart each of them reaches its instantaneous peak at different times When the individual phases are combined by rectifiers the voltage and thus the power never goes to zero like in a DC motor The 6 half cycles overlap each other at every 1 6 of a rotation every 60 degrees The effect of these 6 half cycles per rotation delivers more constant power to the load than that of the 2 half cycles per rotation from a DC motor Thus a 3 phase motor generator delivers more output than a DC motor generator Since a 3 phase motor generator does not have a commutator its usable life is also much longer than that of a DC motor generator The tradeoff is that a 3 phase motor consists of more materials like2. 1 Attach the black lead of the 10 ohm resistor to the black OUTPUT terminal and verify a similar plot as shown below Notice that the resistance reading is at 10 ohms on the meter below Horizon Fuel Cell Software Adapter b 1 x Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Adapter ii Amps Watts Ohms 12 29 59 98 12 30 01 86 12 30 03 73 12 30 05 61 12 30 06 48 12 30 08 36 11 24 08 11 24 08 11 24 08 Time 11 24 08 11 24 08 11 24 08 e nn eh an Ban en ae DARP im AA ra t Fuel Cell Technologies Figure 8 2 10 ohm Resistor Discharge a Cane www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Analysis On the cathode side the catalytic reaction of hydrogen with oxygen from the ambient air forms water as a result Direct ethanol fuel cells or DEFCs are a subcategory of Proton Exchange Membrane PEM fuel cells where the ethanol fuel is not first reformed into pure hydrogen but fed directly to the fuel cells membrane The mechanism is as follows Anode 1 C2H5OH gt CH3CHO 2H 2e 2 C2H5OH H2O gt CH3COOH 4H 4e 3 C2H5OH 3H20 gt 2C02 12H 12e Cathode AH 4e 02 gt 2H2O During the reaction some of the ethanol is oxidated completely and turns into CO2 as in the reaction 3 while some of the ethanol is oxidated incompletely and turned into acetaldehyde and acetic acid as in the reactions 1 and 2 Conclusion The Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell prod
3. The longer lead of a polarized capacitor is positive while the shorter lead is negative The negative lead is also identified by a series of bar and arrow symbols on the part itself In the experiments that follow be sure to observe the positive and negative portions of the capacitor www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies What is a Battery A battery stores chemical energy which can be converted into electrical energy The physical part and electrical symbol for a battery are shown below Primary batteries are ready to produce current as soon as they are manufactured Primary batteries are generally used in flashlights and must be replaced when they go dead Secondary batteries can be recharged by applying an electrical current which reverses the chemical reactions that occur during its use All car batteries are secondary batteries that need constant recharging by the car s alternator The capacity of a battery depends on the discharge conditions such as the magnitude of the current and the duration of the current The Battery Capacity AH Ampere Hour is defined as the maximum constant current that a fully charged battery can supply for 20 hours at 68 F 20 C down to a predetermined terminal voltage Thus a 1000mAH milliamp hour battery will deliver 50mA over a period of 20 hours at room temperature However if it is discharged at 100mA it will run out of charge within 10 hours
4. The Proper Way to Hookup Components You are provided with leads that have banana plugs on one end and alligator clips on the other end The banana ends plug into the Data Acquisition Card while the clip leads attach to small components like resistors and capacitors Note how the clip ends attach to the component leads with the alligator clips clamping down on the component leads This makes a good connection and also prevents the alligator clips from touching each other Make certain that you use good practice in hooking up components this way www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 1 Purging the Fuel Cell to Optimize Its Performance Purpose This experiment is done to ensure that the fuel cell is purged of all gasses except pure hydrogen By performing this experiment first it will allow the fuel cell to deliver maximum power for the remaining experiments Equipment ee ee ee M ee eS Fuel cell assembly Data Acquisition Card USB cable Battery Holder with 2 AA batteries battery holder has its own leads Red test lead Black test lead 1 ohm resistor PC computer with graphic software Setup Setup the equipment as shown below 3 volt battery Figure 1 1 Experiment 1 Setup Make sure that the fuel cell is fully hydrated Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue LEDs on the circuit
5. 1A 505 5 00m l OB 5 nS 5 00m rd Analysis If voltage were like water coming out of a hose in spurts and not a continuous stream a capacitor acts like a water bucket with a hole in the bottom As a water spurt enters the bucket it temporarily fills the bucket with water Then when the spurt ceases the partially filled bucket releases the water from the hole in the bottom Repeating this spurt stop sequence many times over water will drain from the hole in the buckets bottom in a regular uninterrupted manner Compare this water analogy many times faster using electricity and the reasons for a capacitor the water bucket smoothing out the voltage begins to become clear Different values of capacitor are like larger and smaller water buckets This is only one example of a capacitor that can hold enough charge when the voltage is rising then release that charge when the voltage is falling thus making the voltage a smooth continuous value www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Even More about Wind Turbines A wind turbine is a mechanical device and as such it takes time for the rotor to rotate from 0 rpm to whatever speed And with a load is connected the time to reach steady speed will be even longer Thus the output voltage from the wind turbine rises slowly as compared to that of a Solar Panel A solar panel is a semiconductor device whose response time is very fast When there is no load connected t
6. www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies What is a Motor There are many types of electrical motors but the one used in the experiments is a small DC motor that attaches to a propeller Normally constructed with spinning magnets rotor that surround a coil of wires stator a motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy by taking in electrical power and then spinning a shaft using magnetic energy The shaft can be connected to a load such as a propeller to do work i e spinning the propeller to generate wind energy The physical part and electrical symbol for a DC motor are shown below What is Electrolysis For our purposes the term electrolysis defines splitting water into its two main components hydrogen and oxygen This is what a reversible fuel cell does it splits water H20 into hydrogen and oxygen gases in electrolysis mode and then recombines hydrogen and oxygen in fuel cell mode to create electricity which is why it is called reversible It doesn t take much voltage about 1 5 volts to split water into hydrogen and oxygen as one of the experiments will demonstrate The physical part and symbol for a reversible fuel cell are shown below www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 10 Measuring Resistance When measuring resistance both the external load resistor as well as the 1 ohm sense resistor built into the circuit board must be taken in
7. 11 24 08 11 24 08 11 24 08 1 010101 LE 1099 0 p ELL 1 Figure 9 3 The effects of temperature applied to the ethanol fuel cell www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Analysis At higher temperatures atoms tend to move faster and are more likely to interact with the catalysts located on the surface of the membrane With more interactions the reaction accelerates and more electricity can be produced which is demonstrated by the speed of the fan motor increasing Note Before you direct warm air towards the fuel cell direct the airflow to your hands first to make sure the air is not too hot Below 60 C is preferred Conclusions 1 Higher temperatures will make it more likely for ethanol molecules to interact with the catalysts located on the surface of the membrane which accelerates the speed of the chemical reaction 2 High temperature can also make the membrane more active so it will demonstrate an increased ability of proton exchange within the membrane and an increase the speed of the fan motor Increasing the power capability of ethanol fuel cells can be done by increasing their operating temperature or the temperature of their fuel www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 14 Fault Diagnostics If the software does not respond after starting or if it should produce unexpected results please check the following possible causes Connecting t
