It’s a cozy winter night on the southside of Chicago with warm, fuzzy couch cushions and a full course Christmas dinner near on its way. Large pans of lasagna, baked macaroni, and mom’s special turkey dressing are being heated in a stove that in which runs off of natural gas from the main gas supply to the house (Watson, 2016) - a technology that is the cheapest conventional energy source available for residential use (Natgas, 2013). Natural gas, consisting primarily of methane, certainly has its benefits such as in the function of electric turbines, and most commonly, cooking, but it certainly has its disadvantages: it’s a greenhouse gas that contributes to the rising global temperatures due to the methane it emits that in turn traps a plethora of heat in the atmosphere (Damaschke, 2016).
One of the most promising technologies of this time is hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells are a very important technology because they provide clean electricity by simply using hydrogen fuel. Out of the top concerns of today’s engineers, hydrogen fuel cells may improve the area of environmental sustainability (DOE, 2016; INFORM, 2012). As far as the challenges relating to the people, this new technology may pose as a challenge to their safety and well-being. Hydrogen fuel cells are challenging in regards to their use while maintaining the safety of our people because of the fact that hydrogen is explosive. It may be a challenge to our well-being because the use of such technology may be too expensive to replace fossil fuels (DOE, 2016; Scientific American, 2008). The possibility of hydrogen fuel cells being dangerous or too expensive may be overcome by engineers like me who successfully carry out responsibilities such as proper material and prototype testing.
It’s essential to note that prototype testing is a distinctive step that I as an engineer am determined to carry out to ensure that hydrogen fuel technology is safe to use. This involves, first, the design of a prototype that incorporates materials that are safe and efficient to use. In order to find materials that are suitable for this task of developing an efficient hydrogen fuel cell prototype, I must do intensive research that exceeds the limitations that are already commonly known among material engineers and other professionals.
In this case, while sitting at my desk, I am sketching out a design that incorporates hydrogen fuel cell technology in the modern stove to replace gas stoves. This design will feed off of the current electric stoves that exist, but will depend on nothing but clean hydrogen fuel to generate electricity. I do research on various kinds of hydrogen fuel cells to find the basic components in which they are sculpted. Hydrogen fuel cells range from alkali fuel cells, phosphoric acid fuel cells, PEMFCs, etc (DOE, 2016; Fuel Cells, 2016). The multitude of designs inspire me to develop my very own design that minimizes total energy input and maximizes total energy output. I toss out the first few sketches and eventually create just the right design for this project.
Moving onto my next task, material testing, that I will make sure to partake with the goal of making sure that hydrogen fuel cell technology is affordable. Its affordability will ensure that it is viable to use for mass production in manufacturing firms and will not disrupt the well-being of the people. It is important to note that after the testing and redesign process I had to indicate the viability of my product by asking myself questions: “Is this product capable of being used widely across the globe - even in areas of poverty-stricken citizens?” and “What is the market like for this type of material? Is it in high demand or is it considered useless among commoners?”
The interior of my design relies solely on the composition of my fuel cell whether it be very small or exceptionally large. I choose to make it quite small - at least small enough to adequately support the size of the standard kitchen stove that has dimensions of approximately 30’’ x 36’’ (Ruben, 2016). My determination doesn’t wear off and I find that I spend a majority of my time searching for the perfect fuel cell to run an electric stove. It turns out to be a tedious task but I always enjoy thinking about the idea as a whole: the goal of the project is essentially to create a cleaner way to generate electric power to replace the primary dependence of gas stoves, thus, aiding in the effort of combating climate change.
I pat myself on the back for having my prototype together but I imagine the accomplishment of having my hydrogen fuel cell stove being used across the world. From Canada to the Netherlands to Japan and even Australia. It’s a wonderful thought and I am anticipating the time in which it becomes a reality.
It is my duty as an engineer to make sure that the promising technology of today will be beneficial to the people by ensuring its safety and contribution to their well-being. By all means, I want to make sure that the successful products that I develop not only function properly but are affordable and realistic regarding the current marketing situation for the materials that I choose to utilize in my designs. These factors play a very important role for engineers like me who want to contribute to their society by providing new and improved means of going about even the most simple tasks in our daily life such as cooking. Hydrogen fuel cells will, therefore, inevitably replace the usage of fossil fuels and will aid in the efforts of maintaining a sustainable environment for the people.
References:
Damaschke, Nate. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Gas, Facts about Natural Gas.” Alternative Energy. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~dama0023/naturalgas.html.
DOE. “Fuel Cell Vehicles - Benefits and Challenges.” Accessed February 1, 2016. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_benefits.shtml.
DOE. “Hydrogen and Fuel Cells | Department of Energy.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://energy.gov/eere/transportation/hydrogen-and-fuel-cells.
DOE. “Types of Fuel Cells | Department of Energy.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/types-fuel-cells.
FuelCells. “Fuel Cells 2000 - Types Of Fuel Cells.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.fuelcells.org/base.cgim?template=types_of_fuel_cells.
HowStuffWorks. “How Do They Work? - Gas vs. Electric Stoves: Which Is Really More Efficient? | HowStuffWorks.” Accessed February 1, 2016.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/gas-vs-electric-stoves1.htm.
INFORM. “Harnessing Hydrogen: The Key to Sustainable Transportation :: INFORM, Inc.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.informinc.org/pages/research/sustainable-transportation/reports/123.html.
Natgas. “» Residential Uses NaturalGas.org.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://naturalgas.org/overview/uses-residential/.
Ruben, Barbara. “Standard Kitchen Stove Dimensions.” Home Guides | SF Gate. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/standard-kitchen-stove-dimensions-82501.html.
