低催化剂载量直接甲醇燃料电池性能实验研究

利用自行设计的直接甲醇燃料电池实验系统研究了电池温度、阴极侧压力、甲醇溶液浓度和流量、氧气流量对低催化剂载量（阳极Pt-Ru载量为0．4mg／cm^2；阴极Pt载量为0．4mg／cm^2）直接甲醇燃料电池性能的影响。重点分析了运行参数对电池内部传质的影响。实验结果表明提高甲醇溶液浓度和流量不仅会强化甲醇向阳极催化剂层的传递，也会加剧甲醇窜流。另外，还研究了电流变化时电池电压的动态响应，结果表明甲醇窜流对电池动态响应起关键作用。     

空气抽吸式甲醇燃料电池传热与传质特性

空气抽吸式直接甲醇燃料电池不仅具有被动式燃料电池的优点,同时又便于将其串联成电堆提高输出电压。建立以阴极为管道抽吸式结构的直接甲醇燃料电池的三维、两相、非等温稳态数值模型,研究了质子交换膜性能、供给甲醇浓度以及电堆规模对电池性能及燃料利用率的影响。对于保温较好的大电堆,采用低甲醇穿透的改性质子交换膜能同时提升燃料利用率和比功率;此类电堆若采用穿透率低的改性膜,则2 mol/L的甲醇浓度就能保证电池在较大的电流密度区间内维持较高的功率与效率。作为影响电池运行温度的重要因素,电堆规模的大小将直接影响质子交换膜种类与甲醇浓度等关键参数的设计与选择。     

液相进样直接甲醇燃料电池性能初探

报道了用质子交换膜液相进样直接甲醇燃料电池（ＤＭＦＣ）的样电池操作性能。利用自制的Ｐｔ－Ｒｕ／Ｃ催化剂,采用特殊工艺制备了膜电极,组装了单电池系统。考究了扩散层中聚四氟乙烯（ＰＴＦＥ）含量、甲醇水溶液浓度、氧气压力、操作温度等操作条件对单电池性能的影响。     

质子交换膜燃料电池传输现象的数值分析

建立了一个具有蛇形通道,采用Nafion117膜单体质子交换膜燃料电池的三维数学模型,该模型同时考虑了流动、传热、传质、电化学动力学和多组分传输现象。通过求解传输方程组,并耦合电化学动力学方程,获得了电池的极化性能曲线和电池内部的反应物浓度、温度、速度分布。计算结果表明,增加电极孔隙率、提高电池运行温度和压力有助于改善电池性能。估算的极化性能与献中的实验数据基本符合。分析了运行条件对电池性能的影响。     

温度、压力和湿度对质子交换膜燃料电池性能的影响

以Nafion质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)为对象，通过测量电池的电流—电压、电流—功率和电压—时间曲线，研究了温度、压力和湿度等条件对电池性能的影响，同时也考察了电池的能量转换效率及短期运行时的稳定性，得出了电池较佳的工作条件。实验和计算结果表明：在反应温度为72℃、H2和02压力分别为0．2MPa、进气湿度饱和时，电池最大输出功率可达0．7W．cm^-2；在0．3W.cm^-2～0．7W．cm^-2范围内电池能量转换效率为62％—34％；在大电流密度下电池仍能稳定工作。     

质子交换膜燃料电池水平衡模型构建

在燃料电池宏观层面上,提出了电池运行时水平衡计算模型。通过理想气体等一系列简化假设,分别以状态方程和含湿量方程两种推导方式计算燃料电池运行时电池进口水、反应生成水和电池出口水,这两种推导方式无偏差。实验中,电池恒电流运行数小时,采用电池阴阳极出口接汽水分离器的方式,将液态水和气态水分离,液态水的质量称量得到,气态水的质量通过水平衡计算模型计算得到,即通过将水平衡模型与实验耦合,计算实验中电池阴阳极水平衡及电池总体水平衡。结果表明,电池总水平衡的误差在±3%以内。由此可见,水平衡模型可应用于实际燃料电池运行当中,对研究燃料电池运行时水的跨膜运输及水淹现象具有指导意义。     