8. copper windings However not having to worry about replacing commutator brushes makes up for the extra amount of materials Nicola Tesla a student of Thomas Edison developed the 3 phase AC motor and revolutionized electricity as we know it today All industrial motors are 3 phase www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 13 The Experiments The following experiments demonstrate how various power sources like a battery solar panel and wind turbine can electrolyze water using a fuel cell Multiple loads like resistors capacitors and a small DC motor are used to provide loads The fuel cell acts as a both a power source and a load in the experiments The following is a listing of each of the experiments For best results the user is encouraged to perform these experiments in the order that they are presented Experiment 1 Purging the Fuel Cell to Optimize Its Performance Experiment 2 Electrolysis Using a Battery Experiment 3 Understanding Ohm s Law Experiment 4 Electrolysis User a Solar Panel Experiment 5 Powering a Motor Load Experiment 6 Electrolysis Using a Wind Turbine Experiment 7 Powering a Capacitor Load Experiment 8 Create electricity from ethanol and water Experiment 9 Exploring the effects of temperature Making the Most of Your Experiments The conditions created in performing the following experiments are considered nearly ideal since great care w
9. filled Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface Mu CEO I A ne Watts Volts Amps ole a O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Figure 4 4 Continuing To Electrolyze Water www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Analysis Before going on to explain the electrolysis process note that the solar panel is delivering nearly half a watt 0 470 into the fuel cell load This is less than the nearly three quarters of a watt delivered with the battery in Experiment 1 The reason for this decrease is due to the solar panel s inability to produce the same amount of power as compared with the battery If sun was not used in this experiment to energize the solar panel the actual power would be even less Ifa larger solar panel were used the power would certainly be increased In terms of the electrolysis process the minimum voltage at which water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen is called the decomposition voltage Scientists have determined that the theoretical decomposition voltage for water is 1 23 volts which is lower than what this experiment shows The difference between the theoretical decomposition voltage and the measured voltage is called overpotential Overpotential is a function of the fuel cell s inability to expel the hydrogen and oxygen gasses that form on the metal electrodes below a certain voltage in this case about 1 5 volts as compared with 1
10. instantaneous A fuel cell is a heavy electrical load that makes the wind turbine work harder to power it As the fuel cell starts to electrolyze water the current drawn by the fuel cell is reduced The output voltage will then stabilize at a voltage of about 1 5 Volts which is higher than the electrolyzing voltage of a fuel cell In the first part of the experiment you chose the best location for the wind turbine with the maximum wind energy source The water can then be electrolyzed at the maximum speed However keep in mind that the speed of electrolysis depends largely on the output power of the fan the larger the fan the more power that gets produced Another way to increase the output of the WindCharge wind turbine is to experiment with different blade designs You are encouraged to create your own blades using cardboard or flexible plastic materials and then repeat this experiment Polypropylene balsa wood post card or any sheet media can be used See for yourself which material is more efficient You may find that your efforts will produce more hydrogen in a faster time Have fun www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 7 Powering a Capacitor Load Purpose This last experiment uses the WindCharge wind turbine to show how another component called a capacitor can both smooth out the voltage produced by the wind turbine Equipment aAa NNa WindCharge Wind turbi
11. is the correct Comm port to type into the number area Then click the connector icon the one with the red x If correct the Connect icon will show that the connection is made If the Comm port is not correct an error message will be displayed which is usually due to a Comm port already in use The plot area can be zoomed in and out of a time range horizontal axis or a voltage current power or resistance range vertical axis The up and down arrows will zoom the plot in a vertical direction Up to increase and down to decrease The left and right arrows will zoom the plot in a horizontal direction left for more time and right for less time Click the center double arrow icon to clear the screen and reset the plot If the plot does not immediately start click the double arrow icon again To begin data logging click the data log icon A file will automatically open to record the data being sent by the circuit board To view the logged data click on this icon The logged data will be displayed over the plot area where it can be examined This same file can be ported to a spread sheet program like Excel for further analysis and plotting To find the path to the logged data go to Program Files gt Horizon FCA gt Data on your hard disk Click this icon to close the data log file and erase all logged data www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Click this icon to capture the plot imag
12. number is called the Betz coefficient and is the theoretical maximum efficiency that a wind turbine can harvest from the wind In real world we have to take into account many other factors that affect the wind power being converted into electrical power by the wind turbines The efficiency of wind turbines is affected by the blade parameters generator efficiency and the mechanical losses in the gear box etc But there is ample wind to make clean renewable energy for decades to come www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 12 The Differences between a 3 Phase Motor Generator and a DC Motor Generator The wind turbine used in the following experiments uses a 3 phase motor generator also called an alternator that is much more efficient at producing electrical power as compared with a conventional DC motor The following will point out these differences The main difference between a DC motor and a 3 phase motor is the number of coil windings inside the motor A DC motor has 1 coil winding whereas a 3 phase motor has 3 coil windings The rotor of a DC motor consists of a coil wound around it but not touching it This coil is connected to the motor terminals with a brush type commutator The function of the commutator is to switch the polarity of the coil as the rotor rotates every half cycle Since the brushes are in contact with the rotating rotor they will eventually wear out Photo courtesy www motioncontrol com
13. software USB Driver Software user manual and PDF installer Connection cables www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 4 7 Other Required Materials Not Supplied Windows PC MACs must have Parallels Desktop 3 0 for Mac Fuel cell Solar panel Table fan for wind turbine Small DC motor and propeller Battery Holder two AA batteries not included Wind Turbine 5 Hardware Installation 1 Connect one end of the USB cable to the computer and the other end to the Data Acquisition Card 2 The green and blue LEDs on the Data Acquisition Card should flash to indicate that the connection is made and power from the computer is applied to the circuit board 6 Software Installation 1 Insert the Horizon Fuel Cell Software Adaptor CD ROM into your computer s disc drive and close the door 2 On the Desktop right click on Start then click Explore Find your CD ROM drive D E or higher then click it to bring up the folder s contents 3 Double click on the USB driver software USB Driver Installer exe to install it 4 Double click on the Horizon FC Installer file and follow the instructions to install it 5 Next minimize all applications until the Desktop reappears again A Horizon FCA icon like that shown here should appear D 6 Click the Horizon FCA icon You can choose either English or German Horizon FEA 7 You have successfully installed the hardware and software Now proc
14. the Horizon Bio energy kit The direct ethanol fuel cell produces electricity while ethanol reacts at the anode side of the fuel cell Hydrogen protons permeate from the ethanol solution through the DEFC s membrane liberating electrons that are captured in an external circuit Equipment PC computer with graphic software Data Acquisition Card Red test lead with alligator clip Black test lead with alligator clip 10 ohm resistors Bio energy discovery kit not provided ee e Setup Setup the equipment as shown below Voltage Cunrani Ethanol Fuel Gell Load resistor Figure 8 1 Initial Test Setup 1 Make sure that the bio energy discovery kit is filled with mixture of 10 ethanol 90 water solution stored in the solution tank 2 Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue LEDs on the circuit board are flashing 3 Make sure the graphic software is running on the computer www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 4 On the computer display click on the Connect button at the lower left on the screen and verify the red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display 5 Adjust the voltage scale so you can see the data clearly Note Please read through this procedure first before performing the experiment as the process go fast and requires prior knowledge of what is about to happen Procedure
