Liquid Water Transport Behavior at GDL-Channel Interface of a Wave-Like Channel

Ikechukwu S. Anyanwu, Zhiqiang Niu, Daokuan Jiao, Aezid-Ul-Hassan Najmi, Zhi Liu and Kui Jiao
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Ikechukwu S. Anyanwu: State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Zhiqiang Niu: State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Daokuan Jiao: State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Aezid-Ul-Hassan Najmi: State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Zhi Liu: State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Kui Jiao: State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: This paper evaluates the liquid water at the gas diffusion layer-channel (GDL-channel) interface of reconstructed GDL microstructures with uniform and non-uniform fiber diameters in wave-like channels. A non-uniform GDL microstructure is reconstructed for the first time at the GDL-channel interface to evaluate droplet motion. The three-layer GDL microstructures are generated using the stochastic technique and implemented using the OpenFOAM computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software (OpenFOAM-6, OpenFOAM Foundation Ltd., London, UK). The present study considers the relationship between reconstructed GDL surfaces with varying fiber diameters, wettability, superficial inlet velocity and droplet size. Results show that the droplet detachment and the average droplet velocity decrease with an increase in the fiber diameter as well as the structural arrangement of the fibers. Under the non-uniform fiber arrangement, the removal rate of water droplets is not significantly improved. However, the choice of smaller fiber diameters facilitates the transport of droplets, as hydrophobicity increases even at slight surface roughness. The results also indicate that the average droplet velocity decreases under low inlet velocity conditions while increasing under high inlet velocity conditions. Therefore, the structural make-up of the GDL-channel interface influences the droplet dynamics, and the implementation of a non-uniform GDL structure should also be considered in the GDL designs.

Keywords: proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC); gas diffusion layer (GDL); GDL-channel interface; OpenFOAM computational fluid dynamics (CFD); volume of fluid (VOF) method; wave-like channel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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