Direct alcohol fuel cells 2018 is a continuation of the previous and successful special issue, direct alcohol fuel cells. Direct methanol fuel cells dmfcs are electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy of liq. For this application, fuel cells can be used to power noncritical loads like video or illumination for passenger service. Direct alcohol fuel cells dafcs have attracted enormous attention as powerful sources for portable electronic devices and transportation due to the much higher energy density than gaseous fuels such as hydrogen and natural gas. A neat methanol fed passive dmfc with a new anode structure. Direct methanol fuel cells for small portable power applications giner has performed extensive research and development of direct methanol fuel cells dmfc, leading to the production of advanced prototypes for applications such as portable power for home and work use, light vehicle propulsion, and military systems. Design and optimize membraneelectrode assemblies meas for enhanced direct methanol fuel cell dmfc performance. An introduction to fuel cells and hydrogen technology by brian cook, heliocentris vancouver, canada whereas the 19th century was the century of the steam engine and the 20th century was the century of the internal combustion engine, it is likely that the 21st century will be the century of the fuel cell. Novel materials for high efficiency direct methanol fuel cells david mountz project p. Novel materials for high efficiency direct methanol fuel cells. A passive, airbreathing liquid feed direct methanol fuel cell dmfc, with no external pumps or other auxiliary devices, was designed, fabricated and. Fuel cells 3 5 6 hydrocarbon fuels energy stored in chemical bonds combustion useful power bypass the conversion toheat and mechanical toelectrical processes a fuel cell is an electrochemical device in which the chemical energy of a conventional fuel is converted directly and efficiently into low voltage, direct current electrical energy.
Institute for energy and climate research fuel cells iek3 membraneelectrodeassembly mea dmfcapplication. A single direct methanol fuel cell can only supply 0,3 to 0,5 v under load conditions. Presented at the department of energy fuel cell projects kickoff meeting, september 1 october 1, 2009. The concentration of methanol in the fuel circulation loop of a dmfc system is an important operating parameter, because it determines. Defc uses ethanol in the fuel cell instead of the more toxic methanol. Direct methanol fuel cells can also be used in automobiles instead of conventional fuel and are termed to be more reliable and have better efficiency. The major difference is that in the dmfc the fuel supplied to the anode of the cell is not gaseous hydrogen but methanol in the liquid form. Methanol has many advantages as a fuel for fuel cells compared with hydrogen. Direct methanol fuel cell market size dmfc industry. Ive seen a lot of fuel cells that run on methanol, but the igen data sheet pdf was the first time ive seen a company make specific promises about. Activities focus on increasing the overall efficiency, power densi ty, and longterm stability of fuel cells, while simultaneously decreasing the manufacturing costs. Efficiency is quite low for these cells, reaching around 10%, so they are targeted. Direct methanol fuel cell as the next generation power source. Polymer electrolyte membrane and direct methanol fuel cell.
Presented at the department of energy fuel cell projects kickoff meeting, september 1 october 1, 2009 novel materials for high efficiency direct methanol fuel cells department of energy skip to main content. First, it has a lower density than any other fuel compare liquid hydrogens 70. Fuel cells maintain efficient performance at partial loads better than some other chp technologies. Nunes2005, membrance for direct methanol fuel cell applications.
Also, dmfc is appropriate for various applications such as portable power sources and transportation. The performance of a direct methanol fuel cell based on a nafion solid polymer electrolyte membrane spe is reported. A study of the effect of temperature on direct methanol. However, there still remain several critical problems to be overcome in. The applications of the direct methanol fuel cell, like energy generators for electric vehicles and mobile devices that generates electricity, need a study of the behaviour of the fuel cell under. Direct methanol fuel cells can be a viable power source in many applications if their power density, energy conversion efficiency, and fuel utilization can be increased. The energy density of methanol is 15 times greater than that of a lithiumion battery of the same size, making them ideal for laptops that will be used in remote locations. This is more attractive than the conventional hydro gen fuelled cells, particularly for transportation applications, which rely on. Efficiency analysis in a direct methanol fuel cell with a. Lets try to keep this thread on the topic of methanol fuel cells. Direct methanol fuel cells are attractive for various applications, above all, however, as replacements for batteries or accumulators, since dmfc systems permit longer operating times due to the high energy density of methanol. A direct methanol fuel cell dmfc is an electrochemical cell that generates electricity based on the oxidation of methanol and reduction of oxygen. In 1969, a hydrogen fuel cell was used in the apollo moon mission for generating water and heat for the astronauts. A study on the overall efficiency of direct methanol fuel.
