{"title":"带弧形电极以适应混合区的微流体燃料电池模拟研究","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124177","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fuel cells are well known for their uninterrupted power supply, high energy density, and environmental friendliness. Among them there is an emerging type for portable applications called microfluidic fuel cell (MFC), which has caught attention during the last twenty years. An MFC generally employs two electrolytes, namely the anolyte containing fuel and the catholyte containing oxidant, which flow in parallel inside a microchannel. In the middle, a narrow mixing zone is formed which has a typical cross section of hourglass shape. To better utilize this specific shape, an MFC with innovative arc-shaped electrodes is proposed in this work and validated via numerical simulation. The protruding electrode surface towards the channel middle can not only better utilize the limited channel space for more reaction sites, but also reshape the mixing layer to further prevent reactant crossover. Benefited from the enhanced convective transport as well as diffusive transport, the maximum power density with electrode radius of 2 mm is improved by 18.9% at the flow rate of 1000 μL/min and 20.7% at the flow rate of 100 μL/min, compared with conventional flat electrodes. Besides, the fuel utilization at 0.8 V is also improved by 30.4% at 1000 μL/min and 32.6% at 100 μL/min. This work provides a brand-new idea of optimizing the shape of MFC electrode, which can improve MFC performance indexes of both power density and fuel utilization at the same time.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":246,"journal":{"name":"Applied Energy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":10.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Microfluidic fuel cell with arc-shaped electrodes to adapt to its mixing zone, a simulation study\",\"authors\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124177\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><p>Fuel cells are well known for their uninterrupted power supply, high energy density, and environmental friendliness. Among them there is an emerging type for portable applications called microfluidic fuel cell (MFC), which has caught attention during the last twenty years. An MFC generally employs two electrolytes, namely the anolyte containing fuel and the catholyte containing oxidant, which flow in parallel inside a microchannel. In the middle, a narrow mixing zone is formed which has a typical cross section of hourglass shape. To better utilize this specific shape, an MFC with innovative arc-shaped electrodes is proposed in this work and validated via numerical simulation. The protruding electrode surface towards the channel middle can not only better utilize the limited channel space for more reaction sites, but also reshape the mixing layer to further prevent reactant crossover. Benefited from the enhanced convective transport as well as diffusive transport, the maximum power density with electrode radius of 2 mm is improved by 18.9% at the flow rate of 1000 μL/min and 20.7% at the flow rate of 100 μL/min, compared with conventional flat electrodes. Besides, the fuel utilization at 0.8 V is also improved by 30.4% at 1000 μL/min and 32.6% at 100 μL/min. This work provides a brand-new idea of optimizing the shape of MFC electrode, which can improve MFC performance indexes of both power density and fuel utilization at the same time.</p></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":246,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Applied Energy\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":10.1000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-08-14\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Applied Energy\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"5\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261924015605\",\"RegionNum\":1,\"RegionCategory\":\"工程技术\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"ENERGY & FUELS\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Energy","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261924015605","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENERGY & FUELS","Score":null,"Total":0}
Microfluidic fuel cell with arc-shaped electrodes to adapt to its mixing zone, a simulation study
Fuel cells are well known for their uninterrupted power supply, high energy density, and environmental friendliness. Among them there is an emerging type for portable applications called microfluidic fuel cell (MFC), which has caught attention during the last twenty years. An MFC generally employs two electrolytes, namely the anolyte containing fuel and the catholyte containing oxidant, which flow in parallel inside a microchannel. In the middle, a narrow mixing zone is formed which has a typical cross section of hourglass shape. To better utilize this specific shape, an MFC with innovative arc-shaped electrodes is proposed in this work and validated via numerical simulation. The protruding electrode surface towards the channel middle can not only better utilize the limited channel space for more reaction sites, but also reshape the mixing layer to further prevent reactant crossover. Benefited from the enhanced convective transport as well as diffusive transport, the maximum power density with electrode radius of 2 mm is improved by 18.9% at the flow rate of 1000 μL/min and 20.7% at the flow rate of 100 μL/min, compared with conventional flat electrodes. Besides, the fuel utilization at 0.8 V is also improved by 30.4% at 1000 μL/min and 32.6% at 100 μL/min. This work provides a brand-new idea of optimizing the shape of MFC electrode, which can improve MFC performance indexes of both power density and fuel utilization at the same time.
期刊介绍:
Applied Energy serves as a platform for sharing innovations, research, development, and demonstrations in energy conversion, conservation, and sustainable energy systems. The journal covers topics such as optimal energy resource use, environmental pollutant mitigation, and energy process analysis. It welcomes original papers, review articles, technical notes, and letters to the editor. Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts that bridge the gap between research, development, and implementation. The journal addresses a wide spectrum of topics, including fossil and renewable energy technologies, energy economics, and environmental impacts. Applied Energy also explores modeling and forecasting, conservation strategies, and the social and economic implications of energy policies, including climate change mitigation. It is complemented by the open-access journal Advances in Applied Energy.