15. the meter readings on the last plot P 0 003 watts If data was being logged the intermediate voltage current resistance and power readings could also be examined As such you are encouraged to re perform this experiment with the data logging feature enabled www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 6 Electrolysis Using a Wind Turbine Purpose This experiment uses a unique wind turbine called the WindCharge as the power source to electrolyze water This wind turbine is unique in that it is really a miniature model of the type of wind turbines that dot our landscape making clean non polluting energy It uses the same 3 phase alternator technology used in commercial turbines While not as powerful as a battery or solar panel as a power source the wind turbine demonstrates yet another means for generating non polluting power Equipment Fuel cell assembly cal WindCharge Wind turbine Table fan Data Acquisition Card USB cable haa ai Red test lead a a Black test lead PC computer with graphic software RQ DD Setup Setup the equipment as shown below Figure 6 1 Wind Turbine Experiment Setup www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 1 Make sure that the fuel cell is fully hydrated 2 Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue LEDs on the circuit board are fla
16. 1508 me 984508 O84508 08 15 08 PETTEE 010101 010101 BERE F a 1010 101 Ra 019 0 ni gt Reese K Figure 7 2 Wind turbine s DC voltage with ripples www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies If the wind turbine output were to be measured with an oscilloscope a professional graphic display device the actual voltage waveform would look like that below RAOWON Wave analyzing software 5 xi Fie View Format Communications Language Help a A z Br i n Pi e2 MHA iH s t0 a rch2 Cursor Types None rch2 TimeBase Scale Position 5ms Ar ch2 voltage Scale a 500mv gt ch1 ans 5 00mV 71 ch2 500 mV 10 Period 0 00616 A 5 ns 5 00my 71 Freq eso ae O8 nS 500mV 1 zi PK PK 480 000 mY I Pranram Files ns WAYFnNANMNANATAINNA hin PNS an s Figure 7 3 Oscilloscope plot of wind turbine DC voltage without a capacitor 2 In order to smooth out these voltage ripples a capacitor will be added to the circuit as in the setup below Make sure to hookup the capacitor with the positive lead goin to the red OUTPUT terminal and the negative lead going to the black OUTPUT terminal Voltage Current Figure 7 3 Experiment 7 setup with capacitor load www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 3 With the capacitor attached to the OUTPUT terminals continue to keep the wind turbine blades spinn
17. 23 volts Many other factors are involved in this difference of decomposition voltage however the reasons for these differences are beyond the scope of this experiment What this experiment demonstrates is the relatively small amount of voltage necessary to split water into its component gasses of hydrogen and oxygen This fact should be remembered when dealing with fuel cells in future experiments www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 5 Powering a Motor Load Purpose This experiment follows Experiment 4 in order to use the stored hydrogen that was generated by electrolysis A motor propeller is used to demonstrate the fuel cell s ability to power such a device albeit for a short amount of time The results of the experiment explain the reasons why the motor used in the experiment requires such a relatively large amount of power to operate Equipment Fuel cell assembly Motor propeller Data Acquisition Card USB cable Red test leads Black test leads PC computer with graphic software aAa AQ NO _ Setup Setup the equipment as shown below Voltage Current Figure 5 1 Motor Experiment Setup 1 Remove the red wire lead from the motor to the circuit card for now 2 Make sure that the fuel cell is fully hydrated and the balloon filled with hydrogen 3 Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue L
18. 8 10 15 08 Fi RO Horizon 1 Ko gt Fuel Cell Technologies ZW Figure 1 5 Purging the Hydrogen Tube of Gasses Analysis As the plot in Figures 1 4 and 1 5 illustrates the fuel cell s voltage current and power rapidly increase with the fuel cell purging process When the fuel cell system is first setup there is a small amount of air in the tubes and the hydrogen container so the fuel cell consumes impure hydrogen As a result the fuel cell cannot reach its optimum performance However when the tube is removed impure gasses along with some water vapor are expelled and thus clear the tube for pure hydrogen production the next time the fuel cell is electrolyzed This is why the procedure should be repeated at least one more time in order to clear the connecting tubes and balloon of impure gasses Now to the 2 4 ohm reading The experiment used a 1 ohm resistor to act as a load in order to quickly discharge the hydrogen from the fuel cell s balloon But the reading indicated 2 4 ohms So where did the extra resistance come from www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Recall that there is another 1 ohm sense resistor in the circuit that adds to the total resistance So the 1 ohm load added to the 1 ohm sense resistor is 2 ohms But what about the extra 0 4 ohms where did it come from This inaccuracy is caused by the fact that the load resistor is not exactly 1 ohm it coul
19. After clicking on either the Capture Image icon left or Start Data Log icon right the captured data can be found on your hard drive by searching the following path Program Files gt Horizon FCA gt Data 15 Technical Data Product Item No FCJJ 24 Data Acquisition Card e Dimensions 2 5 x 2 5 e USB Interface e Electrical Limits The following measurement ranges are possible Voltage measuring range 0 volts to 5 volts Current measuring range 0 amps to 1 amp Power measuring range O watts to 5 watts Resistance measuring range 0 ohms to 99 999 ohms www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies
20. Cell Technologies Voltage Current Output O Fuel Cell 1 ohm Load resistor Figure 1 3 Setup to Purge the Fuel Cell of All Gasses 6 Now add the 1 ohm resistor across the Output terminals and witness a plot similar to the one below in Figure 1 3 Allow the voltage to decrease to zero thus purging all the hydrogen and other gasses from the balloon alx i Horizon Fuel Cell Software Adapter Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Adapter Volts Amps Watts Ohms 13 193 50 00 19 19 54 75 19 19 58 50 19 20 01 25 13 20 05 00 19 20 09 75 10 15 08 10 15 08 10 15 08 Time 10 15 08 10 15 08 10 15 08 Plot Channel Off 010101 Ha A A Ko Pae gt LUN 5 T Figure 1 4 Discharge across a 1 ohm Load Fuel Cell Technologies www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 7 Next disconnect the connecting tube to release a little hydrogen into the air and verify a similar plot as shown below Notice that the resistance reading is 2 4 ohms not 1 ohm as you might expect More about this in the Analysis section below O Horizon Fuel Cell Software Adapter Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Adapter Pn eee Le EEE EN EEE Pt HE RR VRR RE HN jt tt Tt Sana ke aaa es pf tf ES Ge Go Eu Volts Amps Watts Ohms 19 20 26 00 19 20 30 75 19 20 33 50 19 20 37 25 19 20 41 00 19 20 45 75 10 15 08 10 15 08 10 15 08 Time 10 15 08 10 15 0
21. EDs on the circuit board are flashing 4 Make sure the graphic software is running on the computer www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 5 On the computer display click on the Connect button at the lower left on the screen and verify that a red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display 6 Adjust the voltage vertical scale to 1 88 volts 7 Adjust the time horizontal scale to about 30 or 40 seconds Procedure Note Please read through this procedure first before performing the experiment as the elements of the process go fast and require prior knowledge of what is about to happen 1 Click on the plot restart button the one with the double arrows in the center of the up down left and right arrows and verify a plot similar to the one shown below This shows the fuel cell s voltage being plotted without the motor attached Horizon FCT st ft i hf ER E in oe a a Ta a ja a DR KR Stee ase ee N i tt DE IN Plot Channel Off u Horizon L i Fuel Cell Technologies Figure 5 1 Plot with no Motor Load www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 2 Next attach the red wire lead from the motor and verify a plot similar to the one below Notice the motor spins for only a few seconds and the hydrogen quickly flows out of the hydrogen balloon Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface Figure 5 2 P
