Application of response surface methodology to optimize direct alcohol fuel cell power density for greener energy production

JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION

卷:142

Article

Charoen, Kanin¹  Prapainainar, Chaiwat^2,3  Sureeyatanapas, Panitas⁴  Suwannaphisit, Theeraporn¹  Wongamornpitak, Kanchaporn¹  Kongkachuichay, Paisan^1,5,6  Holmes, Stuart M.⁷  Prapainainar, Paweena^1,5,6 

[1] Kasetsart Univ, Dept Chem Engn, Fac Engineer, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

[2] KMUTNB, Dept Chem Engn, Fac Engineer, Bangkok 10800, Thailand

[3] King Mongkuts Univ Technol North Bangkok, Res & Dev Ctr, Chem Engn Unit Operat & Catalyst Design, Bangkok 10800, Thailand

[4] Khon Kaen Univ, Dept Ind Engn, Fac Engn, Khon Khan, Thailand

[5] Kasetsart Univ, NANOTEC Ctr Nanoscale Mat Design Green Nanotechno, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

[6] Kasetsart Univ, Ctr Adv Studies Nanotechnol Chem Food & Agr Ind, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

[7] Univ Manchester, Sch Chem Engn & Analyt Sci, Manchester M13 9PL, Lancs, England

关键词: Response surface method;    Greener energy production;    Direct alcohol fuel cell;    Maximum power density;    Nafion-composite membrane;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.09.059

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Energy production from direct alcohol fuel cells depends strongly on the operating conditions. In this paper, the aim was to find the best conditions of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) and direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFC) to obtain the maximum power density with the response surface method using Program Design Expert 7.0.0. Three related independent variables, including operating temperature in the range of 30-70 degrees C, alcohol flow rate in the range of 5-50 ml/min, and alcohol concentration in the range of 0.5 -3 M, were covered. Nafion117 was used as an electrolyte and Pt-Ru and Pt were used as catalysts in anode and cathode, respectively. The effect of those variables on the maximum power density was illustrated in the form of quadratic models which predicted the appropriate operating conditions. The Nafion membrane was modified by adding mordenite (MOR) to improve its alcohol permeability. The result from response revealed that the higher operating temperatures and higher alcohol concentrations led to an increase in maximum power density, in both the DMFC and DEFC. The DMFC had a higher maximum power density and greater current than the DEFC had. This was because methanol was easier to oxidize than ethanol In addition, it was found that the MOR content of 1.47 wt% in the Nafion composite membrane reduced the alcohol permeability and resulted in a higher power density. Therefore, the model suggested the optimum conditions to produce greener energy (less resource use with high energy produced). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free