A Method of Detecting the Interface Reactant Concentration in Electro-Chemical Devices
Jiahua Han and Hongtan Liu
Problem
The invention addresses a problem of methanol crossover in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, which reduces fuel efficiency of the cell. The invention is a method for detecting the concentration of methanol or other hydrocarbon fuel between the anode catalyst layer and the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell. It is not possible to make this measurement by conventional methods due to constrained space between the electrodes.
Solution
The invention is a method of analyzing an interface reactant concentration between the electrolyte membrane and one electrode inside an electrochemical device by inflicting a transitional state during which voltage or current of the electrochemical device changes abruptly and detects a concentration of reactant at the other side of the electrolyte membrane, which theoretically is a function of the interface reactant concentration and the applied current, while monitoring reactant output concentration.
Competitive Advantage
The invention provides a unique approach to high precision, low cost interface reactant concentration measurement in fuel cells and other electrochemical devices.
Applications
(1) General evaluation of total performance of a catalyst layer.
(2) Evaluation of Membrane Electrode Assemblies performance and its degradation level in a liquid fed fuel cell.
(3) A research tool for studying chemical reaction parameters such as reaction kinetics, etc.
(4) A research tool for studying an ion transport mechanism inside an electrolyte membrane, a diffusion coefficient, an ion drag coefficient, etc.
Patent Status
PCT Application
WO2009006594
entitled "DEVICES FOR AND METHODS OF DETECTING THE INTERFACE REACTANT CONCENTRATION" was published on January 8, 2009.
Licensing Opportunity
We are seeking a commercialization partner with capabilities in product development, sales, and marketing. An exclusive worldwide license is available.
About the Inventors
Hongtan Liu received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Miami. During the period from 8/1996 to 8/1997, Dr. Liu was a Senior Research Engineer at Energy Partners, Inc., a PEM fuel cell developer. At present, he is a Professor and the Director of the Dorgan Solar Energy and Fuel Cell Laboratory at the University of Miami. He has supervised 10 Ph.D. dissertations and numerous M.S. theses in the areas of PEM fuel cell, two-phase flows, and solar energy. As a faculty member at the University of Miami, he received the Eliahu Jury Excellence in Research Award two times. Dr. Liu has served as the Principal Investigator and Co-PI in more than ten research projects funded by DOE, NSF, and private entities. He is leading a team on fuel cell research at the University of Miami, where he and his associates first proposed and successfully developed the CFD based PEM fuel cell models using unified domain approach. Currently, he is very active in fuel cell research and has been invited to give nine plenary and keynote lectures in international conferences on fuel cell research. Dr. Liu is the author or co-author of two textbooks, two book chapters, and more than 100 research papers in international journal and conference proceedings, and he is an Editorial Board Member for the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, the International Journal of Green Energy, and the Frontiers of Energy and Power Engineering in China.
Jiahua Han received a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Miami. His special interests are in fuel cell and other renewable energy technologies, finite element analysis methods and hydraulic system design and test. Currently Dr. Han is a system engineer at Parker Hannifin Corporation.
Selected References
Jiahua Han and Hongtan Liu, "A ultrasound enhanced direct methanol fuel cell," J. Power Sources, Vol. 164, pp. 90 - 93, 2007.
Jiahua Han and Hongtan Liu, "Real time measurements of methanol crossover in a DMFC," J. Power Sources, Vol. 164, pp. 166 - 173, 2007.
Jiabin Ge and Hongtan Liu, "A three dimentional two phase flow model for a liquid-fed direct methanol fuel cell," J. Power Sources, Vol. 163, pp. 907 - 915, 2007.
Jiahua Han, Xiangyang Zhou and Hongtan Liu, "Ab initio simulation on the mechanism of proton transport in water," J. Power Sources, Vol. 161, pp. 1420 - 1427, 2006.
Tianhong Zhou and Hongtan Liu, "The effects of electrical resistance of GDL in PEM fuel cells," J. Power Sources, Vol. 161, pp. 444 - 453, 2006.
Jiabin Ge, Hongtan Liu, "A three-dimensional mathematical model for liquid-fed direct methanol fuel cells," J. Power Sources, Vol. 160, pp. 413 - 421, 2006.
Jiabin Ge, Andrew Higier, Hongtan Liu, "Effect of gas diffusion layer compression on PEM fuel cell performance," J. Power Sources, Vol. 159, pp. 922 - 927, 2006.
Honghui Yang, Liejin Guo, Wei Yan, Hongtan Liu, "A novel composite photocatalyst for water splitting hydrogen production," Vol 159, pp. 1305 - 1309, J. Power Sources, 2006.
Yiliang Liu, Liejin Guo, Wei Yan, Hongtan Liu, "A composite visible-light photocatalyst for hydrogen production," Vol 159, pp. 1300 - 1304, J. Power Sources, 2006.
Hong Sun, Guangsheng Zhang, LieJin Guo, Hongtan Liu, A Novel Technique for Measuring Current Distribution in PEM Fuel Cells," J. Power Sources, Vol. 158, pp. 326 - 332, 2006.
