Evidence of a region of gradual property change between the micro-porous layer and the macroporous layer of bilayer diffusion media is presented, and a mathematical model describing the effects of this gradual interfacial region is developed. The model results in a continuous liquid water saturation distribution across the diffusion media compared to the sharp discontinuity in the liquid phase saturation predicted by the earlier sudden interface models. High-resolution neutron radiography is used to measure the water content profile across the diffusion media, and the results are compared with the model predictions. The effect of the geometric blur, and uncertainty in-neutron radiography, is accounted for by applying the effects of geometric blur to model results. When the blur is considered, the neutron radiography results are found to be very similar to model predictions.
A fundamental experimental and numerical study of the water transport across a perfluorosulfonic acid membrane under a temperature gradient is presented. The water transport phenomenon was experimentally investigated through water flux measurement and neutron radiography. The experimental observations found that water is transported in the direction from the high temperature side to the low temperature side, when both sides of the membrane are sufficiently humidified, and suggest that the transport mechanism is concentration gradient driven. The neutron radiography measurements detected the presence of water content gradient across the membrane and higher water content is seen at a larger thermal gradient. A numerical model was developed to investigate the experimental results. Water transport predictions agreed qualitatively but more accurate material and transport property characterizations are needed for further improvement.High current density operation is desirable in automotive and portable applications of polymer electrolyte fuel cells ͑PEFCs͒ in particular to minimize the size and weight of the system balance of the plant. However, the resulting heat generation due to high overpotentials, predominantly in the cathode catalyst layer, and the Joule heating, especially in the electrolyte, cause a temperature gradient across the polymer electrolyte membrane ͑PEM͒ as well as in gas diffusion media ͑GDM͒. An experimental measurement of the temperature difference of nearly 2 K between the membrane electrode assembly ͑MEA͒ and the bipolar plates with 1.0 K differential across the MEA at current density of 0.6 A/cm 2 has been reported. 1 The nonisothermal nature of the PEFC contributes to a localized dry-out of the PEM, which leads to a deterioration of the performance even when the inlets are sufficiently humidified. On the other hand, during low temperature operation, such as during a start-up, the temperature gradient can also induce unwanted condensation of water in the GDM, a condition known as flooding, which impedes the transport of reacting species. Similar temperature differential across the GDM can also occur during the shutdown process. Thus, establishing a proper water and thermal management is essential for an optimized performance of PEFCs and has been an intensely studied subject over the years; therefore, the present paper aims to understand the description of water transport across a nonisothermal membrane.Water transport across the PEM is known to occur by several driving modes, which include electric potential, water concentration gradients, and hydraulic pressure gradients. In addition to the aforementioned transport modes, water transport in the through-plane direction induced by the presence of a thermal gradient across the PEM has been known to exist for some time but attention toward the phenomenon in PEFCs has been mostly nonexistent in the literature until recently. The few investigators who studied this phenomenon, however, arrived at various conclusions on the mechanism of the transport...
Neutron radiography imaging polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) was performed with a high-resolution micro-channel plate (MCP) detector to investigate the liquid water distribution in micro-porous layers (MPL). In order to separate the role of MPL, a composite gas diffusion media (GDM) was constructed, in which portion of the cell has an MPL between the carbon paper substrate and the catalyst layer and the remainder does not. Neutron radiography images clearly showed the effect of the MPL, in which the overall saturation in the diffusion media was reduced with an MPL as predicted by earlier modeling studies. It is also seen that the MPL increases the water content in the anode;a result of the enhanced back-flux of water as predicted by earlier models.
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