fischertechnik PROFI User manual

2
PROFI FUEL CELL KIT
Mode d'emploi du Fuel Cell Kit
Décrit la cellule électrochimique et contient différents essais.
FPage 21 – 28
Instruction Manual for the Fuel Cell Kit
Describes the fuel cell and contains a range of different experiments.
Page 13 – 20
Gebruiksaanwijzing voor de Fuel Cell Kit
Beschrijft de brandstofcel en bevat verschillende experimenten.
NL Pagina 29– 36
Manual de instrucciones para el Fuel Cell Kit
Describe la célula de combustible y contiene diversos experimentos.
EPágina 37– 44
Instruções de operação para o Fuel Cell Kit
Descreve a célula a combustível e contém diversos experimentos.
PPágina 45 – 52
Manuale di istruzioni del Fuel Cell Kit
Descrive la cella di carburante e contiene diversi esperimenti.
IPagina 53– 60
Инструкция по эксплуатации Fuel Cell Kit
Содержит описание топливного элемента иразличных экспериментов.
RU Страница 61 – 68
Fuel Cell Kit操作说明书
介绍说明燃料电池及其各种不同的实验。
CN 第69 – 76页
Bedienungsanleitung für das Fuel Cell Kit
Beschreibt die Brennstoffzelle und enthält verschiedene Experimente.
Seite 5 – 12
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PROFI FUEL CELL KIT
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146 142 146 142
(136 239)
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PROFI FUEL CELL KIT
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Einzelteilübersicht
Spare parts list
Liste des pièces détachées
Onderdelenoverzicht
Lista da piezas
Resumo de peça individual
Singoli componenti
Отдельные детали
零件概览
31 011
1 x
31 031
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31 336
3 x
31 337
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31 848
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31 982
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116 913
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146 142
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146 500
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1,0V , 440mA

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PROFI FUEL CELL KIT INSTRUCTION MANUAL
CONTENTS
Fuel Cell kit .............................................................................................................. P. 14
Important instructions on use of the Fuel Cell kit ..............................................P. 14
Safety rules .............................................................................................................. P. 14
Proper use............................................................................................................P. 15
How the fuel cell works......................................................................................... P. 15
Operating the fuel cell............................................................................................ P. 16
Filling the fuel cell with distilled water ..............................................................P. 16
Producing hydrogen and oxygen (electrolysis) ...................................................P. 17
Producing electric energy....................................................................................P. 19
Shutting down/storing the fuel cell ...................................................................P. 19
Notes on environmental protection .................................................................... P. 19
Liability...................................................................................................................... P. 19
Experiments using the Fuel Cell kit & Profi Oeco Energy ............................... P. 20
Experiments using the Fuel Cell kit & Profi Oeco Tech.................................... P. 20
Fuel cell technical data ......................................................................................... P. 20
Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................... P. 20
Experiments using the Fuel Cell kit & Profi Oeco Tech.................................... P. 77
WARNING!For use by children over the age of 10
only. To be used only under the close supervision of adults, who
have taken the necessary precautions described in the experi-
ments kit. Read the instructions before use, follow them and keep
them ready to hand.
They contain instructions for parents and these must be followed. Keep the packaging and instructions, as they
contain important information. Hydrogen is produced during the experiment. Hydrogen can form an explosive mix-
ture with atmospheric oxygen. Therefore, all ignition sources must be removed before carrying out the experiment.

PROFI FUEL CELL KIT INSTRUCTION MANUAL
14
Fuel Cell kit
How does a fuel cell work? How can you produce hydrogen with it? The Fuel Cell kit imparts
knowledge on all aspects of this exciting topic. With the fuel cell and the additional solar
module, interesting additional models can be built in conjunction with the Profi Oeco Energy kit.
The didactic activity booklet in the Profi Oeco Energy kit provides help. All of your questions are
answered.
Important instructions on use of the Fuel Cell kit
The Fuel Cell Kit is an extension kit. You will also need the Profi Oeco Energy kit (Item # 520400)
to operate the fuel cell and to perform the experiments described in this instruction manual.
Alternatively, you can also use the Profi Oeco Tech kit (Item # 505284).
Advice for supervising adults
This experiments kit is only intended for use by children over the age of 10 years.
The instructions should enable adults to assess the experiment's suitability for the
child concerned.
Safety rules
Read these instructions before starting the experiment, follow them and keep them
ready to hand.
Keep the experiments kit out of reach of small children.
Do not put wires into the electrical outlet.
Warning: Do not remove the protective diode between the connections of the fuel
cell! It prevents irreparable damage to the fuel cell if a short circuit occurs between
the positive pole (red) and the negative pole (black) or if cables get too hot.
Do not short circuit the fuel cell (explosion hazard)!
Warning: (Connection) errors or unauthorized changes can cause temperature
increases on exposed surfaces that can exceed the allowable limits!
The fuel cell may only be operated with a direct voltage up to 3V. Never connect any
other power supplies, e.g. 9 V fischertechnik.
Do not short circuit the contact points of the fuel cell.
Too high voltage or a short circuit can destroy the fuel cell membrane.

