1United Technologies Endowed Chair Professor in Thermal-Fluids Engineering & Dean School of Engineering University of Connecticut 261 Glenbrook Rd. Storrs, CT 06269-2237 860-486-2221 Faghri@engr.uconn.edu
The proposal was received as an unsolicited submission to the Chemical and Transport Systems Divisions in the Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) category. It was assigned to the Thermal Transport and Thermal Processing Program. The miniature direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) appears to be a promising power source for portable applications. The existing actively managed DMFCs offer fundamental attractions in relatively simple system design and low-temperature operation. However, their reliance on moving parts - as well as other issues - prevents their being scaled down to a sufficiently small size to accommodate use in portable power applications. To solve these problems, we propose a new miniature passive DMFC at 10-20W that includes a fuel cell stack and ancillary systems. The passive approach has no moving parts and significantly reduces the cost and volume/weight (by 1/5) compared to active systems. The proposed methodology will utilize novel and high-risk techniques such as passive methanol delivery and storage, innovative thermal management for operation at extreme environmental conditions, and methanol concentration control.
