Experimental investigation of two-phase flow pressure drop transients in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell reactant channels and their impact on the cell performance

Fuel cells experience transients, which constitute a significant part of the drive cycle. Fuel cell response during these transients depends on the rates of reaction kinetics as well as mass transport delays. In the current work, an in situ setup is used to investigate the effect of changing load and temperature conditions on the two-phase flow in the fuel cell. Pressure drop and voltage response from the cell are used to characterize the two-phase flow and performance of the cell. The effect of changing load is simulated by changing the current by 20 A cm−2 (0.4 A cm−2) over a time period of 300 s, while the effect of changing cell temperature is studied by increasing/decreasing the cell temperature by 40 °C over 900 s. The results show that several minutes are required after a transient event for the two-phase flow to return to a new steady state condition. Transient effects are more prominent at the lower temperature of 40 °C, at which condition there is more liquid water present in the channels. Overshoot behavior, commonly seen in current and voltage response from fuel cells, has been observed for two-phase pressure drop during transient load changes.