The performance of flow field channel in direct methanol fuel cell

Abstract

A 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to examine the impact of flow field design on the performance of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Effect of three various type flow fields is investigated in this study: single, double serpentine and honeycomb models. The distribution of velocity and temperature are simulated in 3D models. According to simulation studies, the honeycomb flow field has made uniform flow velocity distribution and minimum temperature change on plate surface. This could result better on DMFC performance. The experimental studies emphasize the performance of a single cell DMFC with different flow field channel designs as well as exhibit maximum power density and open circuit voltage. In subsequent study, electrodeposited Ni-Co alloy on stainless steel mesh surface is utilized to oxidize methanol and the electrode performance has been tested using cyclic voltammetry in alkaline conditions to replace expensive and sensitive platinum and platinum alloy catalysts.