Water is the main product of the electrochemical reaction in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Where the water is produced over the active area of the cell, and how it accumulates within the flow fields and gas diffusion layers, strongly affects the performance of the device and influences operational considerations such as freeze and durability. In this work, the neutron radiography method was used to obtain two-dimensional distributions of liquid water in operating 50 cm2 fuel cells. Variations were made of flow field channel and diffusion media properties, to assess the effects on the overall volume and spatial distribution of accumulated water. Flow field channels with hydrophobic coating retain more water, but the distribution of a greater number of smaller slugs in the channel area improves fuel cell performance at high current density. Channels with triangular geometry retain less water than rectangular channels of the same cross-sectional area, and the water is mostly trapped in the two corners adjacent to the diffusion media. Also, it was found that cells constructed using diffusion media with lower in-plane gas permeability tended to retain less water. In some cases, large differences in fuel cell performance were observed with very small changes in accumulated water volume, suggesting that flooding within the electrode layer or at the electrode-diffusion media interface is the primary cause of the significant mass transport voltage loss.
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ASME 2007 5th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels
June 18–20, 2007
Puebla, Mexico
Conference Sponsors:
- Nanotechnology Institute
ISBN:
0-7918-4272-X
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Effects of Flow Field and Diffusion Layer Properties on Water Accumulation in a PEM Fuel Cell
J. P. Owejan,
J. P. Owejan
General Motors, Honeoye Falls, NY
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T. A. Trabold,
T. A. Trabold
General Motors, Honeoye Falls, NY
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D. L. Jacobson,
D. L. Jacobson
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
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M. Arif,
M. Arif
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
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S. G. Kandlikar
S. G. Kandlikar
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
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J. P. Owejan
General Motors, Honeoye Falls, NY
T. A. Trabold
General Motors, Honeoye Falls, NY
D. L. Jacobson
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
M. Arif
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
S. G. Kandlikar
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Paper No:
ICNMM2007-30142, pp. 311-320; 10 pages
Published Online:
May 28, 2009
Citation
Owejan, JP, Trabold, TA, Jacobson, DL, Arif, M, & Kandlikar, SG. "Effects of Flow Field and Diffusion Layer Properties on Water Accumulation in a PEM Fuel Cell." Proceedings of the ASME 2007 5th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels. ASME 5th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels. Puebla, Mexico. June 18–20, 2007. pp. 311-320. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ICNMM2007-30142
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