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 language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 7768-7779 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 18 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 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
