An experimental study on water transport through the membrane of a PEFC operating in the dead-end mode

Yongtaek Lee, Bosung Kim, Yongchan Kim

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    105 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Water transport through the membrane of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) was investigated by not only measuring the voltage variation but also visualizing the accumulation of water at the anode for various values of operating parameters, such as the humidity, current density, stoichiometry, location of humidification, and membrane properties. The PEFC was operated in the dead-end mode to prevent the discharge of water from the anode. The water transport in the PEFC was characterized by the elapsed time for the voltage to reach its limit. Anode visualization showed water transport under various conditions. In addition, the mass balance of water at the anode of the PEFC was considered. The variations of water diffusion and electro-osmotic drag were analyzed based on the experimental results.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)7768-7779
    Number of pages12
    JournalInternational Journal of Hydrogen Energy
    Volume34
    Issue number18
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2009 Sept

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported by a grant (No. R01-2006-000-11014-0) from the Basic Research Program of the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation.

    Keywords

    • Diffusion
    • Mass balance
    • Polymer electrolyte fuel cell
    • Visualization
    • Water transport

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
    • Fuel Technology
    • Condensed Matter Physics
    • Energy Engineering and Power Technology

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