This is more attractive than the conventional hydrogen fuelled cells, particularly for transportation applications, which rely on bulky and often unresponsive reformer systems to convert. Improving and understanding direct methanol fuel cell. It is based on polymer electrolytes membrane pem fuel cell technology. History, status and perspectives usually connected in series to form a fuel cell stack that is integrated in a system whichcontains theauxiliaries, allowingstack operationanddelivery ofthe electrical.
In the1960s, international fuel cells in windsor connecticut developed a fuel cell power. A passive direct methanol fuel cell dmfc with a novel anode structure and operated in neat methanol is reported. This is more attractive than the conventional hydrogen fuelled cells, particularly for transportation applications, which rely on bulky and often unresponsive reformer systems to convert methanol, or other. Hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cells pemfc and liquidfeed direct methanol fuel cells dmfc are presently considered as two potential types of fuel cells. The fuel cell utilizes a vaporized aqueous methanol fuel at a porous ptrucarbon catalyst anode. Direct methanol fuel cells dmfcs are energy converters and have key features such as high energy density, simple construction, low operating temperature, and. Fuel cell efficiency since fuel cells use materials that are typically burnt to release their energy,gy, y the fuel cell efficiency is described as the ratio of the electrical energy produced to the heat that is produced by burning the fuel its enthalpy of formation or. Liquid methanol concentration sensors for direct methanol. Pt has been extensively investigated as the electrocatalyst for methanol and ethanol electrooxidation. Pdf the study of the efficiency of a direct methanol fuel cell. Analysis based on characterization, experimentation and modeling, advances in fuel cells. Table 61 provides a summary of the primary advantages and disadvantages of the various types of fuel cells.
Fuel cells use hydrogen as a fuel to produce clean and efficient electricity that can power cars, trucks, buses, ships, cell phone towers, homes and businesses. The anode incorporates a methanol barrier that is composed of a methanol resisting pervaporation film pvf, a buffer cavity and a waterresisting pvf. Nowadays research and development throughout the world are focused on fuel cells as a highly promising technology to solve problems associated with energy resources, air pollution, and global warming because they provide high efficiency and low emissions. The overall reaction in the direct methanol fuel cell is thus. Fuel cell efficiency at 50 percent load is within 2 percent of its full load efficiency characteristic. While pafc and mcfc technologies are both used for chp. The effect of oxygen pressure, methanolwater vapour temperature and methanol concentration on the cell voltage and power output is described. Direct alcohol fuel cells dafcs are emerging technologies for electrochemical conversion of the chemical energy of an alcohol fuel, directly into electrical energy, with a low environmental impact and high. Direct methanol fuel cells for automotive power systems 2000010012 direct fuel oxidization yields major fuel cell power system simplifications and potential performance advantages, particularly for an automotive power plant application.
Jan 01, 2008 ive seen a lot of fuel cells that run on methanol, but the igen data sheet pdf was the first time ive seen a company make specific promises about both power output and fuel consumption. This research analyzed characteristics of power output and thermal efficiency in a direct methanol fuel cell. Direct methanol fuel cell market by type, component and. Combined heat and power technology fact sheets series. Direct methanol fuel cell dmfc is considered as a promising power source for the nextgeneration portable electronics, owing to its characteristics such as a high energy density, green emission, convenient refueling of liquid fuel, and ambient operation conditions 1. Direct methanol fuel cells for automotive power systems. Liquidfed direct methanol fuel cells dmfcs are one of the most promising candidates for portable power electronics and automotive applications due to their potentially highenergy density, simple storage, and distribution of the fuel. Their main advantage is the ease of transport of methanol, an energydense yet reasonably stable liquid at all environmental conditions.
Direct methanol fuel cells have attracted extensive attentions from the fuel cell community because it is regarded as a promising candidate to replace the traditional power sources for portable. Such characteristics are presumed to aid the global as well as regional dmfc markets. Methanol fuel cells have been miniaturized for military and commercial use. Efficiency analysis in a direct methanol fuel cell with a measurement of methanol concentration 2001010237 methanol has many advantages as a fuel for fuel cells compared with hydrogen. The direct methanol fuel cell dmfc is a polymer membrane fuel cell, similar in concept to the proton exchange membrane fuel cell discussed in chapter 4. Alexandre hacquard 2005, improving and understanding direct methanol fuel cell dmfc performanceworcester polytechnic institute. One of the fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cell dmfc, can be produced in compact form because it does not require a fuel reforming system and operates at a low temperature. The direct methanol type system consists of simple and compact equipment, and suited for automobile use. Direct methanol fuel cells dmfcs are energy converters and have key features such as high energy density, simple construction, low operating temperature, and easy storage of methanol fuel and. Methanol can be reformed onsite at a fueling station to generate hydrogen for fuel cell cars, or in stationary power units feeding fuel cells for primary of backup power. Dec 20, 2017 hydrogen is very difficult to deal with.