扭矩对高温燃料电池性能的影响及优化

首先介绍全新设计有效面积为1 cm~2的高温质子交换膜燃料电池(high temperature polymer electrolytemembrane fuel cell,HTPEM),并得到最佳气流量和温度实验条件。然后,对不同厚度密封垫圈下电池装配扭矩进行系统研究,结合MEA各组件原始厚度横切示意图;不仅对电池性能提高提供参考依据,还得到最佳密封垫圈厚度和扭矩配合范围。最后通过设计压力装置,测试组成膜电极(membrane electrode assembrane,MEA)各部件或材料的厚度和体积随压力的变化情况,验证建立力学模型的可行性,并从电池内部解释扭矩影响HTPEM性能的原因。     

国外可再生能源文献信息

直接甲醇燃料电池中甲醇交混的实验分析；40W直接甲醇燃料电池堆的功率特性和流体传递；DMFC中甲醇交混的实时测量；两个住宅用地源（地热）热泵系统[火用]估计的对比研究；地源（地热）热泵系统的模拟和性能评价……     

Effect of operating conditions on water management of membrane electrode assembly for direct methanol fuel cell

介绍了直接甲醇燃料电池(DMFCs)膜电极的水平衡研究对单电池性能和稳定性的影响,研究了电池操作温度,空气流量及电流密度等操作条件对膜电极水平衡的影响.通过调节操作条件改变净水传输系数,进一步表征膜电极水平衡对电池稳定性的影响.结果表明,单电池在60 ℃,阴极常压空气80 mL/min进料,100 mA/cm²条件下工作具有较好的水平衡,最后,测试了单电池在该条件下的稳定性,测试结果表明电池稳定运行200 h后,性能没有明显衰减.     

空冷型PEMFC电源系统热耦合实验研究

空冷型质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)电源系统中燃料电池系统和金属储氢器的热耦合管理对系统会产生重要的影响。本文通过实验分别研究将金属储氢器前置和后置这两种与燃料电池系统不同的耦合方式对燃料电池输出性能、单电池电压的均衡性以及风扇功耗的影响。结果表明,这两种不同的耦合方式对燃料电池输出性能、单电池电压的均衡性影响很小,但是对风扇功耗的影响比较明显。这主要是由于储氢器前置时空气先经过储氢器表面冷却再进入电堆,这有利于减少电堆散热所需的空气流量,从而降低风扇功耗。因此储氢器前置有利于降低系统辅助功耗,提高系统效率。     

An impedance study of an operating direct methanol fuel cell

An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique was developed to characterize a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) under various operating conditions. A silver/silver chloride electrode was used as an external reference electrode to probe the anode and cathode during fuel cell operation and the results were compared to the conventional anode or cathode half-cell performance measurement using a hydrogen electrode as both the counter and reference electrode. The external reference was sensitive to the anode and the cathode as current was passed in a working DMFC. The impedance spectra and DMFC polarization curves were systematically investigated as a function of air and methanol flow rates, methanol concentration, temperature, and current density. Water flooding in the cathode was also examined.     

Water management of the DMFC passively fed with a high-concentration methanol solution

The methanol barrier layer adopted for high-concentration direct methanol fuel cells (HC-DMFCs) increases water transport resistance, and makes water management in HC-DMFCs more challenging and critical than that in the conventional direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) without a methanol barrier layer. In the semi-passive HC-DMFC used in this work, oxygen was actively supplied to the cathode side while various concentrated methanol solutions, 4 M, 8 M, 16 M, and neat methanol, were passively supplied from the anode fuel reservoir. The effects of the cathode relative humidity, cathode pressure, and oxygen flow rate on the water crossover coefficient, fuel efficiency, and overall performance of the fuel cell were studied. Results showed that electrolyte membrane resistance, which was determined by its water content, was the predominant factor that determined the performance of a HC-DMFC, especially at a high current density. A negative water crossover coefficient, which indicated that water flowed back from the cathode through the electrolyte membrane to the anode, was measured when the methanol concentration was 8 M or higher. The back flow of water from the cathode is a very important water supply source to hydrate the electrolyte membrane. The water crossover coefficient was decreased by increasing the cathode relative humidity and back pressure. Water flooding at the cathode was not severe in the HC-DMFC, and a low oxygen flow rate was preferred to decrease water loss and yield a better performance. The peak power density generated from the HC-DMFC fed with 16 M methanol solution was 75.9 mW cm⁻² at 70 °C.     

