ENGR 1100 Intro to Chemical Engineering

Department of Chemical Engineering

Auburn University, AL 36849
MEMORANDUM
Date: November 8, 2016
To: Dr. Virginia Davis
From: Madison Extine , Joseph Guarisco, Madison Shelley
Tyler Norton, Hayes Lee, Avi Vaidya MEE
Subject: Executive Summary Memo
Team Cloud 10 wanted to achieve the lightest car by mass when compared to other competitors
and finish the competition with a top ten race time. The goal was achieved by using a decision
matrix to determine the optimal material for the car’s body and by using a lightweight gear
system that will move the car effectively with a low power supply. The total cost of the project,
including the fuel cell kit, will not exceed $150 dollars.
To achieve the team’s goals it was agreed on and determined by the decision matrix that using
balsa wood would be the best fit because it was light, strong, easy to use and obtain, and cheap.
For the tires we took many ideas into consideration; CD’s, RC tires, and game-day buttons.
However, we decided to use RC tires because they are light and have excellent traction.
For deciding the orientation of the parts, we opted to design it around the major components
while using the least amount of material. As a result, no extra parts will be added unless
absolutely necessary. This design gave it a rocket looking shape which played into our name
Cloud 10. These design decisions are being used so that the lightest car can be made with as little
compromise on speed as possible. The design will also follow the rules that are specified in the
competition guidelines. In order to achieve the fastest possible speed in the shortest amount of
time we are using an adjustable gear box that allows the motor to spin the tires using the least
amount of energy, allowing the car to be as efficient as possible. Also, we decided to shorten the
tubes that connected the fuel cell to the two gas containers giving it enough pressure to help
speed up the car, and we put more water in the two containers putting more pressure on the gas
making it move faster into the fuel cell which helps generate more energy. To keep our cell
running proficiently we kept it in a sealed plastic baggy when not in use so it would not get
contaminated or dry out and when in use we only ran distilled water through it.
Before the races we tested our car numerous of times to make sure it was running efficiently and
consistently without any interruptions or problems. The ratio of gases were correct producing
0.67 grams per mole of hydrogen and 0.34 grams per mole of oxygen which matches the
balanced chemicals reaction that the fuel cell conducts. At the final race the car would slightly
turned but it completed the track all three of the trials. the time was very consistent for all three
trials. The car got faster in between the preliminary trials and final race by finishing the track
1.13 seconds faster. The Cloud 10 car finished first in speed by completing the 28-foot track in
11 seconds giving it a velocity or 2.54 ft/sec. The car finished in the top 10 lightest cars out of
both classes.
In conclusion, the Team Cloud 10 achieved their charter, of being in the top 10 lightest and
fastest cars, by making combined decisions on how to design the car and how to make the car the
most efficient. By using the minimum amount of material, the lightest materials, and adjustable
gear box, the team achieved being the fastest car, while being one of the lightest in the
competition. Team Cloud 10 spent around $131.85 having each member pay around $21.98. By
working together and contributing ideas the team was able to build a strong car and work
together well and efficiently. With the many good ideas the car and poster design was made
without any issues within the team.

Car Final Report

Cloud 10
By: Madison Extine, Madison Shelly, Avi Vaidya,
Tyler Norton, Hayes Lee, Joe Guarisco
Date: 10/31/16
Table of Contents
Subject: Page #:
I. Introduction

