Abstract:
The energy demand of Pakistan is steadily increasing and so is the gap between energy
supply and demand. There has been a shift towards renewable sources of energy in some
parts of the world, particularly Europe. Pakistan, however, continues to rely on fossil fuels
to generate electricity. The advent of fuel cells has allowed us to more efficiently extract
energy from fossil fuels. Fuel cells can be more than twice as efficient as their combustion
counterparts.
With our aim to work towards a sustainable future for Pakistan and for humanity, we aim
to accelerate the introduction of fuel cells into the energy mix of Pakistan by designing a
solid oxide direct carbon fuel cell that will be able to convert the chemical energy of coal
into electrical energy by incorporating a gasifier into our design.
Our project involves a parametric design of the fuel cell, encompassing all critical elements
of a fuel cell from the material of the electrodes to the ideal fuel and the gasifier conditions.
By simulating the entire model of the fuel cell, we wish to optimize its performance
parameters such as the current density and the power density and finally by developing a
prototype single stack fuel cell, wish to highlight its importance towards creating a feasible
future for humanity.
