Model-based analysis of thermal and geometrical effects in a microscale methanol fuel cell

This paper reports the development of a mathematical model to predict the performance of a microscale methanol fuel cell with a single fuel/electrolyte channel. Performance of the cell is investigated as a function of fuel stream inlet temperature and catalyst deposition geometry. The model is fit to experimental data by maximizing the coefficient of determination, R2. Results show that peak power density with regard to total exposed catalyst surface area is inversely proportional to catalyst deposition width and proportional to fuel stream temperature. For both parameters, the mathematical model was found to compare well with experimental results in the operating regime preceding and including maximum power density. The model presented here can be used to optimize these parameters during the design phase.