Numerical modeling and simulations of active direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems under various ambient temperatures and operating conditions

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are potential candidates for portable backup power generation and auxiliary power units owing to their advantageous features, such as ease of fuel storage and delivery. Optimizing each component of a DMFC system is critical to improving the overall system performance and power density. This paper presents an active DMFC system model, in which a one-dimensional DMFC stack model is combined with major system components, including fuel and water tanks, liquid–gas separator, heat exchangers, pumps, and blowers. The model is implemented using a commercial flow-sheet simulator, ASPEN-HYSYS, and then applied to an active DMFC system to analyze the effects of the DMFC operating parameters and heat management. Special emphasis is placed on establishing active control strategies for the DMFC stack temperature, methanol crossover rate, and water recovery by optimizing the system components and operating conditions. Overall, this study helps identify innovative active DMFC system designs and configurations.     

System integration of a portable direct methanol fuel cell and a battery hybrid

This paper introduces a complete system-level design and integration of a portable direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) system. We describe hardware and software design for the balance of plant (BOP) control, including a 32-bit microprocessor and electronics for actuators and sensors, focusing on reliable operation and protection of the DMFC system. Various BOP components are characterized to find the optimal design for better portability, reliability, and energy efficiency, and we suggest effective and robust design of control loops for them. We demonstrate a hybrid operation of the DMFC stack and Li-ion battery to maintain a constant stack output current regardless of the load current to maximize the performance. We emphasize the design of subsystems for power supply, measurement, actuator drive, and protection in detail. We verify the robust operation of BOP control against environmental changes such as orientation and pressure variations with an implemented control board.     

A direct methanol fuel cell system with passive fuel delivery based on liquid surface tension

The existing direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems are fed with a fixed concentration of fuel, which are either a diluted methanol solution or an active fuel delivery driven by an attached active pump. Both approaches limit the power conversion density or degrade the overall efficiency of the DMFC system significantly. Such disadvantages become more severe in small-scale DMFCs, which require a high conversion efficiency and a small physical space suitable for portable electronics. In this paper, passive fuel delivery based on a surface tension driving mechanism was designed and integrated in a laboratory-made prototype to achieve consumption depending on fuel concentration and power-free fuel delivery. Unidirectional methanol-to-water smooth flow is achieved through the capillaries of a Teflon PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) membrane based on the difference in liquid surface tension. The prototype was demonstrated to exhibit a better polarization performance and to last for an extended operating time compared to conventional DMFCs. Its high efficiency and load regulation performance were also demonstrated in contrast to an active DMFC supplied with a constant concentration fuel. The fuel delivery driven by the liquid surface tension effect demonstrated here is believed to be more applicable for future small-scale DMFCs for portable electronics.     

Valveless piezoelectric micropump for fuel delivery in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) devices

Fuel cells are being considered as an important technology that can be used for various power applications. For portable electronic devices such as laptops, digital cameras, cell phone, etc., the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is a very promising candidate as a power source. Compared with conventional batteries, DMFC can provide a higher power density with a long-lasting life and recharging which is almost instant. However, many issues related to the design, fabrication and operation of miniaturized DMFC power systems still remain unsolved. Fuel delivery is one of the key issues that will determine the performance of the DMFC. To maintain a desired performance, an efficient fuel delivery system is required to provide an adequate amount of fuel for consumption and remove carbon dioxide generated from fuel cell devices at the same time. In this paper, a novel fuel delivery system combined with a miniaturized DMFC is presented. The core component of this system is a piezoelectric valveless micropump that can convert the reciprocating movement of a diaphragm activated by a piezoelectric actuator into a pumping effect. Nozzle/diffuser elements are used to direct the flow from inlet to outlet. As for DMFC devices, the micropump system needs to meet some specific requirements: low energy consumption but a sufficient fuel flow rate. Based on theoretical analysis, the effect of piezoelectric materials properties, driving voltage, driving frequency, nozzle/diffuser dimension, and other factors on the performance of the whole fuel cell system will be discussed. As a result, a viable design of a micropump system for fuel delivery can be achieved and some simulation results will be presented as well.     