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PROFI FUEL CELL KIT INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Do not produce electricity or hydrogen for any purposes other than those given in
the instruction manual.
Do not produce or store more hydrogen than fits in the storage cylinder of the fuel
cell (around 20 ml).
Avoid continuous charging of the fuel cell.
Proper use
The Fuel Cell kit's fuel cell may only be used to operate fischertechnik models.
How the fuel cell works
■A fuel cell converts the chemical energy of a fuel (e.g. hydrogen) into electric current (elec-
tricity). A fuel cell is therefore not an energy store but an energy converter.
Fuels cells are used, for example, to drive vehicles and to supply homes with heat and electricity.
A fuel cell consists of two electrodes (anode and cathode), which are separated from each other
by an electrolyte membrane.
The electrodes are made of metal or carbon. They are coated with a catalyst, for example,
platinum or palladium.
Inside the fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen
react to form water. This reaction produces
an electric voltage between the two elec-
trodes which can be used, for example, to
drive an electric motor.
■The fuel cell included in the Fuel Cell
Kit is a so-called reversible fuel cell. This
means that the fuel cell has the following
two functions:
Direct current
Air
Water
Anode Electrolyte membrane Cathode
H2

PROFI FUEL CELL KIT INSTRUCTION MANUAL
16
• On the one hand, the reversible fuel cell can be used as a so-called electrolyzer, for produc-
ing hydrogen and oxygen from distilled water. This process is called electrolysis. The hydro-
gen and oxygen are stored in storage cylinders.
• On the other hand, the reversible fuel cell can be used to produce electrical energy by react-
ing the stored hydrogen with the stored oxygen.
Operating the fuel cell
Description of the fuel cell (see Fig. 1 on page 3).
1 Overflow chamber, hydrogen side
2 Hydrogen storage cylinder
3 Plugs for air vents
4 Oxygen storage cylinder
5 Negative jack (black)
6 Protective diode
7 Positive jack (red)
8 Overflow chamber, oxygen side
9 Level mark
Filling the fuel cell with distilled water
Place the fuel cell on a flat plate.
Then remove the two plugs (3) from the ventilation ducts. Fill the two storage cylinders with
distilled water up to the level mark (9).
(See Fig. A)
Caution! Material damage possible:
Tap water and other liquids permanently damage the fuel cell membrane.
When the water is added the air in the fuel cell escapes through the air vents. Gently bang the
fuel cell on the table to let the water flow more easily around the membrane and the current
collecting metal plates.
Add a little bit more water, only enough to make water escape through the air vents and at the
same time for the water in the overflow chambers to reach up to the level mark.
(Fig. A)
9
3

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PROFI FUEL CELL KIT INSTRUCTION MANUAL
You can now use the plugs to re-close the air vents. Ensure that no air is trapped in the storage
cylinder. A small air bubble does not cause any problems and can be ignored.
If the fuel cell has not been used for a long time, wait for around 10 minutes to allow the
membrane to become sufficiently impregnated.
Producing hydrogen and oxygen (electrolysis)
The fuel cell must be supplied with a direct voltage between 1.8 and 3 volt.
Caution! Material damage possible:
If the voltage is too high, it can destroy the fuel cell membrane. The fuel cell must
never be connected to a 9 V fischertechnik power supply.
The solar module included in the Fuel Cell kit consists of two solar cells, which are connected in
series. Without load, the solar module supplies a maximum voltage of 1.0 V. As this voltage is
not enough for the electrolysis, you will need another solar module from the Profi Oeco Energy kit.
Connect the two solar modules (Item # 146142) in series and connect them to the fuel cell (see
Fig. 2 on page 3). Depending on the light intensity, the two solar modules now supply a voltage
of 1.6 – 2 volt.
Tip: Have you got the "Profi Oeco Tech" kit? Then you can use its solar module and the solar
module of the Fuel Cell kit. Connect them in series and connect everything to the fuel cell (1x
solar module Item # 136239, 1x solar module Item # 146142).
Hydrogen and oxygen production begins as soon as the solar modules are illuminated with
sufficient sunlight or a suitable light source. The gases are stored in the corresponding storage
cylinders. The water is pressed into the overflow chambers above the cylinders.
The fuel cell is completely "charged" when all the water from the hydrogen storage cylinder
(2) has been pressed into the overflow chamber above it (1). This process lasts around 15 – 60
minutes, depending on the light intensity.
You can now disconnect the fuel cell from the solar modules. This stops the production of hydro-
gen and oxygen.

PROFI FUEL CELL KIT INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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Tip: If you want to achieve the optimum output of the fuel cell, flush all the air out of the fuel
cell. To do this, continue producing hydrogen until the last of the water has been pressed out of
the oxygen storage cylinder and into the overflow chamber above it.
Experiment 1:
Measure how much hydrogen is produced in a certain period of time during the
production of hydrogen and oxygen. Measure the time needed for the hydrogen
storage cylinder to become completely filled with hydrogen (20ml hydrogen).
Observe the effect that the light intensity has on the time required.
If the light intensity is high, more hydrogen is produced during the same time. If the light inten-
sity is too low, no hydrogen is produced at all.
If you use a 100W light bulb as a light source at a distance of 30cm from the solar modules, it
takes around 15min for the hydrogen storage cylinder to completely fill with gas.
Experiment 2:
Observe the quantity of water displaced in the two overflow chambers while
hydrogen and oxygen are being produced. What can you observe?
Twice as much hydrogen is produced as oxygen. Why?
Water (H2O) consists of compounds of hydrogen (H2) and water (O2). These compounds are
called water molecules. A water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen
atom. When the molecule is split during electrolysis, twice as many hydrogen molecules are
produced as oxygen molecules.
2 H2O
Electrolysis
2 H2
+
O2
HHO
2 water molecules 2 hydrogen molecules 1 oxygen molecule
HHO