Non-isothermal dynamic modelling and optimization of a direct methanol fuel cell

A non-isothermal dynamic optimization model of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) is developed to predict their performance with an effective optimum-operating strategy. After investigating the sensitivities of the transient behaviour (the outlet temperature, crossovers of methanol and water, and cell voltage) to operating conditions (the inlet flow rates into anode and cathode compartments, and feed concentration) through dynamic simulations, we find that anode feed concentration has a significantly larger impact on methanol crossover, temperature, and cell voltage than the anode and cathode flow rates. Also, optimum transient conditions to satisfy the desired fuel efficiency are obtained by dynamic optimization. In the developed model, the significant influence of temperature on DMFC behaviour is described in detail with successful estimation of its model parameters.     

Assessment of different bio-inspired flow fields for direct methanol fuel cells through 3D modeling and experimental studies

The performance impact of using bio-inspired interdigitated and non-interdigitated flow fields (I-FF and NI-FF, respectively) within a DMFC is investigated. These two flow fields, as well as a conventional serpentine flow field (S-FF, used as a reference), were examined as possible anode and cathode flow field candidates. To examine the performance of each of these candidates, each flow field was manufactured and experimentally tested under different anode and cathode flow rate combinations (1.3 mL/min [methanol] and 400 mL/min [oxygen], as well as 2 and 3 times these flow rates), and different methanol concentrations (0.50 M, 0.75 M, and 1.00 M). To help understand the experimental results and the underlying physics, a three dimensional numerical model was developed. Of the examined flow fields, the S-FF and the I-FF yielded the best performance on the anode and cathode, respectively. This finding was mainly due to the enhanced under-rib convection of both of these flow fields. Although the I-FF provided a higher mean methanol concentration on the anode catalyst layer surface, its distribution was less uniform than that of the S-FF. This caused the rate of methanol permeation to the cathode to increase (for the anode I-FF configuration), along with the anode and cathode activation polarizations, deteriorating the fuel cell performance. The NI-FF provided the lowest pressure drops of the examined configurations. However, the hydrodynamics within the flow field made the reactants susceptible to traveling directly from inlet to outlet, leading to several low concentration pockets. This significantly decreased the reactant uniformity across its respective catalyst layer, and caused this FFs performance to be the lowest of the examined configurations.     

Performance evaluation of passive direct methanol fuel cell with methanol vapour supplied through a flow channel

This work examines the effect of fuel delivery configuration on the performance of a passive air-breathing direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The performance of a single cell is evaluated while the methanol vapour is supplied through a flow channel from a methanol reservoir connected to the anode. The oxygen is supplied from the ambient air to the cathode via natural convection. The fuel cell employs parallel channel configurations or open chamber configurations for methanol vapour feeding. The opening ratio of the flow channel and the flow channel configuration is changed. The opening ratio is defined as that between the area of the inlet port and the area of the outlet port. The chamber configuration is preferred for optimum fuel feeding. The best performance of the fuel cell is obtained when the opening ratio is 0.8 in the chamber configuration. Under these conditions, the peak power is 10.2 mW cm⁻² at room temperature and ambient pressure. Consequently, passive DMFCs using methanol vapour require sufficient methanol vapour feeding through the flow channel at the anode for best performance. The mediocre performance of a passive DMFC with a channel configuration is attributed to the low differential pressure and insufficient supply of methanol vapour.     

Study of novel flow channels influence on the performance of direct methanol fuel cell

The existing flow channels like parallel and gird channels have been modified for better fuel distribution in order to boost the performance of direct methanol fuel cell. The main objective of the work is to achieve minimized pressure drop in the flow channel, uniform distribution of methanol, reduced water accumulation, and better oxygen supply. A 3D mathematical model with serpentine channel is simulated for the cell temperature of 80 °C, 0.5 M methanol concentration. The study resulted in 40 mW/cm² of power density and 190 mA/cm² of current density at the operating voltage of 0.25 V. Further, the numerical study is carried out for modified flow channels to discuss their merits and demerits on anode and cathode side. The anode serpentine channel is unmatched by the modified zigzag and pin channels by ensuring the better methanol distribution under the ribs and increased the fuel consumption. But the cathode serpentine channel is lacking in water management. The modified channels at anode offered reduced pressure drop, still uniform reactant distribution is found impossible. The modified channels at cathode outperform the serpentine channel by reducing the effect of water accumulation, and uniform oxygen supply. So the serpentine channel is retained for methanol supply, and modified channel is chosen for cathode reactant supply. In comparison to cell with only serpentine channel, the serpentine anode channel combined with cathode zigzag and pin channel enhanced power density by 17.8% and 10.2% respectively. The results revealed that the zigzag and pin channel are very effective in mitigating water accumulation and ensuring better oxygen supply at the cathode.     