Evaluation of structural aspects and operation environments on the performance of passive micro direct methanol fuel cell

Passive micro direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) which operates based on fuel diffusion is preferred for portable applications for its structural simplicity. In this work, we have systematically investigated multiple variables including the hot-press conditions, current collector channel patterns, current collector open ratios, and their effects on the performance for passive μDMFC by experiments and simulations. Results indicate that vertical stripe pattern (VSP) is preferred for both anodes and cathodes due to the upward reaction products drift by natural convection. Open ratio of 45.6% and 35.8% are found to yield the best performance for anode and cathode, respectively. In addition, the external environmental conditions of vibration frequency, cell orientation, environmental temperature and atmospheric pressure are all discussed in detail in this work. The optimized fabrication, assembly and operation parameters shed light on the design considerations necessary for the wide adaptation of high-performance and durable passive μDMFC for portable applications.     

Compact direct methanol fuel cells for portable application

Consumers’ demand for portable audio/video/ICT products has driven the development of advanced power technologies in recent years. Fuel cells are a clean technology with low emissions levels, suitable for operation with renewable fuels and capable, in a next future, of replacing conventional power systems meeting the targets of the Kyoto Protocol for a society based on sustainable energy systems. Within such a perspective, the objective of the European project MOREPOWER (compact direct methanol fuel cells for portable applications) is the development of a low-cost, low temperature, portable direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC; nominal power 250 W) with compact construction and modular design for the potential market area of weather stations, medical devices, signal units, gas sensors and security cameras. This investigation is focused on a conceptual study of the DMFC system carried out in the Matlab/Simulink^® platform: the proposed scheme arrangements lead to a simple equipment architecture and a efficient process.     

Portable DMFC system with methanol sensor-less control

This work develops a prototype 20 W portable DMFC by system integration of stack, condenser, methanol sensor-less control and start-up characteristics. The effects of these key components and control schemes on the performance are also discussed. To expedite the use of portable DMFC in electronic applications, the system utilizes a novel methanol sensor-less control method, providing improved fuel efficiency, durability, miniaturization and cost reduction. The operating characteristics of the DMFC stack are applied to control the fuel ejection time and period, enabling the system to continue operating even when the MEAs of the stack are deteriorated. The portable system is also designed with several features including water balance and quick start-up (in 5 min). Notably, the proposed system using methanol sensor-less control with injection of pure methanol can power the DVD player and notebook PC. The system specific energy and energy density following three days of operation are 362 Wh kg⁻¹ and 335 Wh L⁻¹, respectively, which are better than those of lithium batteries (∼150 Wh kg⁻¹ and ∼250 Wh L⁻). This good energy storage feature demonstrates that the portable DMFC is likely to be valuable in computer, communication and consumer electronic (3C) markets.     

A semi-empirical model for efficiency evaluation of a direct methanol fuel cell

Energy density and power density are two of the most significant performance indices of a fuel cell system. Both the indices are closely related to the operating conditions. Energy density, which can be derived from fuel cell efficiency, is especially important to small and portable applications. Generally speaking, power density can be easily obtained by acquiring the voltage and current density of an operating fuel cell. However, for a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), it is much more difficult to evaluate its efficiency due to fuel crossover and the complex architecture of fuel circulation. The present paper proposes a semi-empirical model for the efficiency evaluation of a DMFC under various operating conditions. The power density and the efficiency of a DMFC are depicted by explicit functions of operating temperature, fuel concentration and current density. It provides a good prediction and a clear insight into the relationship between the aforementioned performance indices and operating variables. Therefore, information including power density, efficiency, as well as remaining run-time about the status of an operating DMFC can be in situ evaluated and predicted. The resulting model can also serve as an important basis for developing real-time control strategies of a DMFC system.     

High power direct methanol fuel cell for mobility and portable applications

Here, we report on a low cost and novel architecture Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) for mobility and portable applications. DMFC is fast charged by a low cost liquid fuel, thus it is expected to be competitive with the hydrogen gas fuel cells. Our research efforts have culminated in the outstanding performance of DMFC with very high power density of 181 mW cm⁻² at 80 °C, under very low air pressure of 0.05atm. This exceptional DMFC performance was achieved by a modification of the hydrophobicity of the BPP (Bi-Polar Plate) flow field channels. Our study of the effects of the hydrophobicity of bipolar flow field plates give rise to fundamental understanding of the relationship between the two-phase flow, that occurs in the flow channels of the bipolar plates of DMFC cells. To the best of our knowledge, such performance was never achieved prior to this work.     

