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Fuel Cell

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. The process is clean, quiet, and efficient. A byproduct of the process is water, however, which can be a problem for deployments in a polar environment. The technology is still in its infancy, but commercial products are becoming available.  Some systems have operated under controlled environmental conditions for limited periods of time. Portable systems are being provided to the military as replacements for rechargable battery packs.

Fuel cells have been of interest because their fuel is more benign to the environment that traditional gasoline or
diesel fuel. The hydrogen used for fuel is either provided directly under pressure or derived from other forms, such as methane. Safety regulations often set restrictions on the amount of fuel to be stored or transported.

With water as a major byproduct, there is a major concern for ice formation in polar environments. Either the use of fuel cells needs to be restricted to warmer seasons or heaters, driven by backup power sources, are needed to raise the temperature of the fuel cell high enough for operation.

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