Modeling of water transport through the membrane electrode assembly for direct methanol fuel cells

In this work, a one-dimensional, isothermal two-phase mass transport model is developed to investigate the water transport through the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for liquid-feed direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The liquid (methanol–water solution) and gas (carbon dioxide gas, methanol vapor and water vapor) two-phase mass transport in the porous anode and cathode is formulated based on classical multiphase flow theory in porous media. In the anode and cathode catalyst layers, the simultaneous three-phase (liquid and vapor in pores as well as dissolved phase in the electrolyte) water transport is considered and the phase exchange of water is modeled with finite-rate interfacial exchanges between different phases. This model enables quantification of the water flux corresponding to each of the three water transport mechanisms through the membrane for DMFCs, such as diffusion, electro-osmotic drag, and convection. Hence, with this model, the effects of MEA design parameters on water crossover and cell performance under various operating conditions can be numerically investigated.