II. Background

a. Info about the fuel cell

b. Description of the kit

III. Economics

IV. Safety

V. Design Plan

VI. Results and Discussion

VII. Conclusion

VIII. Appendix

a. Calculations

b. Additional figures

c. MSDS

d. JSA with floor plan

Introduction:
Team Cloud 10’s goal was to achieve the lightest car by mass when compared to other
competitors and finish the competition with a top ten race time. The Team wanted to keep the
total cost of the project under $150 dollars. We also decided any disputes will be settled using a
majority vote. If there is an evenly split vote, the leader, Madison Shelley, will have the final say.
The team achieved our set goal by using a decision matrix to determine the optimal material for
the car’s body and by using a lightweight gear system that will move the car effectively with a
low power supply. Through this process we decided the body was best made with balsa wood
because it was light, strong, easy to use and obtain, and cheap. Another example was the tires.
We took many ideas into consideration; CD’s, RC tires, and game-day buttons. However, we
decided to use RC tires because they are light and have excellent traction. To obtain the least
amount of material to minimize mass we designed the base around the necessary components,
which gave it its jet like shape. These design decisions are being used so that the lightest car can
be made with as little compromise on speed as possible. Also, we decided to shorten the tubes
that connected the fuel cell to the two gas containers giving it enough pressure to help speed up
the car, and we put more water in the two containers putting more pressure on the gas making it
move faster into the fuel cell which helps generate more energy. To keep our cell running
proficiently we kept it in a sealed plastic baggy when not in use so it would not get contaminated
or dry out and when in use we only ran distilled water through it. In the end, we were the fastest
car in all the groups and one of the lightest proving that we achieved our charter. Our team
organization did not always stick to the original designated positions. It was our strict schedule
that had our car finished two weeks before the race that lead to our overall success. The team
used GroupMe to communicate due dates, discuss criteria, and improve upon ideas. All reports
including the final were divided up equally among team members to minimize one person’s
workload. The final report in particular, was divided up and organized by Dr. Davis’s
suggestions. This consists of a summary, then background information, individual team
information, and then results to make sure the reader has all prominent information to understand
the report.

Background:
The history of fuel cells dates to the early nineteenth century. In 1839, William Grove conducted
a series of experiments in which he demonstrated that an electric current could be generated
through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen when a platinum catalyst is used . Grove’s
2

discovery continued to be studied by scholars, and the term “fuel cell” was coined in 1889 . In
2

1959, Francis Bacon developed the first practical fuel cell that exerted 5 kW. It was around this
time that fuel cells began to be used in vehicles and other relevant applications .
2

As the twentieth century progressed, fuel cell principles were applied to space technologies as
Apollo scientists needed a power source as well as drinking water for the astronauts. In the
1970’s, environmental concerns and an oil crises prompted many companies to develop more
effective fuel cell technologies . As the century turned, government spending for fuel cell
2

research increased, and applications of clean power generation were abundant in the automotive
industry as well as backup power generators in third world countries . 2

Currently, the fuel cell industry is moving from R&D to commercialization and will face various
challenges. The portability of fuel cells makes the future of commercialization exciting. The fuel
cell will continue to be developed as an excellent power source for areas off the electrical power
grid because its run time is far greater than that of batteries and it can be recharged rapidly . In
2

the automotive industry, the use of fuel cells as sources of clean energy is being rapidly
developed. In a few years, fuel cell power prices will be comparable to diesel at which time
public transport buses will make the transition from fossil fuels to hydrogen power.

Six types of fuel cells have been developed in the past decades. Each of these fuel cells is named
after the electrolyte that transports the ions through the cell. The PEMFC fuel cell is the most
common type of fuel cell and was the type used for this project. The details on the PEM fuel cell
are found along with the description of the kit later in this report. The types of fuel cells not used
in this project include DMFC, PAFC, AFC, MCFC, SOFC. The cells differ in fuel type and
operating temperature as well as catalysts used in reaction . 4

A direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) utilizes methanol as fuel and operates at temperatures of 60-
130 C. The DMFC puts off far less power than the PEMFC and is normally used for low power
o

applications as a replacement for batteries . 4

The phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) utilizes liquid phosphoric acid as the electrolyte and exerts
about 100-200 kW of power. The cell operates at a temperature of about 200 C. The PAFC was
o

the first to be commercialized .

