High-concentration operation of a passive air-breathing direct methanol fuel cell integrated with a porous methanol barrier

Wei Yuan, Yong Tang and Xiaojun Yang

Renewable Energy, 2013, vol. 50, issue C, 741-746

Abstract: To realize high-concentration operation of a passive air-breathing direct methanol fuel cell (PAB-DMFC) is a critical issue that should be addressed before it is used for practical applications. This work reports the feasibility of using a porous metal fiber sintered felt (PMFSF) as the anodic methanol barrier to control methanol crossover (MCO) in order to feed the fuel cell with a higher concentration of methanol fuel. The effectiveness of this method is successfully validated. The optimization criterion of using this material is to maintain a balance between reactant and product management. Results demonstrate that a medium value of PMFSF thickness, i.e. 2mm yields a higher performance. The PMFSF porosity has two-fold effect on the cell performance, which interacts with the current collector setup including the opening pattern and ratio. The related mechanisms concerning such effects on mass transfer process are explained in detail. In addition, the dynamic characteristics of this PMFSF-based PAB-DMFC are also evaluated in this study.

Keywords: Passive; Air-breathing; Direct methanol fuel cell; Methanol barrier; High-concentration operation; Porous metal fiber sintered felt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:50:y:2013:i:c:p:741-746

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2012.08.039

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