Abstract
A polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) generates electricity by the electrochemical reaction. It is well known that the water accumulation in the gas diffusion layer (GDL) reduces the cell performances. Hence, itis important to clarify the liquid water transport phenomenon in the PEFC. In this study, visualization of water transport phenomenon in an operating PEFC was carried out by using neutron radiography at Kyoto University Research Reactor (KUR). The two-dimensional water distributions in the through-plane of the membrane in the PEFC were compared between the experimental and the numerical results. The experimental results showed that more water accumulation was occurred in the GDL under the rib than that under the channel, and the analytical results could predict almost the same distributions in the GDL. It was found that the analytical results of water distributions were strongly influenced with the phase-change speed. Mole fraction of the vapor in the GDL under the rib was higher than that under the channel and it influenced the water accumulation in the GDL significantly.
