Effects of an MPL on water and thermal management in a PEMFC

نویسندگانFereshteh Salimi Nanadegani _ Ebrahim Nemati Lay_ Bengt Sunden
نشریهInternational Journal of Energy Research
شماره صفحات274-296
نوع مقالهFull Paper
تاریخ انتشارJanuary 2019
رتبه نشریهISI
نوع نشریهچاپی
کشور محل چاپآلمان

چکیده مقاله


In this study, the effects of adding a microporous layer (MPL) as well as the impact of its physical properties on polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) performance with serpentine flow channels were investigated. In addition, numerical simulations were performed to reveal the effect of relative humidity and operating temperature. It is indicated that adding an extra between the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and catalyst layer (CL), a discontinuity in the liquid saturation shows up at their interface because of differences in the wetting properties of the layers. In addition, results show that a higher MPL porosity causes the liquid water saturation to decrease and the cell performance is improved. A larger MPL thickness reduces the cell performance. The effects of MPL on temperature distribution and thermal transport of the membrane prove that the MPL in addition to being a water management layer also improves the thermal management of the PEMFC