Dr FuelCell® Professional
The Professional Training System resembles a complete solar hydrogen cycle. Electrical energy is generated by a solar panel, stored through electrolysis and reconverted in a fuel cell powering a load.Designed for class demonstrations and hands-on use by students; solar and fuel cell technology can be examined in detail. Large components and easy-to-read displays are ideal for group presentations. Preconfigured experiments and comprehensive documentation facilitate the preparation of classes.
Dr FuelCell® Professional Components
Solar Panel
The 4-cell solar panel is used for experiments with photovoltaics and for generating electric energy for the electrolyzer. It can be turned in its frame for easier alignment towards a source of light.
Electrolyzer
The electrolyzer separates water into hydrogen and oxygen. Due to PEM technology, it is operated with distilled water and requires no caustic solutions or acids. The integrated graduated gas storage canisters visualize the classic water separation experiment, as with the Hoffmann apparatus.
Fuel Cell
The powerful double fuel cell is used to generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. The two fuel cells can be connected in parallel and in series. It is based on PEM technology, which is the most widespread technology used in the development of fuel cell applications, such as
for motor vehicles or stationary power supply systems.
Load Module
The load module is used for the specific loads to the fuel cell and solar panel by a motor, a lamp or 10 selectable resistors. The resistors are optimized for measuring the characteristic curve of the solar panel and fuel cell.
Measuring Unit
The measuring unit has two measuring ranges for current and voltage. The measured values are clearly readable on large LED displays. In addition, analogue data output enables further processing of the recorded data.
Dr FuelCell® Professional Areas of Application
Suitable for introductory lectures covering physics, chemistry and technology topics:
- Molecules and chemical reactions
- Reaction Speeds
- Thermodynamics
- Electrochemistry
- Energy conversion and efficiency
- Measuring and interpreting characteristic curves
Sample Experiments
- Current and voltage characteristic curves
- Faraday’s first law
- Electrolysis: H²0 = 0 + 2H
- Energy efficiency of an electrolyzer and a fuel cell
- Thermodynamics: electrochemical processes
- Series and parallel connection
Teaching Materials & Experiments
Every experiment description includes a section with background information on the subjects in question, in addition to a teacher’s section and a student’s section. The teacher’s section includes all information about the experiment, all assignments and solutions, as well as complete results of the experiment. The student’s section includes not only the description of the experiment, but also forms for recording measured data and assignments for different age groups.
The teaching material for Dr FuelCell® Professional includes a collection of pre-configured demonstration experiments and four textbooks for the lower and upper secondary level.
Three textbooks contain teacher’s guides for more than 20 experiments in physics, chemistry and technology, worksheets with short articles and written assignments, detailed instructions with information on the experiments and possibilities for the analysis and interpretation of measured data.
The fourth book, “Principles and Applications”, includes articles with background information that can be used independently in classes.
The accompanying CD-ROM includes two videos and two PowerPoint presentations on the principles and applications of fuel cell technology.
