Abstract
Effects of mechanical compression and PTFE content on the through-plane gas permeability of gas diffusion layers (GDLs) of PEM fuel cells are investigated both experimentally and theoretically. A new test bed is designed and built which allows pressure drop and air flow rate measurement for various GDL samples. The measured values are used to calculate the through-plane permeability. Various GDLs are obtained and tested over a wide range of PTFE content and compression ratio. The experimental data show a reverse relationship between the through-plane permeability and both PTFE content and mechanical compression. An existing model for through-plane permeability of planar fibrous structures is revisited to develop a model that accommodates effects of PTFE content and mechanical compression. The proposed model captures the trends of the experimental data for the through-plane permeability, measured in the present study or reported by others.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 94-99 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Power Sources |
| Volume | 204 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 15 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Experimental study
- Gas diffusion layer
- Mechanical compression
- Modeling
- PEM fuel cell
- Through-plane permeability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering