Rahul Saraswat
University/Organization : National Institute of Technology, Maharashtra
Title: Performance Evaluation of Passive Direct Methanol Fuel Cell under Varying Operating and Structural Condition
Biography
Biography: Rahul Saraswat
Abstract
A passive liquid feed Direct Methanol Fuel Cell ( DMFC ) was fabricated using given MEA ( Membrane Electrode Assembly ) and tested for different current collector structure. Mesh current collectors of different mesh densities along with different support structures were used and the performance was found to be better. Methanol concentration was also varied. Optimisation of mesh size, support structure and fuel concentration was achieved. Cost analysis was also performed for the different configurations of the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell which indicates that the mesh current collectors are always beneficial to be used in this fuel cell. From the performance analysis study of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell we can conclude about the following points : • Area Specific Resistance (ASR) of wiremesh current collectors compared to that of stainless steel current collectors. Also, the voltage-current ( V-I ) & power - current ( P-I ) characteristics & their trends using wiremesh current collectors as compared to that of the stainless steel current collectors configuration. • Supporting & strengthening structures’ vital role determination & validation in wiremesh current collectors configuration. • Voltage-current ( V-I ) & power - current ( P-I ) characteristics & their trends for the different wiremesh open area density of current collectors. •Voltage-current ( V-I ) & power - current ( P-I ) characteristics & their trends for the different wiremesh open area density of current collectors operating at different methanol concentrations. •Methanol concentration optimization for better and stable Direct Methanol Fuel Cell performance. Cost analytics for both the configurations i.e. Stainless steel current collectors configuration & wiremesh current collectors configuration. Its optimization to achieve the flexibility, light weight structure & compact size in wiremesh current collectors configuration.