A Multi-Fluid Model for Water and Methanol Transport in a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Anders Christian Olesen, Søren Knudsen Kær () and Torsten Berning ()
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Anders Christian Olesen: Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
Søren Knudsen Kær: Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
Torsten Berning: Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-23

Abstract: Direct-methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems are comparatively simple, sometimes just requiring a fuel cartridge and a fuel cell stack with appropriate control devices. The key challenge in these systems is the accurate determination and control of the flow rates and the appropriate mixture of methanol and water, and fundamental understanding can be gained by computational fluid dynamics. In this work, a three-dimensional, steady-state, two-phase, multi-component and non-isothermal DMFC model is presented. The model is based on the Eulerian approach, and it can account for gas and liquid transport in porous media subject to mixed wettability, i.e., the simultaneous presence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic pores. Other phenomena considered are variations in surface tension due to water–methanol mixing and the capillary pressure at the gas diffusion layer–channel interface. Another important aspect of DMFC modeling is the transport of methanol and water across the membrane. In this model, non-equilibrium sorption–desorption, diffusion and electro-osmotic drag of both species are included. The DMFC model is validated against experimental measurements, and it is used to study the interaction between volume porosity of the anode gas diffusion layer and the capillary pressure boundary condition at the anode, and how it affects performance and limiting current density.

Keywords: direct-methanol fuel cells (DMFC); multi-phase flow; fuel cells; computational fluid dynamics (CFD); limiting current density; reactant cross-over; fuel cell heat and mass transfer; anode gas diffusion layer; porous media; water-methanol mixture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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