{"id":5948,"date":"2014-09-22T13:54:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-22T13:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prod.zbt.compositas.io\/?post_type=news&p=5948"},"modified":"2025-02-10T13:57:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T13:57:52","slug":"improving-cell-power-of-a-%ce%bcdmfc","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/zbt.de\/en\/news\/improving-cell-power-of-a-%ce%bcdmfc\/","title":{"rendered":"Improving Cell Power of a \u03bcDMFC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Improving Cell Power of a \u03bcDMFC<\/h2>\n
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Use of the displacement effect of bubbles and obstacles in the anode channel<\/p>\n

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On the anode side of a DMFC CO2<\/sub>-bubbles emerge. Given hydrophobic channel walls, these bubbles stick to the walls and keep growing such that a strong displacement effect on the water-methanol-flow toward the GDL arises. Hence, cell power increases while the bubble is present. This effect has been numerically predicted by [1] and has been experimentally proven recently by ZBT scientists [2].<\/p>\n

Based on those findings the question raised whether the cell power could be permanently increased by adding some kind of artificial bubbles that would lead to a similar displacement effect on the flow at the anode side of a DMFC. Further investigations using laser-optical flow measurement techniques and time-resolved cell-power measurements have been conducted with a special designed single-channel DMFC. Within this special DMFC artificial obstacles are fixed at the anode channel wall opposite to the GDL surface resembling a stationary CO2-bubble sticking to the channel wall. Those obstacles lead to a significant reduction of the channel cross section and create the desired displacement effect on the flow. Results showed an increase of up to 15%- 19% of the cell power with respect to the obstacle-free channel configuration. Power increase tends to scale with blockage ratio. Further investigations are currently under way.<\/p>\n

The findings have been presented at the “Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology \u2013 A Grove Fuel Cell Event” in Amsterdam in April 2014. The poster was awarded best conference poster 2014.<\/p>\n