Direct methanol fuel cell market size dmfc industry report. The thermal energy for all three fuel cells is based on producing 140 f water. The direct methanol fuel cell dmfc is a relatively recent addition to the suite of fuel cell technologies. The direct methanol fuel cell dmfc has been considered as the ideal fuel cell system since it produces electric power by the direct conversion of the methanol fuel at the fuel cell anode. The anode incorporates a methanol barrier that is composed of a methanolresisting pervaporation film pvf, a buffer cavity and a. My understanding is that the power density with current technology is fairly low and may be the limiting factor for automotive applications. Direct methanol fuel cell dmfc stacks, a class of pem fuel cells directly fuelled with methanol, have about half the efficiency higher heat losses and power density than pem fuel cells, but higher energy density greater endurance and simplicity 29, 36. Improving and understanding direct methanol fuel cell dmfc. They have been used as a model to investigate a range of fuel cell concepts including the use of pem. Direct methanol fuel cells market size, industry share and. A reduced efficiency due to the methanol crossover has been reported 2, and will also reduce the potential of the cathodeand lead to a waste of fuel 3.
It is similar to the pem cell in that it uses a polymer membrane as an electrolyte. The study of the efficiency of a direct methanol fuel cell. Ethanol has the advantage of being less toxic than methanol and because there is a supply chain in place, delivery of fuel is less of a concern. An aqueous methanol solution of low molarity acts as the reducing agent that traverses the anode flow field. Objectives develop materials and components and optimize operating conditions of the direct methanol fuel cell dmfc for maximum power density and fuel conversion efficiency at a minimum cost. Direct methanol fuel cell an overview sciencedirect topics. Onboard reformer technology can be used on fuel cell vehicles, allowing quick 3minute fueling and extended range from 200 km with hydrogen to 800 km on methanol.
Direct methanol fuel cells the direct methanol fuel cell dmfc uses methanol and o2 as fuel sources and a polymer electrolyte membrane pem to force an external electrical circuit. Direct methanol fuel cells are attractive for various applications, above all, however, as replacements for. Direct methanol fuel cells or dmfcs are a subcategory of protonexchange fuel cells in which methanol is used as the fuel. As a result, fuel cells can have different performance characteristics, advantages, and limitations, which can be suited to distributed generation applications in a variety of approaches. Some of the major fuel cell technologies being developed globally include hydrogen, solid oxide, phosphoric acid, and direct methanol fuel cells. One of the fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cell dmfc, can be produced in compact form because it does.
As indicated, all three systems operate at overall efficiencies above 60% mcfc above 70%, with power to heat ratios between 1. It posses a number of advantages such as a liquid fuel, quick refueling, low cost of methanol and the compact cell, design making it suitable for various potential. This helps to increase in operational efficiency of the vehicle. Methanol is an excellent hydrogen carrier fuel, packing more hydrogen in this simple alcohol molecule than can be. Direct methanol fuel cell dmfc is considered as a highly promising power source.
Performance of a direct methanol fuel cell springerlink. Principles of direct methanol fuel cells for portable and. Another path has also been in focus the use of methanol as a fuel in direct methanol fuel cells dmfc. Technical advances improve the potential for a fuel cell. In addition, the storage system is lighter than in the case of hydrogen and the. Direct ethanol fuel cells or defcs are a category of fuel cell in which ethanol is fed directly into the cell. The factor that is expected to the drive the growth of the global direct methanol fuel cell market is an increase in awareness about using clean energy sources rather than conventional fuel which helps to drive the direct methanol fuel cell market.
Their current top use is as fuel cells for recharging laptop batteries. Direct methanol fuel cells forschungszentrum julich. A passive, airbreathing liquid feed direct methanol fuel cell dmfc, with no external pumps or other auxiliary devices, was designed, fabricated and tested with different methanol concentrations. R determination of energy efficiency for a direct methanol fuel cell stack by a fuel circulation method. What are the advantages of direct methanol fuel cells. Directmethanol fuel cells or dmfcs are a subcategory of protonexchange fuel cells in which methanol is used as the fuel. Because waste heat from fuel cell can be used, their overall efficiency can be high 1. Direct ethanol fuel cells defc direct ethanol fuel cells work much like methanol fuel cells.