Zhang, Tao
(2005)
VALVELESS PIEZOELECTRIC MICROPUMP FOR FUEL DELIVERY IN DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELL (DMFC) DEVICES.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Fuel cell has been considered as an important technology that can be used for various power applications. For portable electronic devices such as laptops, digital cameras, cell phones and etc., direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is a very promising candidate as power source. Compared with conventional batteries, DMFC can provide a higher power density with a long-lasting life and the recharging is almost instant. However, many issues related to the design, fabrication and operation of miniaturized DMFC power systems still remain unsolved. Fuel delivery is one of the key issues that will determine the performance of DMFC. To maintain a desired performance, an efficient fuel delivery system is required to provide adequate amount of fuel for consumption and remove carbon dioxide generated from fuel cell devices at the same time. In this dissertation, a novel fuel delivery system combined with miniaturized DMFC is presented. The core component of this system is a piezoelectric valveless micropump that can convert the reciprocating movement of a diaphragm activated by a piezoelectric actuator into pumping effect. Nozzle/diffuser elements are used to direct the flow from inlet to outlet. As for DMFC devices, the micropump system needs to meet some specific requirements: low energy consumption but sufficient fuel flow rate. Based on theoretical analysis and experimental study, the effect of piezoelectric materials properties, driving voltage, driving frequency, nozzle/diffuser dimension, and other factors on the performance of the whole fuel cell system will be discussed. As a result, a viable design of micropump system for fuel delivery in DMFC devices can be achieved and some further improvements will be mentioned as well.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
21 June 2005 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Defense Date: |
11 April 2005 |
| Approval Date: |
21 June 2005 |
| Submission Date: |
6 April 2005 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Swanson School of Engineering > Mechanical Engineering |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
experimental measurement; impedance analysis; pieoelectric bending actuator; theoretical model |
| Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04062005-095427/, etd-04062005-095427 |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 19:34 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 13:38 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/6807 |
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