A remote scientific research station in the Arctic operates autonomously for up to 12 months at a time, monitoring atmospheric greenhouse gases.
Engineers are deciding whether to power the station's monitoring equipment and sensors using hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells (supplied with compressed fuel tanks) or rechargeable chemical cells (such as lithium-ion battery banks charged by a localized wind turbine).
The overall reaction that takes place in a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell is:
hydrogen+oxygen→water \text{hydrogen} + \text{oxygen} \rightarrow \text{water} hydrogen+oxygen→waterEvaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells rather than rechargeable chemical cells to power this autonomous Arctic station.
17 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 6.4 Chemical cells and fuel cells, covering 6.4.1 Chemical cells and fuel cells. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.