22. O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Horizon Fuel Cell Software Adaptor User Manual Farsiss Peal Fabl Sad beats bispber Gonzo Fe FCJJ 24 www horizonfuelcell com Contents et eee nT 13 14 15 O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Introduction Intended Use General Safety Precautions Related Issues Hardware Installation Software Installation Learning to Use the Graphic Software Data Acquisition Board Power Sources and Loads Measuring Resistance Basic Knowledge of Wind Power Technology The Differences between a 3 Phase Motor Generator and a DC Motor Generator The Experiments Fault Diagnostics Technical Data Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Shanghai Co Ltd 4th Floor Block 18 No 271 Qiangyang RD Shanghai 200333 P R China Phone 86 21 52709082 Fax 86 21 52705064 e mail info horizonfuelcell com website www horizonfuelcell com www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 1 Introduction Diminishing resources more severe environmental impacts and the ever increasing demand for energy force us to re evaluate the structure of our energy supply system Automobile and oil companies increasingly invest in hydrogen technology because it offers solutions to some of these concerns This fascinating technology combines a sound energy supply with minimal impact on our natural resources In order to learn more about how hydrogen fuel cells can power everything from cell phones
23. amage sustained in the event of these Safety Precautions not being followed www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 4 Related Issues 4 1 Reverse Engineering You are not entitled to reverse engineer decompile or disassemble the software product in whole or in part 4 2 Errors and Omissions Horizon has made every effort to supply the software and hardware without errors however we are not responsible for any unintentional errors or omissions in the design construction or operation of the product If you should notice undiscovered errors please contact us Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies www horizonfuelcell com 4 3 System Requirements The following operating systems are supported Windows 2000 Windows 98 Windows ME Windows NT Windows XP Windows Vista MACs with INTEL processors can use Parallels Desktop 3 0 for Mac 4 4 Minimum Computer Requirements The minimum requirements are the same as those of the respective operating systems In addition the Microsoft NET Framework run time environment is required for running the Fuel Cell Software Adapter which can be found on the installation CD in German and English 4 5 Software Installation You will need administrator rights for software installation under Windows 2000 Windows NT Windows XP or Windows Vista 4 6 Supplied Materials Data Acquisition Card USB Cable One 1 ohm and two 10 ohm resistors Capacitor CD ROM with FCA graphics
24. as taken to produce valid observable results Your results can equal and even exceed those shown if sufficient care and attention are paid to the setup and procedures In any event your results will vary from those here due to variations in equipment setup and environmental conditions like sun and wind www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Fuel Cell Assembly The following experiments assume that the user is familiar with setting up the fuel cell assembly and hydrating the fuel cell s F Fuel Cell Near Real Time Measurements The electrical data displayed as graphic plots and numbers on the computer are said to be in real time however bear in mind that the Data Acquisition Card requires a finite time to process the electrical data and then transmit it to the computer for display When the data is finally displayed it will not be time tagged as exactly when it was captured There will be several milliseconds of delay between data capture and display The Data Acquisition Card is not an oscilloscope however the data presented in near real time will certainly provide a much better observation of the experimental results as compared with a simple meter Where the Data is Stored Plot images and logged data can be found on the computer s hard disk at the following location Program Files gt Horizon FCA gt Data www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies
25. board are flashing Make sure the graphic software is running on the computer www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 4 On the computer display click on the Connect button at the lower left on the screen and verify the red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display 5 Adjust the voltage scale to 7 5 volts Note Please read through this procedure first before performing the experiment as the process go fast and requires prior knowledge of what is about to happen Procedure 1 Set the battery ON OFF switch to ON 2 Verify that the hydrogen balloon is beginning to expand and that a plot similar to the one in Figure 1 1 below is beginning to be displayed Be 18 xl Horizon Fuel Cell Interface Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface Watts Ohms 10 50 29 50 10 49 51 00 10 49 58 50 10 50 06 00 10 50 13 50 10 50 21 00 i 0813 08 08 1308 08 13 08 08 1308 0813038 pin Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies ie Figure 1 2 Fuel Cell Electrolysis 3 Set the battery ON OFF switch to OFF when the hydrogen balloon is filled 4 Next remove the battery from the Input terminals on the Data Acquisition Card and move the fuel cell to the Input terminals Be careful to maintain the correct polarity Refer to Figure 1 2 below for the new setup 5 On the computer adjust the voltage scale to 1 88 volts www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel
26. d be a little more or less depending on how it was made at the factory Plus the way it is connected to the Data Acquisition Card could add a little more resistance to the circuit If it was attached loosely like it was in this experiment the connection could add some resistance You will experience more readings like this in the other experiments so pleased be prepared for it www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 2 Electrolysis Using a Battery Purpose This first experiment in electrolysis uses the 3 volt battery as the power source and the fuel cell as the load in order to quickly split water into hydrogen and oxygen and to store the hydrogen for our first load experiment Experiment 3 Equipment m d ee M MA 3 volt battery holder and 2 AA batteries Fuel cell assembly Data Acquisition Card USB cable Red test leads Black test leads PC computer with graphic software Setup Setup the equipment as shown below 3 volt battery Figure 2 1 Experiment 1 Setup Set the battery ON OFF switch to OFF Make sure that the fuel cell is fully hydrated and that no hydrogen is left in the hydrogen balloon Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue LEDs on the circuit board are flashing Make sure the graphic software is running on the computer On the computer display click on the Connect button at the lower left o
27. e Connect button at the lower left on the screen and verify the red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display 5 Adjust the voltage scale to 1 88 volts Procedure 1 Attach the black lead of the 10 ohm resistor to the black OUTPUT terminal and verify a similar plot as shown below Notice that the resistance reading is at 10 ohms on the meter below Horizon FCT a i ff ff ij ff fi ae I TT T N a a a en u rn u a hl Cr ma Da om Ohms Volts Amps Watts 0871 308 08 13 08 08 1308 im 081308 O84308 17 7 6 7 073 010101 1010 01930 Figure 3 2 10 ohm Resistor Discharge GUNE www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 2 Next attach a second 10 ohm resistor across the other set of OUTPUT terminals red and black and verify a similar plot as shown below Notice that the resistance reading is 5 7 ohms This is consistent with the two 10 ohm resistors in parallel along with the 1 ohm sense resistor in series with them K Hirion Fuel Cel beri ac Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface 00 210 E 00 037 Volts Amps gioii 110 gigi PI Figure 3 3 5 ohm Resistor Discharge Curve Analysis As the two plots show the fuel cell s voltage rapidly decreases with one 10 ohm resistor applied and decreases even more rapidly as the second 10 ohm resistor is attached Also the formula for Ohm s Law is obeyed which is E R W
28. e and power then transmits these electrical quantities 3 times a second to the computer The computer software displays these quantities as both numbers and colored line plots as they are transmitted Input and Output Connectors There are two 2 Input connectors One is colored red which indicates positive or plus polarity and the other is colored black to indicate negative polarity In the following experiments power sources such as a battery solar panel wind turbine or fuel cell will be connected to the Input connectors There are four 4 Output connectors but they are actually two sets of positive and negative connectors arranged in parallel meaning that the two positive red terminals are connected together and the two negative black terminals are connected together but not to each other i e positive to positive and negative to negative In the following experiments loads such as a resistor capacitor motor and fuel cell are used a fuel cell can be both a power source as well as a load The diagram in the next subject line shows how these connectors are arranged 1 Ohm Sense Resistor A 1 ohm sense resistor labeled R4 on the circuit board is connected between the Input and Output connectors Its main purpose is to measure the current flow from the power source on the Input connectors going into the load on the Output connectors The sense resistor R4 is also attached to the microprocessor U1 which does th
