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.
Practise Edexcel GCSE Chemistry Chemical cells and fuel cells with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 17 questions, matched to the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry (1CH0) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
