Pressure drop on water accumulation distribution for a micro PEM fuel cell with different flow field plates

Abstract

Time-dependent measurements of pressure drop in different flow fields on the cathode of a PEM fuel cell with different operating conditions of mass flow rates and cell temperatures on water accumulation were conducted. The results show that, among four flow fields studied herein, the interdigitated flow channel has the biggest pressure drop as well as the largest water accumulation at an early phase (⩽30 min) compared to those of the other three channels. In addition, the more water produced, the bigger the pressure drop that occurs. Similarly, the effects of mass flow rates at a fixed cell temperature were also examined and discussed.