29. e experiment as the elements of the process go fast and require prior knowledge of what is about to happen 1 Place the solar panel face down then connect the red wire lead to the red input connector 2 Slowly rotate the solar panel towards the light until the voltage goes above 1 5 volts green plot line and the current blue line and power red line jump from nearly O to some positive value as shown in the plot below Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface Triad CECE gt z e N TAZA TREAD ELIE eli 44S 1044 Tee Da Cnet des Cee es Time Cre dies Ces a Su En Fuel Gell Technologies Figure 4 2 Determining the Electrolyzing Voltage of Water www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 3 Next rotate the solar panel facing down again until the voltage drops below 1 5 volts and observe that the current and power go back to zero as shown in the plot below E 2 LIE Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface 010101 zn 212107 D000 u 10 Figure 4 3 Halting the Electrolysis Process 4 Finally place the solar panel directly into the light source sun is best and observe that the voltage current and power levels increase correspondingly The solar panel will now electrolyze the water completely and fill the hydrogen balloon for the next experiment Remove the solar panel from the circuit when the hydrogen balloon is
30. e on the screen These images are automatically saved to a file with a unique name and can be extracted and included in reports or printed out To find the path to these images go to Program Files gt Horizon FCA gt Data on your hard disk You will find the captured screen shots as jpg files which you can extract and use in reports or print out directly You can also rename the files as well Click this icon to view the captured images The four meters display the voltage current power and resistance Their scales are fixed and unlike the grid plot area cannot be changed The resistance reading of 99 999 ohms is maximum even if the actual resistance is more The other electrical measurements are consistent with their actual values 01 265 00 019 00 024 65 000 Volts Amps Watts Ohms Blant ham PPh We CHEE SI To reduce screen clutter in the plot area the individual switches can be clicked to turn ON or turn OFF the selected plot line If your computer is connected to the Internet clicking on the Horizon icon will take you to their website Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 8 Data Acquisition Board an R The Data Acquisition Board is the electronic interface between devices such as a fuel cell solar panel and wind turbine When connected to a computer via a USB cable it measures and computes voltage current resistanc
31. e work of sensing current and load resistance Since the loads in the following experiments tend to be of small resistance values generally 10 ohms or less the 1 ohm sense resistor must be considered in current and resistance calculations as will be shown later An equivalent circuit is shown on the following page www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Voltage LED Current LED Microprocessor INPUT 1 ohm sense resistor OUTPUT The two flashing LEDs represent the relative strength of the voltage and current being measured The green LED indicates voltage and the blue LED indicates current the brighter the LEDs the greater the relative voltage and current being measured and visa versa To enhance the understanding between the circuit board and the computer display software these are the same colors used on the computer display software to display voltage and current 5V USB Connector V Flashing LEDs USB Connector The USB connector is the cube like part on the left side of the circuit board When a USB cable is attached to it and to a computer power for the circuit board is delivered from the computer and data is transmitted by the circuit board to the computer for display and analysis www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 9 Power Sources and Loads The experiments use the following power sources and loads Power Sources e Batt
32. ea Da m Volts Amps Watts Ohms 1 88 a t i i fii fof tT fy ff T oo ae aaa i a i el N N oa E E U 03 pf AA LA IM __ ER pf N NN ef DD a m nd 1 09 38 32 00 09 39 02 00 09 39 32 00 09 40 02 00 09 40 32 00 09 4 1 02 00 08 15 08 08 15 08 08 15 08 Time 08 15 08 08 15 08 081508 1 69 1 50 1 31 1 13 0 94 0 75 Fi A O Horizon i 2 gt Fuel Cell Technologies Figure 6 3 Electrolysis voltage leveling off 3 Next reduce the vertical voltage scale to 0 23 Horizon Fuel Cell Interface Se e x Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface Volts an Watts Ohms D9 39 02 00 09 39 32 00 09 40 02 00 09 40 32 00 08 1508 087 15 08 Time 08 15 08 0815 08 RITA mt tt HHHH YF a tN 09 41 02 00 087 15 08 nee a II I I Tu zu anu Pa i d Fuel Cell Technologies gt 010101 we er et iii Figure 6 4 Examining current and power in more detail www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 4 Inthe expanded view above notice the change in current and power as the voltage climbs to its stabilized level of 1 440 volts In the very beginning of the plot in the circle the current plot line blue line indicates an immediate rush of current from the wind turbine into the fuel cell however since the voltage is so low almost no power red li
33. eed to Section 7 on Learning to Use the Graphics Software to understand what to do next www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 7 Learning to Use the Graphic Software The PC graphic software screen is divided into several regions that control how electrical quantities such as voltage current power and resistance readings are displayed The large grid area continuously displays four plotted lines in four colors The colors match the voltage current power and resistance values below the vertical meters e Green Voltage in volts e Blue Currentin amperes e Red Power in watts Black Resistance in ohms fy Horizon Fuel Cell Interface pr lal x Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface Volts Amp Watts Ohms 10 51 10 00 10 51 18 50 10 51 25 00 10 51 32 50 10 51 40 00 10 51 48 50 081408 08408 081408 Time 081408 081408 08408 n 010101 gt Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Before any plots can occur the graphic software must connect with the attached circuit board that is transmitting data To do so first select the correct Comm port number then click on the Connect icon You can type over the number displayed if it is not correct To find the correct Comm port go to Control Panel gt System gt Hardware Manager gt Device Manager then click on the Comm port This
34. elcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies What is a Resistor A resistor is an electrical device usually composed of a passive material like carbon that limits the flow of current and voltage from a power source Resistors are important components in any electrical circuit since other components that are connected to the resistors depend on the limited current and voltage they produce to operate correctly The physical part and electrical symbol for a resistor are shown below What is a Capacitor A capacitor is a device that stores energy from a power source and then releases the stored energy when it is no longer available It is somewhat like a rechargeable battery but quite different in terms of its construction and use in circuits Depending on the size of the capacitor its value in units called Farads it can store and release energy many times faster as compared with a battery The experiments will use the capacitor to filter or smooth out the voltage ripples produced by the wind turbine Capacitors come in two basic types polarized and non polarized A polarized capacitor requires that you connect the positive lead to the red terminal on the circuit board and the negative lead to the black terminal Non polarized capacitors can have either lead connected to positive or negative The experiments only use a polarized capacitor The physical part and electrical symbol for a polarized capacitor are shown below
35. ery e Solar Panel e Wind Turbine e Fuel Cell Loads e Resistors e Capacitor e Motor Propeller e Fuel Cell a fuel cell can be both a power source and a load What is a Power Source For these experiments a power source is a device that produces both electrical voltage and current in effect power The power sources use chemical energy battery solar panel magnetic energy wind turbine or hydrogen fuel cell to generate voltage and current The equation for power is shown below P E l Where P Power in watts E Voltage in volts Current in amps What is a Load A load is a device that accepts the power coming from a power source and may use the power to do work like spin a motor Other loads like resistors and capacitors serve to dissipate or store power respectively In all cases loads are used to both consume and regulate the power being produced Generally speaking a load is measured as resistance whose units are in ohms In relative terms a light load has a large resistance and a heavy load has a small resistance This may be counter intuitive but it is the case nevertheless For example a 100 ohm resistor presents a lighter load to a circuit as compared with a 10 ohm resistor The equation for computing the association among voltage current and resistance load is as follows Where E Voltage in volts Current in amps R Resistance in ohms www horizonfu
