Experimental Investigations of the Effect of Microporous Layer On Water Management in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Water management has been an important issue in the operation of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. A useful parameter to study is water crossover, which is defined as the amount of water transported from the anode to the cathode. A study of water crossover under various hardware configurations and operating conditions would give a good picture of where the water goes and provide insights in proper water management to avoid flooding and dry-out conditions. Currently, the effect of the microporous layer on removal of product water at the catalyst layer is still disputed. By using a fast and accurate water crossover measurement tool, the slope of the water crossover-current density curve was found to be indicative of the distribution of the generated water. The response of generated water distribution and water crossover to the presence of microporous layer under various operating conditions will be presented.