Abstract
A laminar flow micro fuel cell comprising of bridge-shaped microchannel is investigated to find out the effects of the cross-section shape of the microchannel on the performance. A parametric study is performed by varying the heights and widths of the channel and bridge shape. Nine different microchannel cross-section shapes are evaluated to find effective microchannel cross-sections by combining three bridge shapes with three channel shapes. A three-dimensional fully coupled numerical model is used to calculate the fuel cell’s performance. Navier-Stokes, convection and diffusion, and Butler-Volmer equations are implemented using the numerical model. A narrow channel with a wide bridge shape shows the best performance among the tested nine cross-sectional shapes, which is increased by about 78% compared to the square channel with the square bridge shape.
Highlights
Off-grid sensors and portable microelectronic devices are being used for security monitoring, environmental, and biological purposes, which all require miniaturized power sources
The μLFFC performance is mainly limited by the cathode
This study evaluated the effects of the width and height of the channel and bridge of a bridge-shaped microchannel cross-section on the performance of a μLFFC using a three-dimensional fully coupled numerical model
Summary
Off-grid sensors and portable microelectronic devices are being used for security monitoring, environmental, and biological purposes, which all require miniaturized power sources. Montesinos et al [15] proposed a μLFFC (micro laminar flow fuel cell) with a channel having a bridge-shape cross-sectional geometry, which minimized the reactant crossover. Tanveer and Kim [35] proposed multiple inlets (i.e., channels with four and eight inlets) in a μLFFC system, with a cross-sectional channel geometry of bridge shape They found that increasing the number of inlets up to 8 caused an increase in the current density of about 15 in comparison with a 2-inlet μLFFC. The model combines all the transport and electrochemical processes occurring within the μLFFC and was validated against the experimental results achieved by Montesinos et al [15] Several new cross-sectional configurations of the μLFFC microchannel are proposed, and their impact upon the performance of fuel cell were studied
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