Modeling and performance analysis of branched microfluidic fuel cells with high utilization

Microfluidic fuel cells (MFCs) are effective energy conversion devices in microscales due to their simplicity and high energy density as they are based on laminar co-flow of reactants in microchannels without a separator. However, fuel utilization at practical flow rates remains as one of the import...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inElectrochimica acta Vol. 318; pp. 169 - 180
Main Authors Rizvandi, Omid Babaie, Yesilyurt, Serhat
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Elsevier Ltd 20.09.2019
Elsevier BV
Subjects
Branched-channel design
Brinkman equations
Computational fluid dynamics
Computer simulation
Energy conversion
Finite element method
Flow velocity
Flux density
Fuel cells
Fuel utilization
Hele-Shaw relation
Laminar flow
Mathematical models
MFC
Microbalances
Microchannels
Microfluidics
Peclet number
Reaction kinetics
Separators
Three dimensional models
Two dimensional models
Utilization
MFC
Hele-Shaw relation
Fuel utilization
Branched-channel design
Brinkman equations
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Summary:Microfluidic fuel cells (MFCs) are effective energy conversion devices in microscales due to their simplicity and high energy density as they are based on laminar co-flow of reactants in microchannels without a separator. However, fuel utilization at practical flow rates remains as one of the important challenges. In this study, a two-dimensional (2D) model is developed based on Brinkman equations for flow, Fick's law for mass transport and Butler-Volmer equations for reaction kinetics to study MFCs and address the effects of geometric and operation parameters on the performance and fuel utilization. Commercial finite-element software, COMSOL, is used to solve coupled equations and to analyze the performance of MFCs for different Peclet numbers, concentrations of reactants and geometric variables. According to simulation results, the 2D model compares very well with the three-dimensional model based on Navier-Stokes equations and with the experimental data reported in the literature. Moreover, the model is used for the analysis of the proposed branched-channel design of microfluidic cells that improves the fuel utilization and power output of the MFC.
ISSN:0013-4686
1873-3859
DOI:10.1016/j.electacta.2019.06.032