14-Mathematical modeling approaches in direct methanol fuel cells

Fuel cells have received a lot of interest in the scientific community over the last 50 years due to their potentially environment-friendly impact and their noteworthy efficiency. An improvement of their efficiency is of true interest. Fuel cell modeling is considered an effective tool for calculating various parameters of the fuel cell as well as understanding various phenomena occurring within the cell. In literature, various models of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) that include the analytical model, the semiempirical model, and the mechanistic model have been developed and tested. Analytical model takes into account basic parameters of fuel cell such as cell voltage, current density, and power to investigate the performance of the fuel cell. Analytical model uses assumptions in order to develop a simple model. Semiempirical model predicts the cell performance as a function of operating conditions such as pressure, temperature, and concentration, using empirical equations. Mechanistic model describes the fundamental phenomena of the fuel cell using differential and algebraic equations. In this chapter a survey of different model approaches (analytical, semiempirical, and mechanistic) that have been used for the DMFC are presented and critically discussed.