Experimental validation of a methanol crossover model in DMFC applications

A design of experiments (DOEs) coupled with a mathematical model was used to quantify the factors affecting methanol crossover in a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The design of experiments examined the effects of temperature, cathode stoichiometry, anode methanol flow rate, clamping force, anode catalyst loading, cathode catalyst loading (CCL), and membrane thickness as a function of current and it also considered the interaction between any two of these factors. The analysis showed that significant factors affecting methanol crossover were temperature, anode catalyst layer thickness, and methanol concentration. The analysis also showed how these variables influence the total methanol crossover in different ways due to the effects on diffusion of methanol through the membrane, electroosmotic drag, and reaction rate of methanol at the anode and cathode. For example, as expected analysis showed that diffusion was significantly affected by the anode and cathode interfacial concentration, by the thickness of the anode catalyst layer and membrane, and by the diffusion coefficient in the membrane. Less obvious was the decrease in methanol crossover at low cathode flow rates were due to the formation of a methanol film at the membrane/cathode catalyst layer interface. The relative proportions of diffusion and electroosmotic drag in the membrane changed significantly with the cell current of the cell.     

Simulation of species transport and water management in PEM fuel cells

A single phase computational fuel cells model is presented to elucidate three-dimensional interactions between mass transport and electrochemical kinetics in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells with straight gas channels. The governing differential equations are solved over a single computational domain, which consists of a gas channel, gas diffusion layer, and catalyst layer for both the anode and cathode sides of the cell as well as the solid polymer membrane. Emphasis is placed on obtaining a basic understanding of how three-dimensional flow and transport phenomena in the air cathode impact the electrochemical process in the flow field. The complete cell model has been validated against experimentally measured polarization curve, showing good accuracy in reproducing cell performance over moderate current density interval. Fully three-dimensional results of the flow structure and species profiles are presented for cathode flow field. The effects of pressure on oxygen transport and water removal are illustrated through main axis of the flow structure. The model results indicate that oxygen concentration in reaction sites is significantly affected by pressure increase which leads to rising fuel cells power.     

Development of an advanced MEA to use high-concentration methanol fuel in a direct methanol fuel cell system

Despite serious methanol crossover issues in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs), the use of high-concentration methanol fuel is highly demanded to improve the energy density of passive fuel DMFC systems for portable applications. In this paper, the effects of a hydrophobic anode micro-porous layer (MPL) and cathode air humidification are experimentally studied as a function of the methanol-feed concentration. It is found in polarization tests that the anode MPL dramatically influences cell performance, positively under high-concentration methanol-feed but negatively under low-concentration methanol-feed, which indicates that methanol transport in the anode is considerably altered by the presence of the anode MPL. In addition, the experimental data show that cathode air humidification has a beneficial effect on cell performance due to the enhanced backflow of water from the cathode to the anode and the subsequent dilution of the methanol concentration in the anode catalyst layer. Using an advanced membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with the anode MPL and cathode air humidification, we report that the maximum power density of 78 mW/cm² is achieved at a methanol-feed concentration of 8 M and cell operating temperature of 60 °C. This paper illustrates that the anode MPL and cathode air humidification are key factors to successfully operate a DMFC with high-concentration methanol fuel.     

Development of direct methanol alkaline fuel cells using anion exchange membranes

Research into the development of direct methanol alkaline fuel cell (DMAFC) using an anion exchange polymer electrolyte membrane is described. The commercial membrane used had a higher electric resistance, but a lower methanol diffusion coefficient than Nafion^® membranes. Fuel cell tests were performed using carbon supported Pt catalyst, and the effect of temperature, methanol concentration, methanol flow rate, air pressure and Pt loading were investigated. It was found that the cell performance improved drastically with a membrane assembly electrode (MEA) which did not include the gas diffusion layer on the anode, because of lower reactant mass transfer resistance. To give suitable cathode performance, humidification of the air and a subtle balance between the air pressure and water transport is required.