Experimental Analysis of Water Vapor Diffusion Through Porous Membranes in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Bansal, Lalit Kumar and Deepu, P and Basu, Saptarshi (2015) Experimental Analysis of Water Vapor Diffusion Through Porous Membranes in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell. In: JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME, 137 (12, SI).

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Abstract

We report the diffusion characteristics of water vapor through two different porous media, viz., membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a nonoperational fuel cell. Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) was employed for measuring water vapor concentration in the test channel. Effects of the membrane pore size and the inlet humidity on the water vapor transport are quantified through mass flux and diffusion coefficient. Water vapor transport rate is found to be higher for GDL than for MEA. The flexibility and wide range of application of TDLAS in a fuel cell setup is demonstrated through experiments with a stagnant flow field on the dry side.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME
Publisher:	ASME
Additional Information:	Copy right for this article belongs to the ASME, TWO PARK AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10016-5990 USA
Keywords:	PEM fuel cells; TDLAS; laser diagnostics; heat transfer; narrow channels; water vapor concentration
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Mechanical Engineering
Date Deposited:	10 Dec 2015 05:47
Last Modified:	10 Dec 2015 05:47
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/52860

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