A Comparative Analysis of Performance Characteristics in Passive and Active Fed DMFC Systems

Öz

In this study, the performance of active and passive Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) with different structural configurations was experimentally compared. In addition to the active cell designs commonly used in the DMFC field, a new passive DMFC configuration featuring a single passive reservoir was designed and fabricated. A performance comparison of the two designs was conducted under similar operating parameters. The fundamental difference between the two cell designs is that in the active-fed system, the fuel is continuously delivered to the anode region via a pump, whereas in the passive DMFC, anode feeding is provided through a fuel reservoir that covers the entire active surface. The active area of both designs, constructed with similar components, was set at 25 cm². Tests were conducted for different reactant conditions at a constant methanol concentration of 2 M and a constant fuel temperature of 50 °C. On the cathode side, reactant transport was investigated using similar air flow rates of 1, 1.5, and 2 L/min in both configurations. According to the performance results, a maximum power density of 80.3 mW/cm² was achieved in the active-fed cell design, while this value was measured at 12 mW/cm² in the passive DMFC configuration. The findings were compared with the operating conditions and internal resistances of the designs using Eis measurements. The test results demonstrate that, through optimization approaches, active-fed DMFCs can achieve significantly higher power densities compared to passive designs.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Direct methanol fuel cell
• Passive-Active cell designs
• Cell performance
• Maximum power density.

Destekleyen Kurum

Turhan Nejat Veziroğlu Clean Energy Application and Research Center of Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University provides technical and experimental infrastructure support.

Etik Beyan

There are no ethical issues regarding the publication of this study

Teşekkür

This study was also presented orally at the International Erzincan Energy Symposium (EES'26) held in Erzincan on April 1-3, 2026. The author expresses gratitude to the Turhan Nejat Veziroğlu Clean Energy Application and Research Center of Nigde Omer Halisdemir University for providing technical and experimental infrastructure support.

Pasif ve Aktif Beslemeli DMFC Sistemlerinde Performans Karakteristiklerinin Karşılaştırmalı Analizi

Öz

Bu çalışmada, farklı yapısal konfigürasyonlara sahip aktif ve pasif Doğrudan Metanol Yakıt Hücrelerinin (DMFC) performansı deneysel olarak karşılaştırılmıştır. DMFC alanında yaygın olarak kullanılan aktif hücre tasarımlarına ek olarak, tek bir pasif rezervuara sahip yeni bir pasif DMFC konfigürasyonu tasarlanmış ve üretilmiştir. İki tasarımın performans karşılaştırması benzer çalışma parametreleri altında yapılmıştır. İki hücre tasarımı arasındaki temel fark, aktif beslemeli sistemde yakıtın bir pompa aracılığıyla sürekli olarak anot bölgesine iletilmesi, pasif DMFC'de ise anot beslemesinin tüm aktif yüzeyi kaplayan bir yakıt deposu (rezervuar) aracılığıyla sağlanmasıdır. Benzer bileşenlerle inşa edilen her iki tasarımın aktif alanı 25 cm² olarak belirlenmiştir. Testler, 2 M'lik sabit bir metanol konsantrasyonunda ve 50 °C sabit yakıt sıcaklığında yürütülmüş farklı reaktant durumları için gerçekleştirilmiştir. Katot tarafında, her iki konfigürasyonda da benzer 1, 1.5 ve 2 L/dak hava akış hız kullanılarak reaktan taşınımı incelenmiştir. Performans sonuçlarına göre, aktif beslemeli hücre tasarımında maksimum 80,3 mW/cm² güç yoğunluğu elde edilirken, pasif DMFC konfigürasyonunda bu değer 12 mW/cm² olarak ölçülmüştür. Bulgular, EIS ölçümleri ile performans durumları tasarımların çalışma ve iç dirençleriyle karşılaştırılmıştır. Test çalışma optimizasyon yaklaşımlarıyla aktif beslemeli DMFC'lerde pasif tasarımlı yapılara göre çok daha yüksek güç yoğunluklarına ulaşılabileceğini göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Doğrudan metanol yakıt hücresi
• Pasif-Aktif Hücre tasarımları
• Hücre performansı
• Maksimum güç yoğunluğu

Destekleyen Kurum

Teknik ve deneysel altyapı desteği sağlayan Niğde Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi Turhan Nejat Veziroğlu Temiz Enerji Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi

Etik Beyan

Bu çalışmanın yayınlanmasıyla ilgili herhangi bir etik sorun bulunmamaktadır.

Teşekkür

Bu çalışma ayrıca 1-3 Nisan 2026 tarihlerinde Erzincan'da düzenlenen Uluslararası Erzincan Enerji Sempozyumu'nda (EES'26) sözlü olarak sunulmuştur. Yazar, teknik ve deneysel altyapı desteği sağlayan Niğde Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi Turhan Nejat Veziroğlu Temiz Enerji Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi'ne teşekkürlerini sunar.

