Gas components transport in the inhomogeneous cathode of PEM fuel cell

Abstract

In practical operation of the fuel cell both hydrogen and oxygen can contain some pollute particles as dust, carbon molecules or condensed water droplets. These particles can be together with gas mixture transported to gas diffusion layer where they settle down and clog electrode pores. These results in decreasing layer gas permeability and in effect also gas mixture flow. The deposition of these pollute particles is not distributed uniformly over whole electrode but instead concentrates in region, where gas mixture flows into electrode. This results in inhomogeneous distribution of layer permeability. Field equations for this case are formulated and next solved by finite element method.