Comparison between direct small molecular weight alcohols fuel cells’ and hydrogen fuel cell’s parameters at low and high temperature. Thermodynamic study

Abstract

In this paper, direct alcohol fuel cells’ thermodynamics parameters were calculated by means of analytical formulas using thermodynamic data. The effect of temperature on reversible efficiency, electromotive force and specific energy for fuel cells supplied with alcohols having from one to five carbons was studied in the range between 298.15 and 1300 K.All parameters were also compared with those of hydrogen fuel cell. It was found that reversible efficiency, electromotive force and specific energy are a function of the amount of carbon atoms in the fuel and a function of temperature. In addition, alcohol’s structure influences fuel cells’ parameters too.We have found that there is a competition between hydrogen, ethanol and methanol at standard conditions, while methanol, ethanol, propanol isomers, 2-methylpropan-1-ol and butan-2-ol, as classified, appear more indicated than hydrogen at more elevated temperature.Therefore, the approach presented here can be considered as sufficient enough for a primary choice of an alcohol that could be used in fuel cells in the future.