Development of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell System by Panasonic
As heightening environmental concerns through lowering the CO2 footprint urging the manufacturer to develop an alternative, clean and efficient energy form. An ideal candidate in fulfilling this need is practical application of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells since they produce no air pollutants plus their significant lower amount of CO2 in comparison to the internal combustion engine generators. Several Japanese companies are in pursuing of developing a practical technology based on direct methanol fuel cell. One such company is Panasonic that today made an announcement on development of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) offering a high power output and durability. The newly developed DMFC is capable of producing an average power output of 20 W by increasing the output per cubic centimeter twice as much as its previous prototype. Base on this technology Panasonic is planning to develop a 100 W class portable generator with its field testing sometimes by March of 2012. Such development for Panasonic goes back to 2008, when company developed a compact fuel cell stacks via reviewing the structure of its connecting parts. Through this effort Panasonic developed compact and energy efficient Balance of Plant (BOP) systems including a fuel supply pump capable of directly mixing and adjusting the concentration of methanol internally, whereby, by improving the stack technology Panasonic has successfully doubled the average power output to 20W while retaining the same volume, ideal for powering up feature laptop computers with relatively high power consumption. The new fuel cell offers a life time of 5000 hours based on eight hour intermittent use per day. Panasonic is working on a future plan to develop a portable generator with an average output of 100 W with a much compact form factor than engine generator.
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