Effect of hydrophilic pipe structure of proton exchange membrane fuel cell on water removal from the gas diffusion layer surface

In a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), effective GDL surface water elimination is significant to water management. This paper used the volume-of-fluid method (VOF) method to carry out simulation research on transferring liquid water in the flow channel with a hydrophilic pipe. The findings indicated that compared with a straight channel, a hydrophilic pipe structure could effectively remove water from the gas diffusion surface (GDL) and reduce the surface water coverage of the GDL. With the increase in the diameter and height of the pipe structure, the GDL surfaces water coverage first increased and then decreased, and it was less with the pipe structure than with the direct flow channel. The removal rate of water on the GDL surface was accelerated. The spacing of hydrophilic pipes has a significant impact on the transportation of water. As the spacing increases, the removal rate of water on the GDL surface slowed. A hydrophilic pipe structure with a diameter of 75 mm, a height of 400 mm, and spacing of 300 mm has good water removal performance on the GDL surface. This research work proposes a new internal structure design of the flow channel, which has specific implications for removing water on the GDL surface. (c) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study conducted simulation research on liquid water transfer in the flow channel with a hydrophilic pipe using the volume-of-fluid method, which proved that a hydrophilic pipe structure is more effective in removing water from the gas diffusion surface (GDL) and reducing its surface water coverage.