Three dimensional investigation of the effect of MPL characteristics on water saturation in PEM fuel cells

In this study, a three-dimensional and non-isothermal model of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell according to the multiphase mixture method was employed to analyze the influence of microporous layer (MPL) characteristics on water saturation and fuel cell performance. The modeled domain is divided into several regions comprising bipolar plate, gas channels, gas diffusion layers (GDLs), catalyst layers and polymer electrolyte membrane. A microporous layer has been sandwiched between the cathode GDL and the catalyst layer. In order to validate the model, the results were compared with the experimental data and a good agreement was observed. The results show that by placing the microporous layer between GDL and catalyst layer, a discontinuity appears in the liquid saturation and the species concentration at the contact surface of the layers. Therefore, the liquid water distribution in porous layers alongside the performance of the fuel cell largely depends on both structural and wetting propertie...