Theses and Dissertations (Electronic Engineering)
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Browsing Theses and Dissertations (Electronic Engineering) by Author "Lourens, Dewald"
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Item Design and development of a high performance zinc air fuel cell(2006-06) Lourens, Dewald; Pienaar, H. C. v Z.The demand for efficient and environmentally friendly power sources has become a major topic around the world. This research explores the capability of the zinc-air fuel cell to replace conventional power sources for various applications, more specifically telecommunication systems. The research consisted of a theoretical study of the zinc-air fuel cell and its components, as well as their performance characteristics. A zinc-air fuel ce.ll and test rig were built, and the system was tested under various conditions. It was found that the zinc-air fuel cell has an advantage over other fuel cells in that it does not require any expensive materials or noble metals, reducing the overall cost of such a system. The fuel cell showed the potential to power various applications, but problems persisted in the fueling process as well as constant leaking of the aqueous electrolyte.