4

The alkaline fuel cell (AFC) consists of liquid potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte and pure H 2

as the fuel. Alkali fuel cells have an advantage in that non-platinum electrodes can be used for
operation, which could save costs in the long run . 4

A molten mixture of lithium, sodium, and potassium carbonate is the electrolyte used in the
molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). Unlike other fuel cells, the MCFC requires CO2 to be
delivered to the cathode instead of H gas, The operating temperature of the MCFC is around
2

600 C which makes it impractical for use in everyday life .

o 4

The final type of fuel cell is the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) which uses yttrium stabilized
zirconia as the electrolyte. Similar to the MCFC, the operating temperature of the SOFC is far
too high to be utilized in consumer applications . 4

The Horizon Solar Hydrogen Generation Set was purchased by Avi Vaidya from the Amazon
website. The seller of the product was Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. The total cost of the kit
including shipping and taxes was $79.99. This fuel cell requires distilled water to operate. When
electricity is applied to the cell, the distilled water is separated into H gas and O gas, which are
2 2

both collected in their respective containers. The electrolysis of water is shown in Equation 1:
H O → 2H + O
2 (l) (1)
2 (g) 2(g)

The kit’s fuel cell is a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell that is capable of reversing
electrolysis in order to generate a current. The PEM cell works by receiving a steady stream of
hydrogen gas at the anode of the cell and oxygen gas at the cathode of the cell. A series of
oxidation reactions occur at the anode and lead to the creation of protons and electrons (Barbir).
The splitting of hydrogen atom is usually undertaken using a platinum catalyst (Barbir).
The oxidation of hydrogen that occurs in the anode is shown in Equation 2:
 H → 2H + 2e (2)
2
+ -

The protons from the anode flow through the electrolyte membrane that is in the middle of the
cell beside the cathode. The electrons travel from the anode to the cathode through a load circuit
and the flow of these charged particles creates the current of the cell (Barbir).
The protons and electrons come together again in the cathode and combine with oxygen to create
water through the reaction shown in Equation 3:
O + 4H + 4e → 2H O
2(g)
+ -
E =1.2291 V (3)
2 (l)
o

The processes outlined above are the driving forces behind the electrolytic fuel cell. A schematic
description of the overall reaction can be found in Figure 1.

Figure 1: The process of the PEM fuel cell is outlined in the diagram above. The hydrogen enters the anode and the particles flow from anode to
cathode. A current is generated by the flow of charged particles, and water is a byproduct of the overall reaction
3
 Figure 2: The Horizon Fuel Cell kit we purchased

The group filled both cylindrical tanks of water to the 0 mL marking and then allowed the fuel
cell to electrolyze the water until the first hydrogen gas bubble formed. After measuring the mL
of water consumed, the basic calculations demonstrate how many moles of each substance is
required to complete the reaction. Table 1 shows the stoichiometric results from the preliminary
fuel cell reactions. The calculations that led to these results can be found in the appendix.

Table 1: Stoichiometric calculation results from fuel cell

grams Grams per mol mL consumed/ generated

H2 1.35 0.67 15 mL

O2 10.7 0.34 7.5 mL

H2O 11.5 0.64 11.5 mL

Our fuel cell in particular, when tested we measured that the fuel cell generated 1.4 volts of
energy and 1.4 amps on the first attempt and, 1.41 volts and 1.6 amps on the second attempt. The
voltage and current of the charged fuel cell was measured using a multimeter. After the gas was
created through electrolysis, the fuel cell was connected to the propeller and the time for how
long it spun before stopping completely was recorded. However, as the team observed the
experiment, as the gas exited, the cell ran out of energy before all the gas was released. Through
these tests, rough estimations could be made to determine how far our car would go before the
tires would stop turning. A summary of all the findings from the experiments can be found in
Table 2.
Table 2: Summary of fuel cell data
(t) bubbles Gas generated H2 generated O2 generated (t) propeller H2O consumed Volts Amps

1 92s 22.5 mL 15 mL 7.5 mL 110s 12 mL 1.4 1.4

2 89s 22.5 mL 15 mL 7.5 mL 66s 11 mL 1.41 1.6

Average 90.5s 22.5 mL 15 mL 7.5 mL 88s 11.5 mL 1.405 1.5

The group could see a series of reasonable trends in many of our calculations. For example, in
water we knew there were two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Therefore, it made sense
that it took twice as long for the oxygen to start bubbling than the hydrogen since the hydrogen
released two atoms as the oxygen only released one. The water level was also twice as high for
hydrogen than oxygen because of this same principle.

