Current density and ohmic resistance distribution in the land-channel direction of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

A highly instrumented segmented cell is designed to measure current density and ohmic resistance distribution in the land-channel direction of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell at resolution of 350 μm. A customized catalyst coated membrane with an active area of 9 mm2 is prepared, and a printed-circuit board technique is introduced to ease fabrication of segmented anode and to adapt design to any flow arrangement. Design of segmented cell is validated by electrochemical pumping of hydrogen from anode to cathode. Current density and ohmic resistance distribution are measured in two wet conditions (at 40 °C and 60 °C) and a dry condition at 60 °C. In all cases a strong correlation between current generation and ohmic resistance distribution is observed. Outcomes from these experiments revealed that the water distribution has a strong effect on the local current generation and ohmic resistance. In wet condition ohmic resistance is uniform but current generation found to be non-uniform because of the non-uniform liquid water distribution. In dry condition, on the other hand, non-uniform water generation resulted in both uneven current generation and ohmic resistance.