36. esistance and power values for fuel cells with a power capacity of up to 5 watts The following measurement ranges are possible e Voltage measuring range 0 volts to 5 volts e Current measuring range 0 amps to 1 amp e Power measuring range O watts to 5 watts e Resistance measuring range 0 ohms to 99 999 ohms For best results please review each experiment before performing it This will avoid misunderstandings and provide you with knowledge of what is about to happen We wish you many enjoyable hours learning about fuel cell technology and how it can benefit our world with the Fuel Cell Software Adaptor www horizonfuelcell com 3 O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Intended Use Measurements can be carried out and evaluated on fuel cells in the power range up to 5 watts with the Fuel Cell Software Adaptor s external Data Acquisition Card and the associated software The hardware and software were developed exclusively for educational teaching and demonstration purposes Any other use is prohibited General Safety Precautions In order to avoid any risks you must follow the following General Safety Precautions when carrying out measurements with the Fuel Cell Software Adaptor and fuel cells The system may only be set up and operated by a competent person Students require adult supervision at all times Read the Operating Instructions before setting up the system Follow them during use and keep them readily a
37. fuel cell continues to create hydrogen and oxygen from water As can be seen on the meters the battery is supplying over amp 0 793 amps to electrolyze the water For these experiments the 3 volt battery supplies the most power for electrolysis www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 3 Understanding Ohm s Law Purpose This experiment demonstrates one of the basic laws of electronics the relationship of voltage current and resistance called Ohm s Law It uses the hydrogen that was created in Experiment 2 so if you are not following Experiment 3 directly from Experiment 2 please repeat Experiment 2 to create the hydrogen for this experiment Equipment 1 PC computer with graphic software 1 Data Acquisition Card 1 Red test lead with alligator clip 1 Black test lead with alligator clip 2 10 ohm resistors Setup Setup the equipment as shown below Voltage Current N U V Fuel Cell 10 ohm Load resistor Figure 3 1 Initial Test Setup 1 Make sure that the fuel cell is fully hydrated with hydrogen stored from the previous experiment in the hydrogen balloon 2 Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue LEDs on the circuit board are flashing www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 3 Make sure the graphic software is running on the computer 4 On the computer display click on th
38. here E Voltage in Volts Current in Amps R Resistance in Ohms With a single 10 ohm resistor applied as a load the fuel cell attempts to supply current into it however the supply of hydrogen that creates the voltage and current quickly begins to dissipate under such a relatively heavy load As such the voltage green line and current blue line decrease as the hydrogen is consumed Applying a second 10 ohm resistor in parallel with the first 10 ohm resistor creates even a heaver load of 5 ohms as shown by the formula below www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 1 ohm sense resistor R1 R2 10 ohm 10 ohm _ asa besa 6 ohms total resistor resistor R1 x R2 Rparallel je 5 ohms R1 R2 Because the 1 ohm sense resistor on the circuit board is in series with the parallel resistors the resultant resistance should be 6 00 ohms However due to inaccuracies in the value of the resistors the actual resistance of each resistor in this particular experiment is less than 10 ohms your results may vary the measured resistance on the computer display is 5 7 ohms This experiment points out how resistors in parallel generate more of an electrical load to the power source as compared with just a single resistor of the same value You are encouraged to repeat this experiment and this time look more closely at the current and power plots rather than the voltage plot In order to this reduce the vertical se
39. ing and the following plot should be displayed Notice that the voltage has increased and that it is somewhat smoother Depending on the value of your capacitor your results may vary The basic result is that the waveform is much smoother with the capacitor in the circuit 18 x W Horizon Fuel Cell Interface Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface Volts Amps Watts Ohms 09 44 07 00 09 44 37 00 09 45 07 00 09 45 37 00 09 46 07 00 09 46 37 00 08 15 08 08 1508 08 16 08 Time 081508 08 15 08 08 1508 gt Horizon uy Fuel Cell Technologies u z FF K Figure 7 4 Effect of capacitor on wind turbine DC output an er eS a www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies If the wind turbine output were now to be measured with an oscilloscope the waveform would look much different Notice the plot line is smooth and regular with no ripples and that it is centered at the average output of the rippled waves in the previous view This is due to the voltage smoothing effect of the capacitor Fe OWON Ware analyzing software i ioj x File View Format Communications Language Help ATAOE a g EB H e Types None ch Timebase Scale Position 5 ms le ch Yoltage Scale Position 500 mv gt EME Period 0005 Freq 0 000 Hz PK PK 60 000 mW Figure 7 5 Oscilloscope plot of wind turbine DC voltage with a capacitor 5n5 5 00mW Jd F SOO m fio
40. l Technologies 11 Basic Knowledge of Wind Power Technology A wind turbine is a device that uses rotor blades connected by a mechanical shaft to an electrical alternator to generate electricity When the wind blows across the rotor blades the propeller shaft rotates the alternator and the alternator makes electricity much the same when your car s engine spins the alternator to charge the car s battery The amount of power that is produced by a wind turbine depends on many factors one of which is the rotor blades The power that can be harvested in the area swept by the wind turbine rotor blades can be described as follows P 0 5 p A V Where P Power in Watts o Air Density in Kg m about 1 225Kg m at sea level less higher up A Rotor Swept Area in m Tir r radius of the rotor V Wind Speed in m s You should notice that the power is proportional to the cube of the wind speed and the square of the radius of the rotor blades If the radius of the rotor blades is doubled the swept area is quadrupled If the wind speed is reduced by half 1 2 the power is reduced to 1 8 of the original power Thus a light wind contains little power so remember to use a larger table fan for the experiments It will produce much better results Albert Betz was a German Physicist and a pioneer of wind turbine technology Betz found out that we can only harvest at maximum 16 27 or 0 593 of the power from the wind This
41. lot with Motor Load 3 Allow the motor to spin until the hydrogen is completely consumed The plot should look like the one pictured below Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface A L N E ii I I SI 7 7 71 En aia SS I fd DR DR E U U I N 08 1408 08 14 08 me 98408 OBASMB 81S Fuel Cell Technologies eu Figure 5 3 Plot of Motor Load Dissipating Hydrogen www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Analysis The motor presents a relatively heavy load to the fuel cell This can be seen by observing the resistance readings below the meter of between 1 60 and 1 70 ohms This is over 6 times as much as the 10 ohm load in Experiment 1 which accounts for the rapid decrease in voltage and correspondingly current and power Notice that at the very beginning of the plot when the motor was first connected to the circuit board that the voltage current and power readings were at their maximum This is indicated by the spike in the red and blue lines However as the voltage decreased so did the power This can be confirmed using the formula below for computing power when voltage or current decrease so does power P E l Where P Power in watts E Voltage in volts Current in amps As an exercise plug in the observable units of voltage and current on the plots to confirm the formula s validity For example P E l P 0 063 0 054 taken from
42. n the screen and verify that a red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display Adjust the vertical scale to 7 5 volts www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Procedure 8 Set the battery ON OFF switch to ON 9 Verify that a plot similar to the one below is beginning to develop 10 Set the battery ON OFF switch to OFF when the hydrogen balloon is filled Horizon Fuel Cell Interface 2 x Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface 10 49 51 00 10 49 58 50 10 50 06 00 10 50 13 50 10 50 21 00 10 50 29 50 08 13 08 08 13 08 08 1308 i 08 13 08 08 13 08 b 010101 a Horiz on Figure 2 2 Plot 1 Analysis In Figure 2 2 as the electrolysis process begins the battery voltage green line starts at 0 volts then rises quickly to about 2 00 volts This is due to the fuel cell the load presenting a relatively low resistance heavy load in the very beginning in this case about 3 ohms as can be seen at the very left of the plot black line in circle As the electrolysis process continues the fuel cell s load resistance increases gets lighter allowing the battery voltage to increase as it does not have to supply as much current into the load The current blue line and power red line also peak at the beginning in response to the heaver load presented by the fuel cell They then level off as the fuel cell s load stabilizes The load stabilizes at 5 00 ohms as the
