Experimental Investigation and Visualization of Water Transport in Gas-Diffusion Layer of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

In Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC), heat and water are generated as a side-production. The accumulated water leads to a decrease in PEMFCs efficiency; therefore, water has to be removed and flooding has to be prevented. In this study, by an experimental model and implementation of transparent Gas-Diffusion Layer (GDL), water transport in PEMFC is visualized and the fingering mechanisms in GDL are studied. The effect of added Micro Porous Layer (MPL) on water flooding in GDL has been also examined. Results show the characteristics of the two-phase regime in GDL are similar to the capillary fingering. Moreover; the fingers inside the GDL are generated by the capillary forces. In addition, it is observed that lateral flow on the Catalyst Layer (CL) leads to an increase in water flooding in GDL in which PEMFC efficiency is decreased.