Water management in cathode channel of polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is essential for achieving high current density operation, because excessive liquid water generated at cathode clogs gas channel and disturbs air flow. This phenomenon known as “channel plugging” is one of the critical issues for high-performance PEFC. In this study, the liquid water behavior in the cathode flow channel of an operating PEFC was directly visualized through the transparent separator using a high-speed camera. Furthermore, the differential pressure between the inlet and outlet of the cathode channel was quantitatively measured to predict the liquid water accumulation, and the effects of wettability (hydrophilic or hydrophobic) and flow direction (vertical or horizontal) of the cathode channel on the plugging phenomena were investigated. It was found that the hydrophobic treatment of the cathode channel is effective in draining liquid water smoothly and reduces the averaged differential pressure. The fluctuation of the differential pressure tends to be large due to the sufficient water removal. On the other hand, in the case of hydrophilic treatment, much water attaches to the channel wall and remains inside the gas channel. In addition, the liquid water transport within the cathode channel is largely affected by the flow direction. The averaged differential pressure in the horizontal flow is much lower than that in the vertical flow. The horizontal flow has the advantage of discharging much water to the outside of the cell because the gravity effect can be neglected.
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ASME 2011 9th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology collocated with ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability
August 7–10, 2011
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Advanced Energy Systems Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5469-3
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Effects of Wettability and Flow Direction of Cathode Channel on Plugging Phenomenon in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell
Ryo Taniguchi,
Ryo Taniguchi
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
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Kosuke Nishida,
Kosuke Nishida
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
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Hisashi Kamada,
Hisashi Kamada
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
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Shohji Tsushima,
Shohji Tsushima
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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Shuichiro Hirai
Shuichiro Hirai
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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Ryo Taniguchi
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
Kosuke Nishida
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
Hisashi Kamada
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
Shohji Tsushima
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
Shuichiro Hirai
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
Paper No:
FuelCell2011-54705, pp. 181-186; 6 pages
Published Online:
March 22, 2012
Citation
Taniguchi, R, Nishida, K, Kamada, H, Tsushima, S, & Hirai, S. "Effects of Wettability and Flow Direction of Cathode Channel on Plugging Phenomenon in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell." Proceedings of the ASME 2011 9th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology collocated with ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability. ASME 2011 9th International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology. Washington, DC, USA. August 7–10, 2011. pp. 181-186. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/FuelCell2011-54705
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