In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), it is important to control water transport in the cell to supply oxygen smoothly to the reaction zone. Produced water in the catalyst layer transports through micro-porous layer (MPL), gas diffusion layer (GDL), and then reaches to the channel. All of the layers are important for the water control, and this study focuses on the water transport behavior in the GDL, which has complex fiber structure. For observation of the motion, a scale model experiment was developed using silicon oil and water to keep Capillary number equivalent to the actual cell. The fiber structure of the GDL was fabricated with a 3D printer. With the scale mode, effects of GDL property such as wettability on the water behavior were investigated, and the results were compared to the numerical simulation with Lattice Boltzmann Method.
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