Investigations into intermediate temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell gas diffusion layers: when science meets art

Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEFCs) are a key technology to secure the future of the automotive sector. PEFCs are advantageous due to their low operating temperature (60-80 $^o$C), quick start up times and responsiveness to load change. However, the requirement for expensive platinum, difficulty of water management and heat dissipation means that further improvements are required. One way of reducing the impact of these challenges is to increase the cell operating temperature to above 100 $^o$C. In particular by operating the cell at 120 $^o$C, labelled as the Intermediate Temperature (IT)-PEFC, it becomes theoretically possible to simplify water and thermal management. In order to realise these benefits, further research is required into components of the Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs). In this work, fundamental properties of the GDL have been investigated such as the influence of porosity on electronic conductivity, the influence of the microporous layer, the influence of hydrophobicity and the influence of GDL thickness. This has been done using a mixed methods approach consisting of simulation and experimental work. MEAs were simulated and hand-painted to test the GDL material properties. From this, recommendations for an ideal GDL for intermediate temperature conditions are suggested, for example, using a GDL with; a porosity of 40%, a permeability greater than 10$^-$$^1$$^0$ m$^2$, an MPL, hydrophobic treatment and as thin as possible. The possibility of using metallic GDLs was also investigated using simulation and experimental work. It was found that metallic GDLs do show better mass transport properties however further work is required to overcome the higher contact resistance

Effects of different combinations of poultry manure and urea on growth, yield and economics of garlic (Allium sativum L.)

A field experiment was carried out in garlic (Allium sativum L.) in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications and five treatments in horticulture farm of Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal to find out the efficacy of different combination of poultry manure and Urea as nitrogen fertilizers in its yield and yield attributes. The five treatments used for experiment were designed altering the recommended nitrogen dose through different sources i.e. (T1) 100% Urea, (T2) 7% Urea and 25% poultry manure, (T3) 50% Urea and 50% poultry manure, (T4) 25% Urea and 75% poultry manure and (T5) 100% poultry manure. The data regarding to the plant height, number of cloves, diameter of bulbs and fresh bulb weight were taken. In case of plant height, non-significant result was found between various treatments. The number of cloves was found highest in T5 (24.69±1.30), the diameter of bulb was found highest in T2 (3.93±0.39 cm), fresh bulb weight was found highest in T2 (14.32±0.39 gm) and total bulb yield was found highest in T2 (7.16±0.19 t/ha) which were significant at 5 % level of significance. The total bulb yield was found positively correlated (r=0.53) with diameter of bulb at 1 % level of significance. The benefit cost (B/C) ratio was found highest in T2 (1.54) and lowest in T3 (1.28). So 75% Urea and 25 % Poultry Manure stood one of the best combinations of nitrogen fertilizers providing higher economic yields

Fuel cell added value for early market applications

AbstractFuel Cells are often considered in the market place as just power providers. Whilst fuel cells do provide power, there are additional beneficial characteristics that should be highlighted to consumers. Due to the high price premiums associated with fuel cells, added value features need to be exploited in order to make them more appealing and increase unit sales and market penetration. This paper looks at the approach taken by two companies to sell high value fuel cells to niche markets. The first, SFC Energy, has a proven track record selling fuel cell power providers. The second, Bloom Energy, is making significant progress in the US by having sold its Energy Server to more than 40 corporations including Wal-Mart, Staples, Google, eBay and Apple. Further to these current markets, two prospective added value applications for fuel cells are discussed. These are fuel cells for aircraft APUs and fuel cells for fire prevention. These two existing markets and two future markets highlight that fuel cells are not just power providers. Rather, they can be used as solutions to many needs, thus being more cost effective by replacing a number of incumbent systems at the same time

Determinants of gross income from carp production in Bara district, Nepal

A study was conducted from March to June 2020 to analyze the determinants of gross income from carp production in the Bara district of Nepal. Altogether, 90 carp producers, 45 each from Simraungadh and Pachrauta municipality in equal basis were sampled by using cluster sampling technique. Primary information was collected through a pre-tested semi-structured interview-based schedule while secondary information was collected reviewing the relevant publications. Data was entered in SPSS 25 and analyzed using STATA 12.1. The results  revealed that the cost of labor, cost of feed, assistances and services, and training had significant positive effect on gross income from carp prodcuiton. Furthermore, lack of quality inputs was identified as the most severe production problems whereas Dhalta to be given was recognized as the most severe marketing problems. Thus, encouraging the carp producer to manage the cost of labor and cost of feed deliberately, rationally providing the assistance and services and strengthening the skills and knowledge of producer through training could significantly increase gross income from carp production

