Fuel Cell Welding

Fuel Cells and Fuel Cell Welding

The cost of foreign oil continues to rise. With that rise, our increase on a limited fossil fuel expands. Alternatives to this foreign source can pollute the environment and increase greenhouse gases. For the past twenty to thirty years, researches have looked at other options to power our lifestyles and vehicles. Fuel cells have only recently come to the mainstream attention, as they offer a very clean and environmentally friendly alternative to our current dependencies.

People have started recognizing the power of fuel cell technology. The United States invested approximately $280 million in fuel cell technology research in 2003, looking towards Hydrogen fuel cells to alleviate the energy crisis. The barrier that must be torn down in order to bring fuel cells into the marketplace as a reliable energy source is the manufacturing cost. As of 2002, fuel cells cost $1000 for each kilowatt. In order for everyone to reasonably implement fuel cell technologies, this cost must fall significantly.

Fuel cells convert electrochemical energy by combining fuel and an oxidant. It is composed of many thin plates including: the endplate, the membrane electrode assembly, the bipolar plate, the gas flow channels, and repeat units. The basic principle evolved in the early 1800’s in Germany. It was evolved over the years and scientists have continued to try and improve on the fuel cell model. By 1960, scientists were capable of producing fuel cells that could put out 5 kWh, which is a long step from usable but really screams progress. Today, there are many different type of fuel cells. The key component of any fuel cell is the electrolyte used in the process. Common fuel cell electrolytes include: microbial, zinc air, metal hydride, direct ethanol, direct methanol, alkaline, direct carbon, and planar solid.

Production costs of fuel cells have played a very large part in preventing them from becoming main stream alternative energy sources. In certain types of fuel cells, the air and water must be managed in a specific way so that for every bit of water let into the fuel cell, it must evaporate at the exact same speed. This calibration can be very costly.

A significant portion of this manufacturing cost originates in fuel cell welding. While welding the fuel cells, distortion can occur, rendering the fuel cell partially damaged or even totally unusable. It is quite simple to make fuel cell welding more accurate, but at the cost of time. In this type of manufacturing, time is a very significant cost. Research has turned to optimizing the fuel cell welding process to make it less time consuming and more accurate. Every fuel cell requires approximately 1m of welding, so if this process can be streamlined, costs will drop significantly.

Research has lead to the evolution of the fiber laser. This type of laser is much more stable and has beam of the highest quality. The fiber laser makes fuel cell welding more accurate and much more efficient. Because the beam can concentrate power and maintain stability in doing so, welds are much more exact so that more surface area of the fuel cell may be utilized. The fiber beam also keeps the heat down, which was a previous cause of major distortion when welding fuel cells. In addition, the stability of the beam, the dense power, and the minimized heat keep the welds non-porous. In the past, porous welds caused major problems such as gas leaks and reduced functionality.

Other types of laser welds, such as CO2 lasers, when pushed to extreme production speeds, can cause the weld to “hump.” Because the fluids used are very unstable, when they are moved through at high speeds the hump forms in the weld, rendering the fuel cell almost useless. Fiber lasers have eliminated this issue, even when pushed to their maximum speed.

The fuel cell itself has parts that move. It utilized a technology with processes that occur in nature to generate energy. This means that if constructed properly, a fuel cell will be very unlikely to fail. Much emphasis is placed on the reliability of fuel cell manufacturing and fuel cell welding. If done properly and found to be cost effective, it can literally change the world.

As fuel cell technology and applications advance, fiber lasers will play a large role in fuel cell welding. It is one of the most advanced lasers to date and requires far less upkeep and maintenance than past lasers. With efficiency and reliability as motivating factors, we should hope to see fuel cell technologies as a viable alternative to foreign oil and gasoline.