Abstract
A quantitative investigation has been carried out to examine the effect of through-plane temperature gradients on water transport across the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The presence of a temperature gradient across the cell was found to cause a significant amount of water to transport through the MEA in the direction towards the colder side; the water transport rate increased with temperature and temperature gradient. This study reveals the importance of thermo-osmosis in PEM fuel cells (PEMFCs) and the need to consider the through-plane temperature profile in water management design and operation in PEMFCs.
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