Fuel cells offer clean energy by using hydrogen gas to produce electrical energy. Their limiting factor is that they use hydrogen gas, which must be produced by some alternate energy source. We investigated measures to enhance hydrogen production by irradiating an electrolysis unit with gamma rays. The experiments use an electrolysis cell and two gamma ray sources: Cs137 and a nuclear reactor. The objective was to compare the hydrogen gas production rates of the electrolysis cell exposed to these sources to the production rate with no irradiation. We observed a 19% increased rate with irradiation by Cs137 and 7% with the WPI reactor (with an experimental uncertainty of approximately 5% in both cases).

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Wojcik, Stefanie Elaine.
• Nunn, April Anne.

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 04D044M

Advisor

• Jasperson, Stephen N.
• Keil, Thomas H.

Year

• 2004

Date created

• 2004-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Physics

Rights statement

• In Copyright