Abstract
The applicability of capillary separation to direct methanol fuel-cell systems is studied in this article from two complementary perspectives: a three-dimensional simulation with computational fluid dynamics of a gas–liquid separator, whose function is based on capillary forces rather than gravity, and a zero-dimensional model, which is integrated in the process model of a direct methanol fuel-cell system. The three-dimensional analysis indicates that an appropriate choice of construction and operation parameters allows to achieve almost perfect gas–liquid separation, and that operation is not significantly influenced by orientation. The system-wide analysis indicates that the inclusion of such a capillary separator stabilises the system, allowing the use of simpler control strategies and removing the necessity of sensors difficult to implement.
