Performance evaluation of direct ethanol fuel cell using a three-dimensional CFD model

Abstract

Fuel cells can be used as fuel sources with high efficiency and low emission levels. Today, interest in fuel cells has been growing due to increasing power requirements and their cleaner energy production potential. In this study, direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC), which is a type of fuel cells, was modeled by computational fluid dynamics. A three-dimensional, single-phase, isothermal model has been developed for a direct ethanol fuel cell. The model was confirmed with experimental data from the literature. Then, the effect of main input parameters such as temperature, membrane thickness, porosity, and cathode pressure were investigated by means of numerical simulations. Parametric study results are shown with polarization and power density curves. These results showed that the oxidant type, cell temperature, and cathode pressure may significantly affect DEFC operations. And also it was concluded that using pure O-2 instead of air as an oxidant increased current density by 15.27%. According results, operating parameters were more influential than investigated design parameters.