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A one-dimensional, two-phase model for direct methanol fuel cells – Part I: Model development and parametric study

Author

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  • Ko, Johan
  • Chippar, Purushothama
  • Ju, Hyunchul

Abstract

A one-dimensional, steady-state, two-phase direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) model is developed to precisely investigate complex physiochemical phenomena inside DMFCs. In this model, two-phase species transport through the porous components of a DMFC is formulated based on Maxwell–Stefan multi-component diffusion equations, while capillary-induced liquid flow in the porous media is described by Darcy's equation. In addition, the model fully accounts for water and methanol crossover through the membrane, which is driven by the effects of electro-osmotic drag, diffusion, and the hydraulic pressure gradient. The developed model is validated against readily available experimental data in the literature. Then, a parametric study is carried out to investigate the effects of the operating temperature, methanol feed concentration, and properties of the backing layer. The results of the numerical simulation clarify the detailed influence of these key designs and operating parameters on the methanol crossover rate as well as cell performance and efficiency. The results emphasize that the material properties and design of the anode backing layer play a critical role in the use of highly concentrated methanol fuel in DMFCs. The present study forms a theoretical background for optimizing the DMFC's components and operating conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ko, Johan & Chippar, Purushothama & Ju, Hyunchul, 2010. "A one-dimensional, two-phase model for direct methanol fuel cells – Part I: Model development and parametric study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2149-2159.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:35:y:2010:i:5:p:2149-2159
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2010.01.034
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    Cited by:

    1. Prapainainar, Paweena & Du, Zehui & Theampetch, Apichaya & Prapainainar, Chaiwat & Kongkachuichay, Paisan & Holmes, Stuart M., 2020. "Properties and DMFC performance of nafion/mordenite composite membrane fabricated by solution-casting method with different solvent ratio," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    2. Yuan, Zhenyu & Zhang, Manna & Zuo, Kaiyuan & Ren, Yongqiang, 2018. "The effect of gravity on inner transport and cell performance in passive micro direct methanol fuel cell," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 28-37.
    3. Tafaoli-Masoule, M. & Bahrami, A. & Elsayed, E.M., 2014. "Optimum design parameters and operating condition for maximum power of a direct methanol fuel cell using analytical model and genetic algorithm," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 643-652.
    4. Chippar, Purushothama & Ko, Johan & Ju, Hyunchul, 2010. "A global transient, one-dimensional, two-phase model for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) – Part II: Analysis of the time-dependent thermal behavior of DMFCs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2301-2308.
    5. Koohi-Kamali, Sam & Tyagi, V.V. & Rahim, N.A. & Panwar, N.L. & Mokhlis, H., 2013. "Emergence of energy storage technologies as the solution for reliable operation of smart power systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 135-165.
    6. Deng, Huichao & Zhang, Xuelin & Ma, Zezhong & Chen, Hailong & Sun, Qiu & Zhang, Yufeng & Liu, Xiaowei, 2014. "A micro passive direct methanol fuel cell with high performance via plasma electrolytic oxidation on aluminum-based substrate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 149-153.
    7. Xuqu Hu & Xingyi Wang & Juanzhong Chen & Qinwen Yang & Dapeng Jin & Xiang Qiu, 2017. "Numerical Investigations of the Combined Effects of Flow Rate and Methanol Concentration on DMFC Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Fang, Shuo & Zhang, Yufeng & Zou, Yuezhang & Sang, Shengtian & Liu, Xiaowei, 2017. "Structural design and analysis of a passive DMFC supplied with concentrated methanol solution," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 50-61.
    9. Sharifi, Shima & Rahimi, Rahbar & Mohebbi-Kalhori, Davod & Colpan, C. Ozgur, 2020. "Coupled computational fluid dynamics-response surface methodology to optimize direct methanol fuel cell performance for greener energy generation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    10. Fang, Shuo & Zhang, Yufeng & Ma, Zezhong & Sang, Shengtian & Liu, Xiaowei, 2016. "Systemic modeling and analysis of DMFC stack for behavior prediction in system-level application," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1015-1023.

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