Effect of anode flow field design in direct methanol fuel cells: preliminary studies

The direct methanol fuel cells are promising candidates for portable power sources due to their high energy density, however studies continue in order to give solutions for a number of drawbacks that affect cell performance and efficiency. Achieving good fuel cell performance requires that the flowing streams of fuel and oxidizer are evenly distributed over the entire surface of the catalyst layer and also an efficient removal of reaction products. This is achieved through the optimal design of the flow field, which primarily depend upon channel pattern as well as channel (and rib) shape and size. In this work the effect of anode flow field design on the performance of an own built DMFC is studied. Preliminary results are herein presented.