Feasibility of in-plane GDL structuration: Impact on current density distribution in large-area Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Development and experimental validation of a PEM fuel cell 2D-model to study heterogeneities effects along large-area cell surface

“…A detailed description of the home-made MEA fabrication process can be found in Ref. [22]. The MEA used in the test have a total area of 220 cm 2 .…”

“…For each tested fuel cell, the printed circuit board is inserted in the middle of the stack in order to avoid the edges effects. Two GDLs are inserted on each side of the Sþþ ® card in order to maximize the electric contact [22]. Typical distribution plots measured by the Sþþ ® for the current density and temperature are illustrated on Fig.…”

“…[22], the model has been used to try finding back the behavior of the current density in dry conditions when a GDL structuring is adopted, as previously mentioned in the Modeling section. The objective here is to see the feasibility of improving the current density homogeneity using this structuring technique To do so, the porosity coefficient in the model, which had always been constant for all the meshes before, is now replaced by a matrix.…”

“…In Ref. [22], the Sþþ ® PCB enables to quantify the effects of a GDL structuring on the performances and local conditions distribution. The Sþþ ® card has therefore demonstrated its feasibility to accurately and easily assess the local current densities and temperatures inside a fuel stack.…”

Synchrotron X-ray Radiography as a Highly Precise and Accurate Method for Measuring the Spatial Distribution of Liquid Water in Operating Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

“…In recent years, liquid water transport has been extensively studied using a large variety of numerical and experimental techniques. The effect of liquid water transport has been linked to external parameters such as channel pressure drop, 2,3 fuel cell temperature, [4][5][6][7][8] distribution of current density, [9][10][11] and fuel cell impedance. [12][13][14][15][16] However, while techniques which provide indirect observations of liquid water transport are available, obtaining quantitative data such as distributions of liquid water in fuel cell materials has been challenging due to the opaque nature and micrometric thickness of fuel cell components.…”