IJSRSET1184147 | Received : 02 January 2018 | Accepted : 16 January 2018 | January-February-2018 [(4) 1 : 214-218] © 2018 IJSRSET | Volume 4 | Issue 1 | Print ISSN: 2395-1990 | Online ISSN : 2394-4099 Themed Section : Engineering and Technology 214 Recent Trends and Comparison in Fuel Cell Technology Anurag Karande, Rahul Waghmare Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jhulelal Institute of Technology, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India ABSTRACT The fuel cells are an old technology. Problems have plagued their introduction. Present material science may make them a reality soon in specialized applications. The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell appears to be the most promising technology for small electric power plants over 1 kw. The Direct Alcohol Fuel Cell appears to be the most promising as a battery replacement for portable applications such cellular phones and laptop computers. Fuel cells used as electric power plants may be successful before vehicular ones are. This is because a fuel cell produces electric power which is what is required in this case. In transportation applications the electricity produced must then be converted to mechanical power. It is unclear whether hydrogen fuel will be widely used. This is because solid oxide fuel cells will be become extremely popular and these can cleanly convert renewable hydrocarbon fuels. This paper reviews the advances and typical application of fuel cell comparison in terms of parameters like output, application and advantages. Keywords: Fuel cell, Fuel, Hydrogen, Electrolyte, cathode, anode, Temperature, I. INTRODUCTION Fuel cells can promote energy diversity and a transition to renewable energy sources. Fuel cells run on hydrogen, the most abundant element on Earth. The great thing about fuel cells, is that they don't care where the hydrogen comes from - water, methanol, ethanol, natural gas, gasoline or diesel fuel, ammonia or sodium bore hydride. Fuels containing hydrogen generally require a "fuel reformer" that extracts the hydrogen. Energy also could be supplied by biomass, wind, solar power or other renewable sources. Fuel cells today are running on many different fuels, even gas from landfills and wastewater treatment plants. When using a fuel other than pure hydrogen, a reformer or fuel processor is required. A reformer a device that produces hydrogen from fuels such as gasoline, methanol, ethanol or naphtha. Three basic reformer designs are being evaluated for fuel cells for use in vehicles steam reforming, partial oxidation and auto- thermal reforming. Steam reformers combine fuel with steam and heat to produce hydrogen. The heat required to operate the system is obtained by burning fuel or excess hydrogen from the outlet of the fuel cell stack. Partial oxidation reformers combine fuel with oxygen to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide then reacts with steam to produce more hydrogen. Partial oxidation releases heat, which is captured and used elsewhere in the system. Auto- thermal reformers combine the fuel with both steam and oxygen so that the reaction is in heat balance. Auto- thermal reforming, while not as fully developed as the others, offers the most flexibility in heat management. In general, both methanol and gasoline can be used in any of the three reformer designs. Differences in the chemi re of the fuels, however, can favor one design over another. II. BASIC OF FUEL CELL Fuel cells convert the chemical energy of fuels directly into electricity. The principle of the fuel cell was developed by William Grove in 1839. Already around 1900 scientists and engineers were predicting that fuel cells would be common for producing electricity and motive power within a few years. That was roughly 100 years ago. Still development length has little to do with whether technology will be eventually successful. Fuel cells are in into commercial reality. There have been several world events that have shaped how we think about energy technology. The Chernobyl