Experimental Analysis of a Single Cell Flowing Electrolyte-Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

A single cell flowing electrolyte - direct methanol fuel cell (FE-DMFC) was studied experimentally. Nafion® NRE-212 was used in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The flowing electrolyte channel was formed by a polyethylene porous material. The active area of the fuel cell was approximately 25 cm². Effects of varying flowing electrolyte conditions (channel thickness, sulfuric acid concentration, channel pressure), methanol concentration, and fuel cell temperature on the overall performance of the cell were studied. It was observed that stopping the flowing electrolyte caused a reduction in the open circuit voltage as well as the current of the cell, indicating that the methanol crossover affected the cell performance. Also, it is presented that a thicker flowing electrolyte channel results in lower power density, and sulfuric acid concentration of 2 molar (18%) was found to be the most advantageous. Raising operating temperature resulted in much better performance of the cell. Increasing flowing electrolyte pressure slightly decreased the performance.