43. ne is generated Remember the formula for power is voltage E times current I P E l so if E voltage is low or zero very little or no power P will be generated As the plot continues notice that the current voltage and power all increase before leveling off In this screen capture the voltage is 1 445 volts the current is 0 022 amps 22 milliamps and the power is 0 032 watts 32 milliwatts 5 Now disconnect the wind turbine red lead from the circuit board and notice that the voltage dips slightly circle The wind turbine is completely out of the circuit at this point so the voltage is coming from the fuel cell load iO Horizon Fuel Cell Interface l x Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface DEE m Oo m Volts Amps Watts Ohms 09 39 02 00 09 39 32 00 09 40 02 00 09 40 32 00 09 41 02 00 08 1503 08 1503 081503 Time 08 1503 08 15 08 0815 08 gt 010101 10177 JF Ta u Figure 6 6 Fuel cell voltage output Analysis Although the WindCharge wind turbine can deliver the minimum amount of voltage to decompose water it is very limited in the amount of current that it can produce to do the task quickly As a result the electrolysis process takes longer However after a few minutes of electrolysis the wind turbine does generate a small amount of hydrogen which is evident in the voltage displayed even after the wind turbine is disconnected from the circuit You are encouraged
44. ne Table fan Capacitor Data Acquisition Card gt a USB cable a e Red test leads Ze Black test leads PC computer with graphic software Setup Voltage Current Figure 7 1 Experiment 7 Setup Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue LEDs on the circuit board are flashing Make sure the graphic software is running on the computer On the computer display click on the Connect button at the lower left on the screen and verify that a red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display Adjust the voltage vertical scale to 1 88 volts www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Note Please read through this procedure first before performing the experiment as the elements of the process go fast and require prior knowledge of what is about to happen Procedure 1 Place the table fan directly in front of the wind turbine then switch it on to its highest fastest setting A plot similar to the one below should begin to appear Notice that the voltage green line increases to a maximum level almost instantly The maximum voltage level may vary given your fan setup and speed of air movement Also notice the ripples as the plot proceeds This is due to the wind turbine s 3 phase output Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface Volts Amps Watts Ohms Core 08 1508 08 15 08 08
45. o the Data Acquisition Card To find the correct Comm Port do one or the other of these steps Click directly on the arrow next to the displayed port number It may display another number that is the correct port number Click on this number and then click on the X in the icon below If it is correct the following icon will appear and the Data Acquisition Card will be connected to the plot display You can also use determine the correct icon number by using your computer s Control Panel PCs only Click on Start gt Control Panel gt System Device Manager gt Ports gt USB Serial Port x where x is the number that should be entered into the Comm Port select icon Then go back to the Fuel Cell Adapter software and click on the number shown Then using the keyboard enter the number of the USB Serial Port you found from the Control Panel Then click on the X in the icon below False Readings With no power source or load connected you may experience false readings on the plots and meters as shown here This is due mainly to the fact that the Data Acquisition Card has very sensitive electronics that react to stray electrical noise in the environment such as from the power lines and even your computer However once a power source and load are connected to the Input and Output terminals as in the experiments these anomalies should disappear since the electronics are now being driven correctly
46. o the wind turbine the output voltage is proportional to the average wind speed of the swept area You may compare this result with an Anemometer a device that uses small wind vanes to measure the speed of the wind You may notice that the output voltage fluctuates frequently and with many ripples on the plot This is a characteristic of wind turbine which shows that the wind is never steady Even though the output from the fan is very steady the turbulence created by the wind still exists A good wind tunnel can minimize this The voltage ripple exists as a result of the 3 Phase generator For each rotation there are 6 ripples generated 2 ripple for each phase However due to the time scale resolution of the system this phenomenon cannot be demonstrated accurately The output voltage also changes with the distance between the wind turbine and the wind source The output voltage decreases if the wind turbine does not align with the wind However the WindCharge will align itself automatically to face the wind Optimizing a Wind Turbine A wind turbine cannot be efficient at all wind speed conditions The blades have contradicting requirements at high and low wind speed At low wind speeds the size of the blades should be large and long and with more blades At high wind speeds the size of the blades should be narrow and short and with fewer blades Therefore you are encouraged to test the wind turbine with the supplied long and sho
47. rt blades You may also create your own blades to see if they are more efficient Play around with the Wind Turbine WindCharge is a realistic mini wind turbine that you can use to power your electrical devices apart from the experiment purposes You may use it to charge rechargeable batteries power water pumps driving motor fan lighting a bulb and much more You can bring your WindCharge outdoor to experience the natural wind However you have to know that the voltage output from the wind turbine can be more than 10 Volts under strong wind To protect your electronic devices from damage by the high voltage always connect a rechargeable battery of suitable voltage rating to clamp the voltage and serve as a reservoir to filter the fluctuation from the wind You may like to customize the WindCharge with your imagination The materials that you can use to make the blades and vane are readily available Polypropylene sheet Balsa wood post card or any sheet media can be used What you need are scissors and a punch You can color your blades and vane to make them more attractive You may also stick a picture on the vane and share the fun with your friends It is nice to display the WindCharge on your desk or your friends Use your imagination www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 8 Create electricity from ethanol and water Purpose This experiment demonstrates the production of electricity of
48. shing 3 Make sure the graphic software is running on the computer 4 On the computer display click on the Connect button at the lower left on the screen and verify that a red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display 5 Adjust the voltage vertical scale to 1 88 volts Procedure Note Please read through this procedure first before performing the experiment as the elements of the process go fast and require prior knowledge of what is about to happen 1 Place the table fan directly in front of the wind turbine then switch it on to its highest fastest setting A plot similar to the one below should begin to appear Notice how the voltage quickly increases but not as quickly as the battery or solar panel more about this later j Horizon Fuel Cell Interface laj x Horizon FCT JE DEE ER RE RE RE DE RE RE HR haere 0 56 0 38 0 19 tele 171 Plot Channel On 0 00 ee i sf fF i 32 00 09 38 32 00 09 39 02 00 09 39 32 09 40 02 00 09 40 32 00 09 4 1 02 00 08 1508 08 1508 08 15 08 Time 08 1508 08 15 08 08 15 08 b 010101 1017 0 1 Figure 6 2 Start of wind turbine electrolysis of fuel cell www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 2 Very soon the voltage will stabilize level off as shown below Horizon Fuel Cell Interface lal xj Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Interface i i j Orr
