Natural gas fuel cells convert the chemical energy in natural gas into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen. Essentially, they electrochemically oxidize the methane from natural gas to produce electricity.
Here’s a simplified explanation:
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Fuel Source: The primary fuel is natural gas, which mainly consists of methane.
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Electrochemical Process: Instead of burning the natural gas like in a traditional power plant, the fuel cell uses a chemical reaction to generate electricity directly.
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Key Components: Although different types of fuel cells exist that use natural gas, they all generally consist of an anode, cathode, and electrolyte.
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Simplified Process:
- Natural gas (methane) is processed to extract hydrogen.
- Hydrogen reacts with oxygen at the electrodes separated by an electrolyte.
- This reaction generates electricity, heat, and water.
In other words, a natural gas fuel cell is an electromechanical device that converts the chemical energy from the methane in natural gas into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen.
