Project Information

The potential use of a direct methanol fuel cell, where liquid methanol is directly fed as fuel into the fuel cell, offers tremendous potential advantages over more mature fuel cell technologies involving hydrogen or reformed methanol:

• Lower parasitic system losses due to lack of reformer
• Greatly reduced system complexity and size
• Greater inherent reliability due to less equipment
• Ability to use fuel that is already commercially available, with nationwide infrastructure already in place

The overall objective of this research project is to design, build and demonstrate direct-methanol fuel cell stacks for auxiliary power or as a range extender for battery-powered heavy vehicles. Advanced computational fluid dynmaics simulation of fuel cell operation will be used in conjunction with experimental data to define ideal operating regimes for DMFC use.

The experimental DMFC test rig is equipped with a full array of diagnostics including:

Gas/Liquid extraction ports for use with FTIR method for determining species compositions at various locations in the test chamber.

LEXAN windows that allow direct observation of the cathode and anode surface

An array of thermocouples, pressure transducers, and flow meters allowing determination of flow conditions in the anode and cathode inlet and exit locations.

An Arbin 4-channel battery testing & life cycling system.

Acknowledgements

This research project is supported by:

1. Pennsylvania Dept of Environmental Protection
2. Advanced Vehicle Program,The United States Department of Transportation
3. The Mid Atlantic Regional Consortium for Advanced Vehicles (MARCAV)

The Team at Penn State

Investigators:

Drs. C. Y. Wang (PI), S Thynell, D.A. Streit, and M. M. Mench

Lead Graduate Student:

Joseph Scott, M.S. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering

Undergraduate Assistants:

John Curry, Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate

Ausmus Marburger, Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate