Designing and Building Fuel Cells [Hardcover]

Colleen Spiegel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071489770 | ISBN-13: 978-0071489775 | Publication Date: May 25, 2007 | Edition: 1

Acquire an All-in-One Toolkit for Expertly Designing, Modeling, and Constructing High-Performance Fuel Cells

Designing and Building Fuel Cells equips you with a hands-on guide for the design, modeling, and construction of fuel cells that perform as well or better than some of the best fuel cells on the market today.

Filled with over 120 illustrations and schematics of fuel cells and components, this “one-stop” guide covers fuel cell applications…fuels and the hydrogen economy…fuel cell chemistry, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry…fuel cell modeling, materials, and system design…fuel types, delivery, and processing…fuel cell operating conditions…fuel cell characterization…and much more. Authoritative and practical, Designing and Building Fuel Cells features:

• Complete information on stack design
• The latest fuel cell modeling techniques
• Guidance on cutting-edge materials and components
• Expert accounts of fuel cell types, processing, and optimization
• A step-by-step example for constructing a fuel cell

Inside This State-of-the-Art Fuel Cell Sourcebook

Introduction • Fuel Cell Applications • Fuel Cells and the Hydrogen Economy • Basic Fuel Cell Chemistry and Thermodynamics • Fuel Cell Electrochemistry • Fuel Cell Charge Transport • Fuel Cell Mass Transport • Fuel Cell Heat Transport • Fuel Cell Modeling • Fuel Cell Materials • Fuel Cell Stack Components and Materials • Fuel Cell Stack Design • Fuel Cell System Design • Fuel Types, Delivery, and Processing • Fuel Cell Operating Conditions • Fuel Cell Characterization

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Colleen Spiegel is the founder of Clean Fuel Cell Energy, LLC, and has been a research and development manager and chemical engineer for more than six years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 434 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (May 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071489770
• ISBN-13: 978-0071489775
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I would describe myself as a creative engineer and innovator with over 8
years of experience in engineering.

I have worked with many companies, including Bausch & Lomb, McGraw-Hill, Constellation Technology, BCC Research and Elsevier Science.

Some of the titles that I have written are'Designing and Building Fuel Cells' (McGraw-Hill), 'PEM Fuel Cell Modeling and Simulation Using MATLAB' as well as 'Opportunities for
Coal-Based Products' (BCC Research) and Global Electronics: High
Growth Products and New Markets (BCC Research).

My company (www.cleanfuelcellenergy.com) is devoted to providing free fuel cell information and products for everyone from the novice to engineer or scientist to learn, design and build fuel cells.

I am currently working on a number of R&D projects, both professionally and speculatively. My favorite is designing fuel cells -- with the goal of producing a cost-effective, mass-produced line of fuel cells.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST AVAILABLE TEXT ON FUEL CELLS, June 20, 2007

By 

Phillip Hurley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designing and Building Fuel Cells (Hardcover)

I have been designing, building, and writing about fuel cells for a number of years. During this time I have not seen one text that is as comprehensive and at the same time contain the wealth of detail as "Designing And Building Fuel Cells". This book will easily satisfy the needs of Engineers, Teachers, and Students. This book is easy to read, practical and I believe one of the best available texts on fuel cells and fuel cell systems.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Addition for any Engineer or Student's Library, July 20, 2007

By 

Jeremy Steinshnider - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designing and Building Fuel Cells (Hardcover)

In a field where only a limited number of books are available on the subject, it is refreshing when such a well written, compressive volume is released. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author has skillfully combined an easy to understand description of fuel cell technology with enough meat (equations) to keep an engineer satisfied. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fuel cells.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heavy on theory, light on application, June 6, 2009

By 

Stephen J. Carey "GearHead" (Brown County, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Designing and Building Fuel Cells (Hardcover)

The opening chapters to this book are an excellent introduction to fuels cells and their application. I especially like Dr. Spiegel's enthusiasm for the potential of the fuel cell industry. Later chapters explain the thermodynamic and chemical principles behind fuel cell design. If you do not have knowledge of advanced calculus and its application (like me), you will not understand some of the explanations.

I found it somewhat lacking in practical detail around the actual construction of a fuel cell. My background is in manufacturing engineering. I need to know such things as how many layers at how many square inches are needed to achieve this voltage and current output. It was difficult for me to distill this information from the text. I bought the book for the purpose of constructing a fuel cell (out in the garage! - as my wife says), but didn't feel I came away with this knowledge.

Dr. Spiegel is clearly an authority in the field of fuel cells. Don't be put off by the advanced math. The book is an informative and engaging read. I am looking forward to her new book, "The Brilliant Mind: Fuel Cell Experiments for a Bright Future", to provide me with more applied knowledge of fuel cells. In the meantime, there is a wealth of information on the Internet about fuel cells and their construction (Google: Phillip Hurley).