A prospective study of anti-vibration mechanism of microfluidic fuel cell via novel two-phase flow model

Microfluidic fuel cell is considered as a cleaner energy conversion device, and has potential commercial applications in portable electronic devices owing to its appreciable output power, prolonged work time and low emission. In a liquid-fed cell, however, a gaseous phase is generated, and the corresponding vibration effects have a considerable influence on performance. Thus, it is important to analyse the effects of the two-phase flow and vibration on the characteristics of a microfluidic fuel cell. A two-phase computational model is constructed for a microfluidic fuel cell employing a flow-over electrode. Multiple physical processes are coupled in the model, including the hydrokinetics, electrochemical reaction kinetics, species transport, vibration field, Euler-Euler model, and phase transfer. Results indicate that the aggravated vibration intensity and frequency lead to a negative effect comprising a critical fuel crossover and delayed gaseous discharge, resulting in the cell performance degradation. Besides, increasing the contact angle and flow rate contribute to a reduction in the gaseous volume fraction, but the latter considerably sacrifices fuel utilisation and exergy efficiency. The present work provides insights for the future development of anti-vibration elements and optimised cell design, and offers a reference for the sustainable practical application of microfluidic fuel cell. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Microfluidic fuel cell is a promising device for portable electronic devices due to its output power, work time, and low emission, but vibration effects play a crucial role in its performance. A two-phase computational model was proposed to analyze the negative effects of vibration on the fuel cell performance, providing insights for future anti-vibration elements and cell design optimization.