OPTIMIZATION OF DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL SYSTEMS AND THEIR MODE OF OPERATION

摘要

The merits of the DMFC as the technology of choice for micro-fuel cell power systems in hand held consumer electronics devices have been described in the Introductory Technical Remarks for this School. The DMFC scheme in Figure 1 reveals it is important key feature: direct and complete conversion of methanol fuel to CO_2 in a methanol/air cell operating at a temperature well under 100°C. With neat liquid methanol having a heating value of near 5 Wh/CC - i.e. theoretical energy content in one CC of liquid methanol equal to that of a relatively large cell phone battery - and with the simple nature of a "direct" fuel cell that can use this energy-rich liquid fuel directly, one might expect easy reduction to practice of a DMFC power pack (fuel + fuel cell + auxiliaries) of energy density higher than that of a Li-ion battery.