Process system engineering in direct methanol fuel cell

Among the different fuel cell technologies, the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) presents several interesting scientific and engineering problems such as feed and oxidant requirements, fuel utilization and recovery, scale-up, etc. There are many Process System Engineering (PSE) issues that remain unsolved. Notable among these are the structure of the DMFC and the modeling and optimization of design parameters. The PSE-related challenges discussed in this paper include the methanol and water crossover, the low kinetics rates of the reaction, heat and water management, the fuel management system, hydrodynamics studies and mass transport. Also presented in this paper are several important engineering factors for the successful stacking design of DMFCs for portable applications.     

Performance evaluation of direct methanol fuel cells for portable applications

This study examines the feasibility of powering a range of portable devices with a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The analysis includes a comparison between a Li-ion battery and DMFC to supply the power for a laptop, camcorder and a cell phone. A parametric study of the systems for an operational period of 4 years is performed. Under the assumptions made for both the Li-ion battery and DMFC system, the battery cost is lower than the DMFC during the first year of operation. However, by the end of 4 years of operational time, the DMFC system would cost less. The weight and cost comparisons show that the fuel cell system occupies less space than the battery to store a higher amount of energy. The weight of both systems is almost identical. Finally, the CO₂ emissions can be decreased by a higher exergetic efficiency of the DMFC, which leads to improved sustainability.     

Improved dynamic performance of hybrid PEM fuel cells and ultracapacitors for portable applications

Transient power demand fluctuations and maintaining high energy density are important for many portable devices. Small fuel cells are potentially good candidates as alternative energy sources for portable applications. Hybrid power sources have some inherent properties which may be effectively utilized to improve the efficiency and dynamic response of the system. In this paper, an improved dynamic model considering the characteristics of the temperature and equivalent internal resistance is presented for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The dynamic behavior of a system with hybrid PEM fuel cells and an ultracapacitor bank is simulated. The hybrid PEM fuel cell/ultracapacitor bank system is used for powering a portable device (such as a laptop computer). The power requirement of a laptop computer varies significantly under different operation conditions. The analytical models of the hybrid system with PEM fuel cells and an ultracapacitor bank are designed and simulated by developing a detailed simulation software using Matlab, Simulink and SimPowerSystems Blockset for portable applications.     

Non-linear optimization of passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC)

The cost associated with a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is the main drawback of its commercialization. To address this issue, the main objective of this study is to minimize the cost of micro DMFCs for portable applications. The model was coupled with a non-linear constrained optimization to determine an optimum design of the DMFC with respect to the design and geometrical parameters of the anode and cathode, including methanol concentration, power density, catalyst loading, etc. Optimization was performed using Matlab to minimize the difference between the power input required and the power optimum via Non-Linear Programming (NLP). The optimum characteristics of DMFC were solved by using an NLP simulation. The outputs were verified by both experimental and modeling results. These dynamic optimization results provided an optimum design parameters for the physical properties of DMFC required to generate the portable application. Lastly, a cost analysis was also considered in this study.     

Design and fabrication of a magnetic fluid micropump for applications in direct methanol fuel cells

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are widely considered to have great potential for portable electric applications, and the power requirements for many of them are only a few watts. Therefore, a low power liquid pump is especially desirable for driving the methanol solution fuel for an active direct methanol fuel. The main objective of this paper is to design and fabricate a magnetic fluid micropump that has characteristics of low operation voltage and current and is suitable for use in DMFCs. Two prototypes were developed and tested. The magnetic fluid micropumps are successfully applied to drive the fuel to a DMFC, and measurements of the cell performance are also conducted.     

Reliability and availability analysis of low power portable direct methanol fuel cells

This paper presents a methodology for modeling and calculating the reliability and availability of low power portable direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). System reliability and availability are critical factors for improving market acceptance and for determining the competitiveness of the low power DMFC. Two techniques have been used for analyzing the system reliability and availability requirements for various system components. Reliability block diagram (RBD) is formed based on the failure rates of irreparable system components. A state-space method is developed to calculate system availability using the Markov model (MM). The state-space method incorporates three different states—operational, derated, and fully faulted states. Since most system components spend their lifetime in performing normal functional task, this research is focused mainly on this operational period. The failure and repair rates for repairable DMFC systems are estimated on the basis of a homogeneous Poisson process (HPP) and exponential distribution. Extensive analytical modeling and simulation study has been performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique.     