We used the results of the data, such as the time given before the motor stops, in order to reach
the maximum distance and speed. After the trials we decided we would use light weight material
for the car body with a design that minimizes surface area allowing us to use the smallest amount
of mass possible .
Economics
In order to build this car the team set a budget of $150; this budget includes the fuel cell kit,
parts, materials, and distilled water. At $79.99 the fuel cell kit used roughly half of the budget
leaving the team with $70.01 to buy parts, materials and distilled water. The tires the team used
come in packs of two and cost $5.99 a piece and we used four tires costing the team $11.98
leaving $58.03 of the original budget. The cost of the front axle was $0.49 and the four collars to
hold the tires to the front axle cost $2.49 this brought the budget to $55.05. The gear box’s cost
was $19.99 and the heat shrink used to cover the exposed wiring on the motor of the gearbox
cost was $1.99, bring in the budget to $33.07. The balsa wood used for the chassis was $5.49
and the distilled used to form the hydrogen needed to power the fuel cell was $0.84, bringing the
budget to $26.74. No money was spent on tools, glue, or solder because members of the team
already possessed these items. After an additional $8.59 in tax, $18.15 was left of the budget
bringing the total of the car build to $131.85. This total split between the six team members
equates to each member paying $21.98.

Table 3: Summary of Car Project Costs

Car Component Cost

Fuel Cell $79.99

RC Tires $11.98

Front Axle $0.49

Collars for Assembly $2.49

Gear Box $19.99

Heat Shrink $1.99

Balsa Wood $5.49

Distilled Water $0.84

Additional Taxes $8.59

TOTAL $131.85

Safety:
Throughout the process of designing, building, and testing our car, we tried to follow specific
safety measures to make sure everything we did was under control and safe. Before we even
began working on our product, we completed three Material Safety Data Sheets(MSDS) on
liquid water, hydrogen gas, and oxygen gas to make sure we knew the dangers of what we were
working with as well as completed a Job Safety Analysis(JSA) to make sure we fully understood
the potential dangers and safety considerations we needed to take when testing our car. For
example, while we were constructing our product, we made sure that whoever was cutting out
the base wore gloves for protection. Furthermore, we decided the safest way to test our product
was to wear long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and close-toed shoes in case anything at all were to
go wrong with our car. We wore goggles to prevent anything hazardous getting in our eyes or
irritating them in any way. We also agreed to not add any additional chemicals to our fuel cell
due to the fact that it would just make our car more dangerous to be working with. As a team, we
definitely understood the importance of safety and tried to take all of the needed measures in
order to be as safe as possible.

Design Plan:
The chassis of our hydrogen fuel cell car was shaped out of balsa wood; the team chose this
material because of its low weight and relatively high strength. The team came to the decision of
using balsa wood through the use of a design matrix, which can be seen in table 3. The chassis
was shaped around the components that were in possession in order to have the lightest possible
chassis while still maintaining strength; this method of shaping resulted in a chassis that is very
similar to the shape of a jet, which can be seen in design 1. The rear end of the chassis is the
same width as the gearbox while the mid section of the chassis flares out and then tapers as it
reaches the front tires. Where the midsection of the chassis begins from the back is the widest
point, here we mounted the hydrogen and oxygen tanks side by side. In front of the tanks we
mounted a small frame that the fuel cell fits in, making the fuel cell removable so we can store it
and keep it in the best possible condition. For the tires we used 3 inch rc tires, these tires provide
both traction and clearance. The clearance is very important because the gearbox is mounted to
the underside of the chassis and we did not want it to scrape on the track and slow are car down.
In order to turn these tires at the fastest possible speed while still maintaining a fast take off we
had to use a gear ratio of our own design. The gear ratio the team was able to put together, with
the available components, was roughly 19:1. This gear ratio provided high bottom end torque
and low top end torque; this combination resulted in the car being to reach its peak speed in a
short distance and maintain this speed very efficiently. Overall, the design resulted in a car that
was fast, consistent, and relatively light.
 Design 1: The preliminary/ final car design sketch

