DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL (DMFC): FUEL DELIVERY TECHNOLOGY
Why DMFCs?
The demand for high-quality, portable power continues to increase as popularity of hand-held communication devices, portable music players and laptop computers continues to grow. Moreover, the rising power requirements of these devices drives this need significantly. More mobile phones are becoming smart phones (with full-time, full-featured internet browsing). Even regular mobile phones all have embedded cameras, multi-media players and other power-hungry functions standard. The issue is that lithium-ion batteries are not keeping pace with the increased requirements of the devices they power.
Enter direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).
Several established and start-up companies have been developing DMFCs for years because of the high quality power that methanol provides. Even a mediocre DMFC can readily ease the market pain of poor battery performance. Methanol is an extremely energy dense fuel. 1 cc of MeOH contains more than ten times the energy of a standard lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery of the same size (4.5 Wh compared to 0.4 Wh). That means that a "perfect" methanol fuel cell would run at the same power for more than ten times as long as a conventional Li-ion battery before needing recharge. Leading DMFC companies have already demonstrated prototype units yielding 20% of this theoretical limit. These units already surpass Li-ion by a factor of more than 2! And there is plenty of room to grow.
Why Vapor?
To improve DMFCs from the 2x advantage they have today to a possible 8-9x advantage in stored energy, the item at the top of the to-do list is to build a fuel cell with a concentrated methanol tank. Some prototypes have been built with such a tank. Making such a prototype a commercially viable power-pack requires precise control of the flow of that methanol from the tank to the fuel cell.
Enter Vapore.
Vapore's Capillary Force Vaporizer (CFV) has been proven in diverse technologies, from medical ventilators to camping stoves, to provide unique, precise control of liquid delivery. The exquisite control of flow rate and flow distribution afforded by the CFV is unparalleled. It is exactly this control that will enable Vapore to make a significant contribution to developing DMFC technologies.
The CFV in DMFCs
The requirements for high-performing DMFC systems are well known. Vapore's CFV can help ensure three of the most essential of these:
1. high power output by evenly delivering concentrated methanol across the face of each MEA
2. minimizing cell-to-cell variation by ensuring balanced fuel cell to each cell in the stack
3. fast-responding power output via fine control of methanol delivery to the anode
Vapore has proven in other platforms that our CFV technology simultaneously delivers all of these benefits. We are currently proving how they benefit a direct methanol fuel cell mini-stack.
Benefits go beyond the cell and the stack level. By comprehensive design of the fuel cell stack, we believe CFV can "pay for itself", in terms of the power requirements for the precise methanol deliver it affords. Contact us to see how we can improve your system design through inclusion of a CFV in your DMFC.