Scientific American. “Looking at Hydrogen to Replace Gasoline in Our Cars.” Scientific American. Accessed February 1, 2016.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-hydrogen-replace-gas/.
Union of Concerned Scientists. “Uses of Natural Gas.” Union of Concerned Scientists. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/uses-of-natural-gas.html.
One of the most promising technologies of this time is hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells are a very important technology because they provide clean electricity by simply using hydrogen fuel. Out of the top concerns of today’s engineers, hydrogen fuel cells may improve the area of environmental sustainability (DOE, 2016; INFORM, 2012). As far as the challenges relating to the people, this new technology may pose as a challenge to their safety and well-being. Hydrogen fuel cells are challenging in regards to their use while maintaining the safety of our people because of the fact that hydrogen is explosive. It may be a challenge to our well-being because the use of such technology may be too expensive to replace fossil fuels (DOE, 2016; Scientific American, 2008). The possibility of hydrogen fuel cells being dangerous or too expensive may be overcome by engineers like me who successfully carry out responsibilities such as proper material and prototype testing.
It’s essential to note that prototype testing is a distinctive step that I as an engineer am determined to carry out to ensure that hydrogen fuel technology is safe to use. This involves, first, the design of a prototype that incorporates materials that are safe and efficient to use. In order to find materials that are suitable for this task of developing an efficient hydrogen fuel cell prototype, I must do intensive research that exceeds the limitations that are already commonly known among material engineers and other professionals.
In this case, while sitting at my desk, I am sketching out a design that incorporates hydrogen fuel cell technology in the modern stove to replace gas stoves. This design will feed off of the current electric stoves that exist, but will depend on nothing but clean hydrogen fuel to generate electricity. I do research on various kinds of hydrogen fuel cells to find the basic components in which they are sculpted. Hydrogen fuel cells range from alkali fuel cells, phosphoric acid fuel cells, PEMFCs, etc (DOE, 2016; Fuel Cells, 2016). The multitude of designs inspire me to develop my very own design that minimizes total energy input and maximizes total energy output. I toss out the first few sketches and eventually create just the right design for this project.
Moving onto my next task, material testing, that I will make sure to partake with the goal of making sure that hydrogen fuel cell technology is affordable. Its affordability will ensure that it is viable to use for mass production in manufacturing firms and will not disrupt the well-being of the people. It is important to note that after the testing and redesign process I had to indicate the viability of my product by asking myself questions: “Is this product capable of being used widely across the globe - even in areas of poverty-stricken citizens?” and “What is the market like for this type of material? Is it in high demand or is it considered useless among commoners?”
The interior of my design relies solely on the composition of my fuel cell whether it be very small or exceptionally large. I choose to make it quite small - at least small enough to adequately support the size of the standard kitchen stove that has dimensions of approximately 30’’ x 36’’ (Ruben, 2016). My determination doesn’t wear off and I find that I spend a majority of my time searching for the perfect fuel cell to run an electric stove. It turns out to be a tedious task but I always enjoy thinking about the idea as a whole: the goal of the project is essentially to create a cleaner way to generate electric power to replace the primary dependence of gas stoves, thus, aiding in the effort of combating climate change.
I pat myself on the back for having my prototype together but I imagine the accomplishment of having my hydrogen fuel cell stove being used across the world. From Canada to the Netherlands to Japan and even Australia. It’s a wonderful thought and I am anticipating the time in which it becomes a reality.
It is my duty as an engineer to make sure that the promising technology of today will be beneficial to the people by ensuring its safety and contribution to their well-being. By all means, I want to make sure that the successful products that I develop not only function properly but are affordable and realistic regarding the current marketing situation for the materials that I choose to utilize in my designs. These factors play a very important role for engineers like me who want to contribute to their society by providing new and improved means of going about even the most simple tasks in our daily life such as cooking. Hydrogen fuel cells will, therefore, inevitably replace the usage of fossil fuels and will aid in the efforts of maintaining a sustainable environment for the people.
References:
Damaschke, Nate. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Gas, Facts about Natural Gas.” Alternative Energy. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~dama0023/naturalgas.html.
DOE. “Fuel Cell Vehicles - Benefits and Challenges.” Accessed February 1, 2016. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_benefits.shtml.
DOE. “Hydrogen and Fuel Cells | Department of Energy.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://energy.gov/eere/transportation/hydrogen-and-fuel-cells.
DOE. “Types of Fuel Cells | Department of Energy.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/types-fuel-cells.
FuelCells. “Fuel Cells 2000 - Types Of Fuel Cells.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.fuelcells.org/base.cgim?template=types_of_fuel_cells.
HowStuffWorks. “How Do They Work? - Gas vs. Electric Stoves: Which Is Really More Efficient? | HowStuffWorks.” Accessed February 1, 2016.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/gas-vs-electric-stoves1.htm.
INFORM. “Harnessing Hydrogen: The Key to Sustainable Transportation :: INFORM, Inc.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.informinc.org/pages/research/sustainable-transportation/reports/123.html.
Natgas. “» Residential Uses NaturalGas.org.” Accessed February 1, 2016. http://naturalgas.org/overview/uses-residential/.
Ruben, Barbara. “Standard Kitchen Stove Dimensions.” Home Guides | SF Gate. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/standard-kitchen-stove-dimensions-82501.html.
Scientific American. “Looking at Hydrogen to Replace Gasoline in Our Cars.” Scientific American. Accessed February 1, 2016.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-hydrogen-replace-gas/.
Union of Concerned Scientists. “Uses of Natural Gas.” Union of Concerned Scientists. Accessed February 1, 2016. http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/uses-of-natural-gas.html.