49. sure the graphic software is running on the computer 4 Onthe computer display click on the Connect button at the lower left on the screen and verify the red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display 5 Adjust the voltage scale so you can see the data clearly Note Please read through this procedure first before performing the experiment as the process go fast and requires prior knowledge of what is about to happen Procedure 1 Attach the black lead of the 10 ohm resistor to the black OUTPUT terminal and verify a similar plot as shown below Notice that the resistance reading is at 10 ohms on the meter below i Horizon Fuel Cell Software Adapter _ laj x Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Adapter al u 12 re 12 29 37 87 29 39 12 29 41 12 29 42 49 12 11 244 11 24 08 lt i lt 11 24 08 11 244 010101 H 0 ie Fuel Cell Technologies Figure 9 2 10 ohm Resistor Discharge Cure www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 2 Next use a hair drier to create a flow of hot air directed towards the back of the fuel cell After 30 seconds you should observe the data below and the motor and fan will be operating at a faster speed B Horizon Fuel Cell Software Adapter E laj x Horizon FCT Fuel Cell Adapter Amps Watts 12 30 32 48 12 30 34 36 12 30 36 23 12 30 38 11 12 30 40 98 12 30 42 86 11 24 08 11 24 08 11 24 08 Time
50. to cars the Fuel Cell Software Adapter allows you to directly peer into the electrical operation of a fuel cell in order to observe how it produces hydrogen from plain water and then uses this hydrogen to create electricity The Fuel Cell Software Adapter takes your regular desktop or laptop PC and turns it into a laboratory instrument where you can graphically observe the electrical relationships among voltage current resistance and power Meters are fine for static electrical measurements but when it comes to seeing what happens in real time all at once nothing beats a graphic display This is what you have in the Fuel Cell Software Adapter a laboratory instrument that is specifically designed to test fuel cells And the following experiments will teach you more in one minute than you can experience in hours of tedious laboratory measurements with a meter A picture is worth a 1000 words and nothing is more appropriate for this comparison The Fuel Cell Software Adaptor provides a facility for automatically recording and evaluating the voltage current and power values of fuel cells It includes PC software for recording measurements as well as a Data Acquisition Card for connecting to a computer s USB interface Horizon s Fuel Cell Software Adaptor has been especially developed for fuel cells in the lower power range The PC software and the Data Acquisition Card are designed for measuring and recording voltage current load r
51. to consideration Example 1 The illustration below shows a 10 ohm load resistor placed across one set of the OUTPUT terminals The total resistance is really 11 ohms 10 ohm load resistance 1 ohm sense resistance While the fuel cell is shown as the power source a battery solar panel or wind turbine can also be substituted Voltage LED Current LED 5V Microprocessor INPUT USB Connector 1 ohm sense resistor GND OUTPUT nm Load resistor The equivalent circuit is shown below 1 ohm sense resistor 11 ohms total 10 ohm Load resistor www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Example 2 The illustration below shows two 10 ohm load resistors in parallel placed across both sets of the OUTPUT terminals The total resistance is really 6 ohms 5 ohm parallel load resistance 1 ohm sense resistance While the fuel cell is shown as the power source a battery solar panel or wind turbine can also be substituted Voltage LED Current LED 5V USB Connector Microprocessor INPUT 1 ohm sense resistor V 10 ohm Load resistor 10 ohm Load resistor OUTPUT V The equivalent circuit is shown below 1 ohm sense resistor R1 R2 10 ohm 10 ohm hms total Load Load Po resistor resistor R1 x R2 Rparallel 5 ohms R1 R2 www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cel
52. to repeat this experiment and this time allow the table fan to blow air for 15 minutes or more This should be enough time to fully inflate the hydrogen balloon If this is done the 10 ohm load should not deplete the hydrogen so quickly allowing the voltage and current to www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies remain at higher levels for a longer time similar to the experiments with the battery and solar panel REMEMBER the wind turbine generates its power based solely on the amount of air that reaches its blades The faster the airflow the faster the blades turn with more power generated Therefore use a larger more powerful table fan to produce more power out of the wind turbine More about Wind Turbines The important parameters surrounding a wind turbine s power generation ability are wind speed wind direction blade size blade shape blade angle blade pitch and generator efficiency in relation to shaft rotation speed The WindCharge wind turbine is designed to work with these parameters so that you the experimenter can see the effects when these parameters are changed Also the WindCharge wind turbine can align itself to the direction of the wind This feature cannot be found in most small turbines for educational purposes Initially the output voltage rises more slowly as compared with a solar panel which is a solid state device whose voltage and current outputs are nearly
53. tting so that the current and power plots are better visible www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 4 Electrolysis with a Solar Panel Purpose This experiment uses the solar panel to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen using the fuel cell Plus it demonstrates the minimum voltage required to achieve electrolyzation Equipment NN _ Fuel cell assembly Solar panel Data Acquisition Card USB cable Red test leads Black test leads PC computer with graphic software Setup Setup the equipment as shown below Solar Panel u P 9 Fuel Cell Figure 4 1 Experiment 4 Setup Voltage Current Remove the red wire lead from the solar panel to the Data Acquisition card for now Make sure that the fuel cell is fully hydrated and that no hydrogen is left in the hydrogen balloon Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue LEDs on the circuit board are flashing Make sure the graphic software is running on the computer www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 5 On the computer display click on the Connect button at the lower left on the screen and verify that a red plot line is slowly moving across the bottom of the grid display 6 Adjust the voltage vertical scale to 1 88 volts Procedure Note Please read through this procedure first before performing th
54. uces electricity while ethanol reacts at the anode side of the fuel cell Hydrogen protons permeate from the ethanol solution through the DEFC s membrane liberating electrons that are captured in an external circuit www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Experiment 9 Exploring the effects of temperature Purpose This experiment demonstrates the relationship between temperature and the performance of the ethanol fuel cell At higher temperatures atoms tend to move faster and are more likely to interact with the catalysts located on the surface of the membrane With more interactions the reaction accelerates and more electricity is produced which is demonstrated by the speed of the fan motor increasing Equipment PC computer with graphic software Data Acquisition Card Red test lead with alligator clip Black test lead with alligator clip 10 ohm resistors Bio energy discovery kit not provided eo ee e Setup Setup the equipment as shown below Voltage KCurnani Ethanol Fuel Cell Load resistor Figure 9 1 Initial Test Setup 1 Make sure that the bio energy discovery kit is filled with mixture of 10 ethanol 90 water solution stored in the solution tank www horizonfuelcell com O Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies 2 Connect the USB cable between the circuit board and the computer and verify that the green and blue LEDs on the circuit board are flashing 3 Make
55. vailable for reference This also applies to the Operating Instructions for the fuel cells and if appropriate any electrolyzer used in the experiments The system is not a toy Operate the equipment and keep it and the gases produced out of the reach of small children Unless specified otherwise do not short circuit or reverse the polarity of the terminals Remove inflammable gases vapors and fluids from the vicinity of fuel cells and electrolyzers The catalysts contained in the system can trigger spontaneous combustion Hydrogen and oxygen may escape from fuel cells and electrolyzers To prevent the gases collecting and forming explosive mixtures only use the system in well ventilated rooms Fuel cells and electrolyzers may only be operated where there is sufficient ventilation at all times The operator is obliged to prove this by means of appropriate measurements Remove from the vicinity of fuel cells and electrolyzers anything that could ignite the hydrogen such as a naked flame materials that can become charged with static electricity substances with a catalytic action etc Remove from the vicinity of fuel cells and electrolyzers all substances that could spontaneously ignite with increased oxygen concentration Do not smoke in the vicinity of fuel cells and electrolyzers Only use the gas storage tanks Horizon provides to store gas Never connect other alternatives Horizon will not accept any responsibility for injuries or d
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