IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v13y2020i14p3547-d382635.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Portable Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Power Station for Long-Term Internet of Things Applications

Author

Listed:
  • Chung-Jen Chou

    (Institute of Opto-Mechatronics Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan City 32001, Taiwan)

  • Shyh-Biau Jiang

    (Institute of Opto-Mechatronics Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan City 32001, Taiwan)

  • Tse-Liang Yeh

    (Institute of Mechanical Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan City 32001, Taiwan)

  • Li-Duan Tsai

    (Material and Chemical Research Laboratories (MCL), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), B77, 195, Sec. 4, Chung Hsing Rd. Chutung, Hsingchu City 31057, Taiwan)

  • Ku-Yen Kang

    (Material and Chemical Research Laboratories (MCL), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), B77, 195, Sec. 4, Chung Hsing Rd. Chutung, Hsingchu City 31057, Taiwan)

  • Ching-Jung Liu

    (Material and Chemical Research Laboratories (MCL), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), B77, 195, Sec. 4, Chung Hsing Rd. Chutung, Hsingchu City 31057, Taiwan)

Abstract

With regard to the best electro-chemical efficiency of an active direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), the stacks and their balance of plant (BOP) are complex to build and operate. The yield of making the large-scale stacks is difficult to improve. Therefore, a portable power station made of multiple simpler planar type stack modules with only appropriate semi-active BOPs was developed. A planar stack and its miniature BOP components are integrated into a semi-active DMFC stack module for easy production, assembly, and operation. An improved energy management system is designed to control multiple DMFC stack modules in parallel to enhance its power-generation capacity and stability so that the portability, environmental tolerance, and long-term durability become comparable to that of the active systems. A prototype of the power station was tested for 3600 h in an actual outdoor environment through winter and summer. Its performance and maintenance events are analyzed to validate its stability and durability. Throughout the test, it maintained the daily average of 3.3 W power generation with peak output driving capability of 12 W suitable for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Chung-Jen Chou & Shyh-Biau Jiang & Tse-Liang Yeh & Li-Duan Tsai & Ku-Yen Kang & Ching-Jung Liu, 2020. "A Portable Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Power Station for Long-Term Internet of Things Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-13, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:14:p:3547-:d:382635
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/14/3547/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/14/3547/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Achmad, F. & Kamarudin, S.K. & Daud, W.R.W. & Majlan, E.H., 2011. "Passive direct methanol fuel cells for portable electronic devices," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(5), pages 1681-1689, May.
    2. Teresa J. Leo & Miguel A. Raso & Emilio Navarro & Eleuterio Mora, 2013. "Long Term Performance Study of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Fed with Alcohol Blends," Energies, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-12, January.
    3. Kamaruddin, M.Z.F. & Kamarudin, S.K. & Daud, W.R.W. & Masdar, M.S., 2013. "An overview of fuel management in direct methanol fuel cells," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 557-565.
    4. Lagorse, Jeremy & Paire, Damien & Miraoui, Abdellatif, 2009. "Sizing optimization of a stand-alone street lighting system powered by a hybrid system using fuel cell, PV and battery," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 683-691.
    5. Cheng-Hao Yang & Shing-Cheng Chang & Yen-Hsin Chan & Wen-Sheng Chang, 2019. "A Dynamic Analysis of the Multi-Stack SOFC-CHP System for Power Modulation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-17, September.
    6. Chien-Chang Wu & Tsung-Lin Chen, 2020. "Dynamic Modeling of a Parallel-Connected Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    7. Mauro Francesco Sgroi & Furio Zedde & Orazio Barbera & Alessandro Stassi & David Sebastián & Francesco Lufrano & Vincenzo Baglio & Antonino Salvatore Aricò & Jacob Linder Bonde & Michael Schuster, 2016. "Cost Analysis of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Stacks for Mass Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-19, November.
    8. Yean-Der Kuan & Shin-Min Lee & Ming-Feng Sung, 2014. "Development of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell with Lightweight Disc Type Current Collectors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-12, May.
    9. Mahdi Zareei & Cesar Vargas-Rosales & Mohammad Hossein Anisi & Leila Musavian & Rafaela Villalpando-Hernandez & Shidrokh Goudarzi & Ehab Mahmoud Mohamed, 2019. "Enhancing the Performance of Energy Harvesting Sensor Networks for Environmental Monitoring Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-14, July.
    10. Mohammed H. Alsharif, 2017. "A Solar Energy Solution for Sustainable Third Generation Mobile Networks," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-17, March.
    11. Shaikh, Faisal Karim & Zeadally, Sherali, 2016. "Energy harvesting in wireless sensor networks: A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 1041-1054.
    12. Haneul Ko & Jaewook Lee & Seokwon Jang & Joonwoo Kim & Sangheon Pack, 2019. "Energy Efficient Cooperative Computation Algorithm in Energy Harvesting Internet of Things," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-19, October.
    13. Das, Vipin & Padmanaban, Sanjeevikumar & Venkitusamy, Karthikeyan & Selvamuthukumaran, Rajasekar & Blaabjerg, Frede & Siano, Pierluigi, 2017. "Recent advances and challenges of fuel cell based power system architectures and control – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 10-18.
