Development of passive heat control system for direct methanol fuel cell using electric double layer capacitor

Abstract

SUMMARYA direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is highly anticipated as a new, high-density energy source for mobile usage; however, its poor power density presents a problem. As a result, the size of portable electronic equipment using DMFCs is far larger than that of equipment using another type of battery. In addition, steady power supply control is difficult, because the output power of the DMFC is affected by the environment. First, this paper presents a pulse charge control system that is a new control system applied to a mobile device, which uses the DMFC and an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC), then describes the new passive heat control and presents experimental results.

Development of a maximum‐power‐point‐limiting control system for a direct methanol fuel cell

“…As for miniaturizing a DMFC, one actual solution is a hybrid configuration consisting of a DMFC and a rechargeable battery (which has superior power density), and reports on hybrid DMFC configurations with LIBs as the rechargeable battery have been published [4]. In response, the authors have developed a hybrid system called a 'pulse-charge-control system', consisting of an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) [5], which has even higher power density than a rechargeable battery [6][7][8]. Although hybrid systems composed of a capacitor and a fuel cell using hydrogen as a fuel have been reported [9], no examples of reports on a hybrid system with a DMFC and a capacitor have been published.…”

“…Although hybrid systems composed of a capacitor and a fuel cell using hydrogen as a fuel have been reported [9], no examples of reports on a hybrid system with a DMFC and a capacitor have been published. The pulse-charge-control system is a kind of battery charger for mobile devices, and it has achieved miniaturization exceeding that achieved by the configuration hybridized with a lithium-ion rechargeable battery [6].…”