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Alkaline Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell: Effect of the Anode Flow Field Design and the Setup Parameters on Performance

Author

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  • Michaela Roschger

    (Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 25/C, 8010 Graz, Austria)

  • Sigrid Wolf

    (Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 25/C, 8010 Graz, Austria)

  • Kurt Mayer

    (Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 25/C, 8010 Graz, Austria)

  • Matthias Singer

    (Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 25/C, 8010 Graz, Austria)

  • Viktor Hacker

    (Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 25/C, 8010 Graz, Austria)

Abstract

Alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) represent an efficient energy conversion device for sustainable ethanol fuel. In this study, a design with new structural parameters for the anodic flow field of the alkaline DEFC was modeled with the aid of computational fluid dynamics and was then actually constructed. Single-cell tests were performed to evaluate the impact of the developed design on fuel cell performance. The results show that fuel cell performance significantly increased when using the improved design in the low-temperature range. The higher the temperature in the cell, the lower the influence of the flow field structure on performance. In addition, the influence of external factors, such as the orientation of the cell, the preheating of the fuel, and the direction of the two fuel flows relative to each other (co-current and counter-current), are shown.

Suggested Citation

  • Michaela Roschger & Sigrid Wolf & Kurt Mayer & Matthias Singer & Viktor Hacker, 2022. "Alkaline Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell: Effect of the Anode Flow Field Design and the Setup Parameters on Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:19:p:7234-:d:931506
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gomes, R.S. & De Bortoli, A.L., 2016. "A three-dimensional mathematical model for the anode of a direct ethanol fuel cell," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 1292-1301.
    2. Yuan, Wei & Wang, Aoyu & Yan, Zhiguo & Tan, Zhenhao & Tang, Yong & Xia, Hongrong, 2016. "Visualization of two-phase flow and temperature characteristics of an active liquid-feed direct methanol fuel cell with diverse flow fields," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 85-98.
    3. Yuan, Wei & Wang, Aoyu & Ye, Guangzhao & Pan, Baoyou & Tang, Kairui & Chen, Haimu, 2017. "Dynamic relationship between the CO2 gas bubble behavior and the pressure drop characteristics in the anode flow field of an active liquid-feed direct methanol fuel cell," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 431-443.
    4. Wang, Junye, 2015. "Theory and practice of flow field designs for fuel cell scaling-up: A critical review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 640-663.
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    Cited by:

    1. Michaela Roschger & Sigrid Wolf & Boštjan Genorio & Viktor Hacker, 2022. "Effect of PdNiBi Metal Content: Cost Reduction in Alkaline Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-15, November.

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