    14. 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.
    15. Bajpai, Prabodh & Dash, Vaishalee, 2012. "Hybrid renewable energy systems for power generation in stand-alone applications: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 2926-2939.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Viviana Cigolotti & Matteo Genovese & Petronilla Fragiacomo, 2021. "Comprehensive Review on Fuel Cell Technology for Stationary Applications as Sustainable and Efficient Poly-Generation Energy Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-28, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Santiago, Óscar & Navarro, Emilio & Raso, Miguel A. & Leo, Teresa J., 2016. "Review of implantable and external abiotically catalysed glucose fuel cells and the differences between their membranes and catalysts," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 497-522.
    2. Yuan, Wei & Wang, Aoyu & Yan, Zhiguo & Tan, Zhenhao & Tang, Yong & Xia, Hongrong, 2016. "Visualization of two-phase flow and temperature characteristics of an active liquid-feed direct methanol fuel cell with diverse flow fields," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 85-98.
    3. An, Myung-Gi & Mehmood, Asad & Ha, Heung Yong, 2014. "A sensor-less methanol concentration control system based on feedback from the stack temperature," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 257-266.
    4. Zakaria, Zulfirdaus & Kamarudin, Siti Kartom & Abd Wahid, Khairul Anuar & Abu Hassan, Saiful Hasmady, 2021. "The progress of fuel cell for malaysian residential consumption: Energy status and prospects to introduction as a renewable power generation system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    5. Chien-Chang Wu & Tsung-Lin Chen, 2020. "Design and Experiment of a Power Sharing Control Circuit for Parallel Fuel Cell Modules," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-23, June.
    6. Bizon, Nicu, 2019. "Real-time optimization strategies of Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Systems based on Load-following control: A new strategy, and a comparative study of topologies and fuel economy obtained," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C), pages 444-460.
    7. DeLovato, Nicolas & Sundarnath, Kavin & Cvijovic, Lazar & Kota, Krishna & Kuravi, Sarada, 2019. "A review of heat recovery applications for solar and geothermal power plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 1-1.
    8. Mohammed, Y.S. & Mustafa, M.W. & Bashir, N., 2013. "Status of renewable energy consumption and developmental challenges in Sub-Sahara Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 453-463.
    9. Bizon, Nicu, 2019. "Efficient fuel economy strategies for the Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Systems under variable renewable/load power profile," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
    10. Erdinc, O. & Uzunoglu, M., 2010. "Recent trends in PEM fuel cell-powered hybrid systems: Investigation of application areas, design architectures and energy management approaches," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2874-2884, December.
    11. Farnaz Derakhshan & Shamim Yousefi, 2019. "A review on the applications of multiagent systems in wireless sensor networks," International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, , vol. 15(5), pages 15501477198, May.
    12. Rômulo de Oliveira Azevêdo & Paulo Rotela Junior & Luiz Célio Souza Rocha & Gianfranco Chicco & Giancarlo Aquila & Rogério Santana Peruchi, 2020. "Identification and Analysis of Impact Factors on the Economic Feasibility of Photovoltaic Energy Investments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-40, September.
    13. Al Busaidi, Ahmed Said & Kazem, Hussein A & Al-Badi, Abdullah H & Farooq Khan, Mohammad, 2016. "A review of optimum sizing of hybrid PV–Wind renewable energy systems in oman," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 185-193.
    14. Kilian D. Stenning & Jack C. Gartside & Luca Manneschi & Christopher T. S. Cheung & Tony Chen & Alex Vanstone & Jake Love & Holly Holder & Francesco Caravelli & Hidekazu Kurebayashi & Karin Everschor-, 2024. "Neuromorphic overparameterisation and few-shot learning in multilayer physical neural networks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    15. de Avila Ferreira, Tafarel & Wuillemin, Zacharie & Faulwasser, Timm & Salzmann, Christophe & Van herle, Jan & Bonvin, Dominique, 2019. "Enforcing optimal operation in solid-oxide fuel-cell systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 281-293.
    16. Víctor Sanz i López & Ramon Costa-Castelló & Carles Batlle, 2022. "Literature Review of Energy Management in Combined Heat and Power Systems Based on High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells for Residential Comfort Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, September.
    17. Yuan, Zhenyu & Zhang, Yufeng & Fu, Wenting & Li, Zipeng & Liu, Xiaowei, 2013. "Investigation of a small-volume direct methanol fuel cell stack for portable applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 462-467.
    18. Fang, Zheng & Tan, Xing & Liu, Genshuo & Zhou, Zijie & Pan, Yajia & Ahmed, Ammar & Zhang, Zutao, 2022. "A novel vibration energy harvesting system integrated with an inertial pendulum for zero-energy sensor applications in freight trains," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    19. Kim, Joon-Hee & Yang, Min-Jee & Park, Jun-Young, 2014. "Improvement on performance and efficiency of direct methanol fuel cells using hydrocarbon-based membrane electrode assembly," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 95-102.
    20. Mathiesen, B.V. & Lund, H. & Connolly, D. & Wenzel, H. & Østergaard, P.A. & Möller, B. & Nielsen, S. & Ridjan, I. & Karnøe, P. & Sperling, K. & Hvelplund, F.K., 2015. "Smart Energy Systems for coherent 100% renewable energy and transport solutions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 139-154.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:14:p:3547-:d:382635. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.