Kaynakça

1. [1] Fang, S., Zhang, Y., Ma, Z., Sang, S., Liu, X. Systemic modeling and analysis of DMFC stack for behavior prediction in system-level application. Energy, (2016), 112, 1015-1023.
2. [2] Osman, S. H., Kamarudin, S. K., Shaari, N., Hanapi, I. H., Elham, O. S. J., & Aminudin, M. A. Review on direct methanol fuel cells: bridging the gap between theory and application for sustainable energy solutions. Energy & Fuels, (2025), 39(12), 5651-5671.
3. [3] Celik, S., Atalmis Sari, G., Yagiz, M., Özcan, H., Amini Horri, B. Effect of Vibration on Open-Cathode Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Stack Performance. Physchem, (2025), 5(4), 44.
4. [4] Calabriso, A., Cedola, L., Del Zotto, L., Rispoli, F.,Santori, S. G. Performance investigation of passive direct methanol fuel cell in different structural configurations. Journal of Cleaner Production, (2015), 88, 23-28.
5. [5] Yousefi, S., Zohoor, M. Conceptual design and statistical overview on the design of a passive DMFC single cell. international journal of hydrogen energy, (2014),39(11), 5972-5980.
6. [6] Kamaruddin, M. Z. F., Kamarudin, S. K., Daud, W. R. W., Masdar, M. S. An overview of fuel management in direct methanol fuel cells. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, (2013), 24, 557-565.
7. [7] Faghri, A. Guo, Z. An innovative passive DMFC technology. Applied Thermal Engineering, (2008), 28(13), 1614-1622.
8. [8] Kuan, Y. D., Chang, J. Y., Lee, S. M.,Lee, S. R. Characterization of a direct methanol fuel cell using Hilbert curve fractal current collectors. Journal of Power Sources, (2009) 187(1), 112-122.

9. [9] Falcão, D. S., Oliveira, V. B., Rangel, C. M., Pinto, A. M. F. R. Review on micro-direct methanol fuel cells. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, (2014), 34, 58-70.
10. [10] Guo, Z., Faghri, A. Development of planar air breathing direct methanol fuel cell stacks. Journal of power sources, (2006) 160(2), 1183-1194.
11. [11] Guo, Z., Faghri, A. Development of a 1 W passive DMFC. International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, (2008), 35(3), 225-239.
12. [12] Nair, A. N., Lal, S., Vangala, S. P. K. Understanding the Impact of Flow Fields on the Performance of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells: A Review on Design Trends. The Chemical Record, (2025), 25(11), e202500025.
13. [13] Wang, Y., Liao, X., Liu, G., Xu, H., Guan, C., Wang, H., Qin, Y. Review of flow field designs for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Energies, (2023), 16(10), 4207.
14. [14] Munjewar, S. S. Thombre, S. B. Effect of current collector roughness on performance of passive direct methanol fuel cell. Renewable energy, (2019), 138, 272-283.
15. [15] Yuan, W., Deng, J., Zhang, Z., Yang, X., Tang, Y. Study on operational aspects of a passive direct methanol fuel cell incorporating an anodic methanol barrier. Renewable Energy, (2014), 62, 640-648.
16. [16] Braz, B. A., Moreira, C. S., Oliveira, V. B., Pinto, A. M. F. R. Effect of the current collector design on the performance of a passive direct methanol fuel cell. Electrochimica Acta, (2019), 300, 306-315.
17. [17] Fang, S., Zhang, Y., Zou, Y., Sang, S., Liu, X. Structural design and analysis of a passive DMFC supplied with concentrated methanol solution. Energy, (2017), 128, 50-61.
18. [18] Yu, W., Xiao, Z., Zhang, W., Ma, Q., Li, Z., Yan, X., Xu, Q. Influence of Current Collector Design and Combination on the Performance of Passive Direct Methanol Fuel Cells. Catalysts, (2024),14(9), 632.
19. [19] Wang, L., Yin, L., Yang, W., Cheng, Y., Wen, F., Liu, C. Wang, M. Evaluation of structural aspects and operation environments on the performance of passive micro direct methanol fuel cell. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, (2021), 46(2), 2594-2605.
20. [20] Hashim, N., Kamarudin, S. K., Daud, W. R. W. Design, fabrication and testing of a PMMA-based passive single-cell and a multi-cell stack micro-DMFC. International journal of hydrogen energy, (2009), 34(19), 8263-8269.
21. [21] De Las Heras, N., Roberts, E. P. L., Langton, R., Hodgson, D. R. A review of metal separator plate materials suitable for automotive PEM fuel cells. Energy & Environmental Science, (2009), 2(2), 206-214.
22. [22] Çelik, S., Yagiz, M., Yildirim, F., Topcu, A. Experimental study on the flow field geometry of the PEM fuel cell bipolar plates: The effects of various shaped blocks embedded in serpentine pattern on cell performance. Fuel, (2024), 358, 130202.
23. [23] Celik, S., Atalmis Sari, G., Yagiz, M., Özcan, H.,Amini Horri, B. Effect of Vibration on Open-Cathode Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Stack Performance. Physchem, (2025),5(4), 44.
24. [24] Yagiz, M., Çelik, S.,Topcu, A. Performance comparison of bio-inspired flow field designs for direct methanol fuel cell and proton exchange membrane fuel cell. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, (2024),75, 200-210.
25. [25] Liu, G., Xu, J., Wang, T., Zhao, T., Wang, M., Wang, Y., Wang, X. The performance and mechanism of multi-step activation of MEA for DMFC. international journal of hydrogen energy, (2010), 35(22), 12341-12345.
26. [26] Xu, Q., Zhang, W., Zhao, J., Xing, L., Ma, Q., Xu, L., Su, H. Effect of air supply on the performance of an active direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) fed with neat methanol. International journal of green energy, (2018), 15(3), 181-188.
27. [27] Abdelkareem, M. A., Nakagawa, N. DMFC employing a porous plate for an efficient operation at high methanol concentrations. Journal of Power Sources, (2006), 162(1), 114-123.
28. [28] Gwak, G., Lee, K., Ferekh, S., Lee, S., Ju, H. Analyzing the effects of fluctuating methanol feed concentration in active-type direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) systems. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, (2015), 40(15), 5396-5407.
29. [29] Zhao, X., Fan, X., Wang, S., Yang, S., Yi, B., Xin, Q., Sun, G. Determination of ionic resistance and optimal composition in the anodic catalyst layers of DMFC using AC impedance. International journal of hydrogen energy, (2005),30(9), 1003-1010.