Comparison between a methanol SAFCell and a traditional SOFC

In this work a new type of fuel cell is investigated. Using the newest studies in matter made by the SAFCell®, Inc. with the support of the University of Pasadena, in California, a real case study is analysed. The work shows an overview about the current type of existing fuel cell. After it moves through several theoretical studies to discover the nature of the solid acid, a new type of material used to realize the electrolyte of a new kind of fuel cell, called Solid Acid Fuel Cell (or SAFC). The evaluated application is electrical power generation for an isolated house, as a mountain chalet. To get simple and useful the fuel cell methanol is considered as fuel instead of the most common hydrogen. In this way the complexity and the dangerous of the plant are drastically reduce. The new electrolyte permits to work at lower temperature of other cell keeping a high efficiency. The cell is operated under conditions of start-up and steady state to produce an electrical power of 2 kWel. The thermal power of the hydrogen produced by the reformer of methanol is not debated in this work. In the end a comparison between a SAFCell and a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is made in economical and energy terms.