Patent attributes
A compact carbon dioxide separation module for a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is provided. The module is a set of plates, typically two plates, sandwiched together and enclosing a membrane permeable to carbon dioxide. The anode output stream of the DMFC stack feeds into one of the plates. The other plate has an exit hole to vent carbon dioxide permeated through the membrane. As such the module does not draw any power; hence the module will improve the overall efficiency of a DMFC system. In addition, the module is small in size and can easily be stacked and integrated with a DMFC stack. From a DMFC system perspective the module could also be nicely integrated and stacked with a mixing device/module, a water management device/module and a methanol source.