A review of polymer electrolyte membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

This review describes the polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) that are both under development and commercialized for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Unlike the membranes for hydrogen fuelled PEM fuel cells, among which perfluorosulfonic acid based membranes show complete domination, the membranes for DMFC have numerous variations, each has its advantages and disadvantages. No single membrane is emerging as absolutely superior to others. This review outlines the prospects of the currently known membranes for DMFC. The membranes are evaluated according to various properties, including: methanol crossover, proton conductivity, durability, thermal stability and maximum power density. Hydrocarbon and composite fluorinated membranes currently show the most potential for low cost membranes with low methanol permeability and high durability. Some of these membranes are already beginning to impact the portable fuel cell market.     

Modeling and optimizing the performance of a passive direct methanol fuel cell

Passive direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are promising energy sources for portable electronic devices. Different from DMFCs with active fuel feeding systems, passive DMFCs with nearly stagnant fuel and air tend to bear comparatively less power densities. In the aspect of cell performance optimization, there could be significant differences in cell design parameters between active and passive DMFCs. A numerical model that could simulate methanol permeation and the pertinent mixed potential effect in a DMFC was used to help seek for possibilities of optimizing the cell performance of a passive DMFC by studying impacts from variations of cell design. The subjects studied include catalysis of the anode and the cathode, membrane thickness, membrane conductivity, and methanol concentration. In contrast to general understandings on a DMFC with active fuel and reactant gas, our simulation results for a passive DMFC used in this study indicated that the catalysis of the cathode appeared to be the most important parameter. The maximum power density was predicted to improve by 38% with the thickness of the cathodic catalyst layer doubled and by 36% with the catalyst loading doubled. The improvement on cell performance would multiply if we simultaneously adopted the most optimal parameters during the simulation study.     

Influence and mitigation methods of reaction intermediates on cell performance in direct methanol fuel cell system

In direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), a dilute methanol and water mixture is generally used and recycled as a fuel to improve the performance and operation time with high fuel efficiency through reduced methanol crossover. Such recycling can, however, allow the continuous accumulation of some reaction intermediates in the circulating loop of dilute methanol during DMFC operation. Therefore, this study examines DMFC contamination sources and the electrochemical influence of recycled methanol fuel by physicochemical analysis of the organic and inorganic (metal) intermediates generated from the DMFC system components. Further, a novel method for mitigating the impact of the reaction intermediates on the performance of DMFC system is proposed.     

An active micro-direct methanol fuel cell with self-circulation of fuel and built-in removal of CO2 bubbles

As an alternative or supplement to small batteries, the much-anticipated micro-direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) faces several key technical issues such as methanol crossover, reactant delivery, and byproduct release. This paper addresses two of the issues, removal of CO₂ bubbles and delivery of methanol fuel, in a non-prohibitive way for system miniaturization. A recently reported bubble-driven pumping mechanism is applied to develop active μDMFCs free of an ancillary pump or a gas separator. The intrinsically generated CO₂ bubbles in the anodic microchannels are used to pump and circulate the liquid fuel before being promptly removed as a part of the pumping mechanism. Without a discrete liquid pump or gas separator, the widely known packaging penalty incurred within many micro-fuel-cell systems can be alleviated so that the system's power/energy density does not decrease dramatically as a result of miniaturization. Since the power required for pumping is provided by the byproduct of the fuel cell reaction, the parasitic power loss due to an external pump is also eliminated. The fuel circulation is visually confirmed, and the effectiveness for fuel cell applications is verified during continuous operation of a μDMFC for over 70 min with 1.2 mL of 2 M methanol. The same device was shown to operate for only 5 min if the pumping mechanism is disabled by blocking the gas venting membrane. Methanol consumption while utilizing the reported self-circulation mechanism is estimated to be 46%. Different from common pump-free fuel delivery approaches, the reported mechanism delivers the fuel actively and is independent of gravity.     

An overview of unsolved deficiencies of direct methanol fuel cell technology: factors and parameters affecting its widespread use

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have evolved over the years as a potential candidate for application as a power source in portable electronic devices and in transportation sectors. They have certain associated advantages, including high energy and power densities, ease of fuel storage and handling, ability to be fabricated with small size, minimum emission of pollutants, low cost, ready availability of fuel and solubility of fuel in aqueous electrolytes. However, in spite of several years of active research involved in the development of DMFC technology, their chemical‐to‐electrical energy conversion efficiencies are still lower compared with other alternative power sources traditionally used. This review paper will focus on the existing issues associated with DMFC technology and will also suggest on the possible developmental necessities required for this technology to realize its practical potentials. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.