Table 4: Material of Car

Characteristics Importance Carbon Fiber FiberGlass Styrofoam Balsawood canvas
 Weight 5 5 25 5 25 5 25 5 25 5 25

Strength 4 5 20 4 16 2 8 4 16 3 12

Cost 4 0 0 3 12 5 20 5 20 4 16

Availability 4 0 0 3 12 5 20 5 20 3 12

Ease of use 3 3 9 3 9 4 12 5 15 3 9

Total 54 74 85 96 74

Scale 1-5 5=best

1=worse

A decision matrix used to help determine what material to build the car out of based on the five
characteristics in the table

Results and discussion:

Table 5: Velocity Data From Preliminary Trials

Trial 1 2.23 ft/s

Trial 2 2.18 ft/s

Trial 3 2.31 ft/s

The velocity of the Cloud 10 car was very consistent for all trials. The water was not re-
electrolyzed before preliminary trial 2 and as a result this was the slowest trial. On race day, the
Cloud 10 car finished the track in 11 seconds for each trial attempted. With this time, the
velocity on race day improved to 2.55 ft/s. The improvement in the car’s performance can likely
be attributed to the addition of extra distilled water in the cylindrical tanks. The additional water
pushed the gas out of the tanks more rapidly, which caused the fuel cell to quickly exert an
electric current. Although the addition of water added mass to the car, the faster times on race
day justified the change.

A drawback to the additional water was that the team’s charter was not achieved to its full
potential. The Cloud 10 team aimed to have the lightest car by mass, but as work on the car
progressed the group members decided that maximum speed could be attained with an easy
assembly model, and, as a result, the speed of the car, rather than the mass, became the focus of
the car design. The gearbox was the heaviest component of the car, but it was necessary so that
the car would move efficiently. A lighter alternative than RC tires could have been utilized, but
the ease of assembly was far greater using RC tires than any other material. Similarly, balsa
wood was used for the car body in place of lighter options such as carbon fiber because of budget
constraints and complications in assembly. The final car design may have deviated from the
team’s original charter, but the exemplary performance on race day made the group’s alterations
worthwhile.

Before preliminary trials, a few additional issues were addressed that led to the velocity
improvements on race day. Perhaps the most influential factor in the car’s speed was the fact that
the fuel cell was kept moist in a ziploc bag to ensure the platinum catalyst would not corrode.
The operation of the fuel cell is dependent on catalysis at the cathode and anode, so a
malfunctioning catalyst would jeopardize the entire operation of the car. Similarly, the group
shortened the tubes that attached the gas chambers to the fuel cell. The short tubes allowed the
pressure of the gas entering the fuel cell to increase which caused the cell to exert a current more
rapidly. The gearing on the gearbox was also altered to allow maximum torque with minimum
energy supplied. Wires were glued to the body so that they did not interfere with the wheels.
These small changes made an enormous improvement in speed on race day and allowed the
Cloud 10 car to have the fastest car compared to all the competitors.

On race day, the group noticed the car was curving more than it did during preliminary trials. To
fix this issue, the group straightened the front axle as much as possible and then aligned the car
at an angle so that it stayed within the bounds. Although the car was curving, it finished the race
in less time, further justifying the use of excess water in the cylindrical tanks.