Consumer attitudes to fuel cell vehicles post trial in the United Kingdom

AbstractFuel cell cehicles (FCVs) have clear societal and environmental benefits and can help mitigate the issues of climate change, urban air pollution and oil dependence. In order for FCVs to have the biggest impact on these issues they need to be employed in large numbers. First, though, they need to be adopted by consumers. Their acceptance depends on positive consumer attitudes towards the vehicles. Currently there is a limited understanding within the literature on how consumers perceive FCVs and what the likelihood of adoption by consumers would be, despite significant governmental and organisational investments into the technology. Therefore this study assesses consumer attitudes towards FCVs in the United Kingdom. 81 persons drove a Hyundai FCV at the Low Carbon Vehicle Event in September 2015 of which 30 took part in this study. The results show that at present FCVs are perceived mostly as being similar to incumbent internal combustion engine vehicles. This is an admirable technical achievement, however in order for consumers to adopt FCVs they will need to be perceived as having distinctive benefits. Two significant barriers to the adoption of FCVs are observed in this sample: high costs and lack of refuelling infrastructure. This paper goes on to make suggestions on how and which beneficial attributes of the vehicles can be promoted to consumers and also makes suggestions on how the barriers can be overcame so that FCVs will be adopted by consumers

High temperature (HT) polymer electrolyte membrande fuel cells (PEMFC) - A review

One possible solution of combating issues posed by climate change is the use of the High Temperature (HT) Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell (FC) in some applications. The typical HT-PEMFC operating temperatures are in the range of 100e200 o C which allows for co-generation of heat and power, high tolerance to fuel impurities and simpler system design. This paper reviews the current literature concerning the HT-PEMFC, ranging from cell materials to stack and stack testing. Only acid doped PBI membranes meet the US DOE (Department of Energy) targets for high temperature membranes operating under no humidification on both anode and cathode sides (barring the durability). This eliminates the stringent requirement for humidity however, they have many potential drawbacks including increased degradation, leaching of acid and incompatibility with current state-of-the-art fuel cell materials. In this type of fuel cell, the choice of membrane material determines the other fuel cell component material composition, for example when using an acid doped system, the flow field plate material must be carefully selected to take into account the advanced degradation. Novel research is required in all aspects of the fuel cell components in order to ensure that they meet stringent durability requirements for mobile applications.Web of Scienc

Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality : methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study

Background: While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study used methods to provide highly detailed estimates of global injury burden that meet these criteria. Methods: In this study, we report and discuss the methods used in GBD 2017 for injury morbidity and mortality burden estimation. In summary, these methods included estimating cause-specific mortality for every cause of injury, and then estimating incidence for every cause of injury. Non-fatal disability for each cause is then calculated based on the probabilities of suffering from different types of bodily injury experienced. Results: GBD 2017 produced morbidity and mortality estimates for 38 causes of injury. Estimates were produced in terms of incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, cause-specific mortality, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years for a 28-year period for 22 age groups, 195 countries and both sexes. Conclusions: GBD 2017 demonstrated a complex and sophisticated series of analytical steps using the largest known database of morbidity and mortality data on injuries. GBD 2017 results should be used to help inform injury prevention policy making and resource allocation. We also identify important avenues for improving injury burden estimation in the future

Global injury morbidity and mortality from 1990 to 2017 : results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Correction:Background Past research in population health trends has shown that injuries form a substantial burden of population health loss. Regular updates to injury burden assessments are critical. We report Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 Study estimates on morbidity and mortality for all injuries. Methods We reviewed results for injuries from the GBD 2017 study. GBD 2017 measured injury-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) using the Cause of Death Ensemble model. To measure non-fatal injuries, GBD 2017 modelled injury-specific incidence and converted this to prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs). YLLs and YLDs were summed to calculate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Findings In 1990, there were 4 260 493 (4 085 700 to 4 396 138) injury deaths, which increased to 4 484 722 (4 332 010 to 4 585 554) deaths in 2017, while age-standardised mortality decreased from 1079 (1073 to 1086) to 738 (730 to 745) per 100 000. In 1990, there were 354 064 302 (95% uncertainty interval: 338 174 876 to 371 610 802) new cases of injury globally, which increased to 520 710 288 (493 430 247 to 547 988 635) new cases in 2017. During this time, age-standardised incidence decreased non-significantly from 6824 (6534 to 7147) to 6763 (6412 to 7118) per 100 000. Between 1990 and 2017, age-standardised DALYs decreased from 4947 (4655 to 5233) per 100 000 to 3267 (3058 to 3505). Interpretation Injuries are an important cause of health loss globally, though mortality has declined between 1990 and 2017. Future research in injury burden should focus on prevention in high-burden populations, improving data collection and ensuring access to medical care.Peer reviewe

Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality : methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study

Background While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study used methods to provide highly detailed estimates of global injury burden that meet these criteria. Methods In this study, we report and discuss the methods used in GBD 2017 for injury morbidity and mortality burden estimation. In summary, these methods included estimating cause-specific mortality for every cause of injury, and then estimating incidence for every cause of injury. Non-fatal disability for each cause is then calculated based on the probabilities of suffering from different types of bodily injury experienced. Results GBD 2017 produced morbidity and mortality estimates for 38 causes of injury. Estimates were produced in terms of incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, cause-specific mortality, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years for a 28-year period for 22 age groups, 195 countries and both sexes. Conclusions GBD 2017 demonstrated a complex and sophisticated series of analytical steps using the largest known database of morbidity and mortality data on injuries. GBD 2017 results should be used to help inform injury prevention policy making and resource allocation. We also identify important avenues for improving injury burden estimation in the future.Peer reviewe