Abstract
In order to optimize the operation of PEMFC, it is needed to supply fuel and oxidant optimally and to remove produced water not to prevent smooth supply of gas to reactive electrode sites. It is clear that the operation at low local current density is good for fuel effective operation. Therefore, uniform distribution of current density is required for improving total efficiency of the fuel cell and also extends the lifetime of the MEA. In this study, several gas flow-fields were experimentally examined to find out the effect of geometry on the performance of PEMFC to give a helpful guide in designing optimal gas flow-fields. To confirm those experimental results, the temperature distributions on the electrodes inside operating fuel cells with different flow-field distributors were visualized, using an infrared thermometer camera and CaF_2 plate for the window of the cell.
