Journal
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
Volume 184, Issue 1, Pages 120-128Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2007.12.065
Keywords
PEM fuel cell; gas diffusion media; channel intrusion; flow distribution
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The effect of gas diffusion medium (GDM) intrusion on the performance of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells is investigated. The mechanical behaviors of various GDM are characterized in compressive, flexural, and shear tests. The results are used in a numerical model to calculate the channel intrusion of GDM. The intrusion calculation from the numerical model agrees well with the measurements from an intrusion measurement setup and a pressure drop measurement device for various GDM. A simplified reactant flow redistribution model of parallel channels developed in this study suggests that a 5% variation in GDM intrusion can result in a 20% reduction of reactant flow in the most intruded channel. The GDM intrusion and intrusion variation are found to induce significant performance discrepancy among cells of a 30-cell automotive fuel cell stack consisting of two different production lots of commercial GDM. The study suggests that in the future mass production of fuel cell stacks, GDM manufacturers need to greatly tighten their product variations in mechanical property and thickness to ensure reliable PEM fuel cell operations. (C) 2008 Global Technology Inc. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available