In hindsight, the group would likely make a few small changes. Firstly, alternate sources of
hydrogen and oxygen gas would have been investigated more closely. Though the cylindrical
tanks worked well at collecting gas through the electrolysis conducted by the fuel cell, the plastic
receptacles added significant mass to the car and the original charter might have been achieved
had we used alternate sources of H and O gas.
2 2

Similarly, additional chemicals may have been utilized so that a maximum amount of water
didn’t have to be used, thereby decreasing the mass of the car overall. Additional chemicals
could have catalyzed the production of hydrogen or oxygen gas, leading to faster recharge and a
higher gas pressure for fuel cell operation.

In the future, the group recommends a small portion of class time be devoted to instruction about
gearing, torque, and other topics that are relevant to building the car rather than just the
chemistry of the fuel cell. Our group was fortunate enough to have members with some
background in using a gearbox, but a small amount of guidance for groups that weren’t as lucky
would greatly lessen the burden of building the car for a majority of the groups.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, the Team Cloud 10 achieved their charter of being in the top 10 lightest and
fastest car by making combined decisions on how to design the car and how to make the car the
most efficient. By using the minimum amount of material, the lightest materials, and adjustable
gear box, the team achieved the fastest car, while also being one of the lightest in the
competition. Team Cloud 10 spent around $131.85 having each member pay around $21.98.
While working with the car Cloud 10 took safety precautions like wearing long sleeve shirts and
long pants, closed toed shoes, and safety goggles. They also used safety gloves while building
the car and cutting out the pieces. The fuel cell worked proficiently without any problems
throughout the whole project and was kept in good conditions in and out of use. It was kept wet
and uncontaminated by outside sources while not being used and only using distilled water while
running the fuel cell. The fuel cell produced the right amount of gas for each type of gas. It
produced double the amount of hydrogen as oxygen, which was needed to fulfill the balanced
chemical reaction that the fuel cell conducted. The decision matrix helped the team narrow down
the type of material to use to balsa wood because it was the most efficient for this project. Even
though the team achieved the goal as the fast and top 10 lightest the car was one of the least
creative without any artistic designs or decorations on the car. The car ran faster after the team
cut the tubes and add more water to each container to give it a stronger pressure to transfer the
gas from the tanks to the fuel cell. During the trials the car completed the 28ft track without any
issues. The car did have a slight turn in the beginning but straightened out at the end giving it a
successful run for each trial. The car ended up being faster in the final race than in the
preliminary races even though no changes were made in between the two race times. By working
together and contributing ideas the team was able to build a strong car and work together well
and efficiently. With the many good ideas the car and poster design was made without any issues
within the team.
 REFERENCES

1. Barbir, Frano. "PEM Fuel Cells." Barbir, Frano. Fuel Cell Technology . London: Springer
, nnnnn 2006. 27-51. Web.

2. Fuel Cell Today. 2016. Web. 31 October 2016.

3. Mattuci. Proton Exchange Fuel Cell Diagram. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., 1 Sept. 2015. Web. 4
Oct. 2016

4. Administrator. "Fuel Cell Types." Fuel Cell Types. Nedstack, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.
 Appendix
Performance Data

Distance (ft) Velocity (ft/s) Time (s)

1 preliminary trial
st
28 ft 2.23 ft/s 12.55s

2 preliminary trial
nd
28 ft 2.18 ft/s 12.83s

3 preliminary trial
rd
28 ft 2.31 ft/s 12.13s

Table:1 trial results calculated velocity

Calculations:
1-3 density problem equations

11.5 ml H2O 1g = 11.5g H2O

1ml
7.5 ml O2 1.427 g = 10.7 g O2

1 ml

15 ml H2 .0898 g 1.35 g H2

1 ml

4-6 density equations

7.5 ml O2 1.427 g 10.7 g O2

1 ml

15 ml H2 .0898 g 1.35 g H2

1 ml

11.5 g H2O 18.02 g 207.2 g H2

1 ml

7-9 velocity equations

Trial 1 28ft 2.23ft/s

12.55s

Trial 2 28ft 2.18ft/s

12.83s

Trial 3 28ft 2.31ft/s

12.13s