Ultracompact Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

The Ultracompact Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (aka UPEM Fuel Cell) is the main power source used on board mobile suits prior to the creation of the Storm Drive.

Description & Characteristics
Early mobile suits of the Solar Era were reliant on large microwave transmission arrays to transmit energy to them over long distances. However, there were a number of drawbacks to this system; a mobile suit would shut down as soon as a unit moved out of range from an active array. Furthermore only a finite number of machines could be powered by a single microwave array, limiting the maximum number of units usable.

The Ultracompact Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell is a large hydrogen fuel cell designed to serve as a standalone power source with enough output to replace the microwave array, due to the UESF's treaty prohibiting the use of fissile material a non-nuclear alternative was required. A UPEM Fuel Cell is powered by Oxygen and Hydrogen gas, using the electrons released from oxidising a hydrogen molecule into two protons and two electrons. During the oxygen reduction reaction on the other side of the cell combines received electrons and protons with oxygen to form water molecules. This overall reaction produces electrical power with water as a by-product, which is recycled into the machine's life support.

Fuel cells were not immediately introduced into mobile suits due to a fuel storage supply issue, namely the fact that a mobile suit could not carry enough fuel for long deployments, severely limiting sorties. However, shortly before the production of the ESP-007 Crusader a crystalline material capable of storing gas with remarkable effectiveness. Thanks to this the fuel cell could redesigned into a smaller and more efficient model, powering a mobile suit for a sufficient period of time.

Core Components

 * Crystalline Hydrogen Storage


 * Crystalline Oxygen Storage


 * Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell


 * Membrane Electrode Assembly

Notes & Trivia

 * The UPEM Fuel cell is based off the real life Proton exchange membrane fuel cell.