Water Transport through the Membrane of PEM Fuel Cell
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Transport of water through the membrane of a PEM fuel cell is one of the critical issues for PEFC performance improvement. Since, the water in the membrane is transported from anode side to cathode side by electro osmotic drag caused by the proton transport. On the other hand, water is diffuse from cathode to anode side by back diffusion flux. Therefore, a delicate water balance is necessary to attain high proton conductivity of the membrane. In order to predict the water distribution in the different layer of PEFC, a three dimensional water transport model is developed which is able to capture the physics occurs in the membrane for transporting water from anode side to cathode side or vice-versa. To check the feasibility of our developed model validation test was carried out by comparing the simulation result with experimental work. This comparison validated the applicability of our developed model quantitatively for low relative humidity and qualitatively for higher relative humidity. The water content profile through the membrane was observed flat for relative humidity 40%. The water content profile in the membrane under the channel was lower than under the rib. With the increase of relative humidity the water content distribution through the membrane increases. The water transport mechanism through the membrane also has been pointed out.
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2268703606