The development of a microscale power device, composed of a fuel processor and a fuel cell, is discussed. The microscale fuel reformer strips hydrogen from a hydrocarbon fuel such as methanol. The hydrogen rich stream can be fed to a fuel cell to generate electrical power. The numerous unit operations required for this device are discussed and a design incorporating these operations on the micro scale is developed and tested. The fuel reformer, utilizing methanol as the fuel, was able to provide 100 mWe of hydrogen at an efficiency of up to 4.5%. As the equivalent power of the reformer was decreased the reformer efficiency also decreased. The device was able to operate without any additional external heating. Also, a start-up procedure, which does not require electrical heating, is discussed.
Revised: September 14, 2002 |
Published: January 16, 2002
Citation
Holladay J.D., E.O. Jones, M.R. Phelps, and J. Hu. 2002.High-Efficiency Microscale Power Using a Fuel Processor and Fuel Cell. In MEMS Components and Applications for Industry, Automobiles, Aerospace, and Communications, Proceedings of the SPIE, edited by H. Helvajian, J. W. Siegfried, F. Laermer, 4559, 148-156. Bellingham, Washington:SPIE- The International Society for Optical Engineering. PNWD-SA-5471.