Time-Resolved Water Measurement in a PEM Fuel Cell Using High-Resolution Neutron Imaging Technique

Published

July 16, 2010

Author(s)

David Jacobson, Daniel Hussey, Peng Quan, Ming-Chia Lai, Atul Kumar, Shinichi Hirano

Abstract

The dynamic process of water transport along the through-plane direction in the membrane electrode assembly of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell was investigated using the high-resolution neutron imaging. Four different membrane/gas diffusion layer or membrane/gas diffusion electrode assemblies were tested by measuring the through-plane water thickness profiles. The results indicate that proper design and assembly of the test fixture are critical for accurate water measurement; the accumulation speed of liquid water inside an assembly varies with time; the ionomer in catalyst layers could facilitate water management in the membrane; the time constants for wetting and drying processes are functions of gas diffusion layer thickness, inlet flow rate, and gas dew point; and the time constant for the wetting process is about 1.4 times longer than the corresponding drying process.

Citation

Journal of Power Sources

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4001017

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Keywords

Water transport, PEM fuel cell, Neutron imaging technique, Dynamic process, Time constant

Citation

Jacobson, D. , Hussey, D. , Quan, P. , Lai, M. , Kumar, A. and Hirano, S. (2010), Time-Resolved Water Measurement in a PEM Fuel Cell Using High-Resolution Neutron Imaging Technique, Journal of Power Sources, [online], https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4001017, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=901449 (Accessed March 11, 2026)