Patent ID: 7452625

Claim:
A direct methanol fuel cell system, comprising: (a) a direct methanol fuel cell stack; (b) a first plate in fluid communication with the cathode output stream of said direct methanol fuel cell stack, said cathode output stream containing water vapor, water and air; (c) a second plate in contact with a surface of said first plate, wherein said first plate and said second plate form a first membrane enclosure; (d) a membrane permeable to water vapor disposed in said first membrane enclosure and separating into a first flow field and a second flow field corresponding to said first plate and said second plate, wherein said membrane permeable to water vapor is a barrier between said first flow field and said second flow field permitting passage of said water vapor to pass from said first flow field to said second flow field, but restricting passage of said water and said air wherein said permeated water vapor collected in said second flow field of said second plate is in fluid communication with the input cathode stream of said direct methanol fuel cell stack; (e) a third plate in contact with a surface of said first plate, wherein said third plate having a condensation flow field (i) in contact with said first flow field of said first plate thereby receiving said water and said air, (ii) in fluid communication with said cathode output stream of said direct methanol fuel cell stack or a combination of said (i) and said (ii); (f) a fourth plate in contact with a surface of said third plate, wherein said third plate and said fourth plate form a second membrane enclosure; and (g) a membrane permeable to air disposed in said second membrane enclosure and separating into a third flow field and a fourth flow field corresponding to said third plate and said fourth plate, wherein said third flow field is in fluid communication with said cathode output stream, wherein said membrane permeable to air is a barrier between said third plate and said fourth plate permitting passage of said air from said third flow field to said fourth flow field, but restricting passage of said water.