Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7710304 | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy | 2016 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
Simple and functional stack designs were developed for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) with the aim of reducing capital costs. A simplified planar and monopolar ministack, with a reduced number of components, was designed for portable applications. This planar design facilitated the manufacturing of a compact passive mode operation ministack. The ministack provided an output power of 1.30 W under air breathing mode operation, at room pressure and temperature without any auxiliary. For application in auxiliary power units (APU), a self-heating and modular bipolar stack, operating up to 90 °C without internal cooling, was designed. Bipolar stacks consisted of 5-10 cells (100 cm2 active area), providing an output power of 90-180 W. The recirculated methanol solution was used as thermostating fluid. The stacks achieved a normalised power density per cell of 180 mW cmâ2. Whereas, for the passive mode operation, ministack approached 30 mW cmâ2 with 5 M methanol feed. These results favourably compare with the best performance reported in the literature for DMFCs operating under similar conditions.
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Authors
O. Barbera, A. Stassi, D. Sebastian, J.L. Bonde, G. Giacoppo, C. D'Urso, V. Baglio, A.S. Aricò,