Fuel cell water management

摘要

A polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell water management device is provided. The device includes a hydrophilic water transport element spanning from inside the fuel cell to outside the fuel cell and disposed between a gas diffusion layer and a current collector layer in the cell. The transport element includes an intermediate wick outside the fuel cell that is hydraulically coupled to the transport element, and has a transport element structure integrated with a flow field structure within the fuel cell. The device further includes an electroosmotic pump, where the pump is located outside the fuel cell and is hydraulically coupled to the intermediate wick. The hydraulically coupled pump actively removes excess water from the flow field structure and the gas diffusion layer through the transport element, where a key aspect of the invention is the decoupling of water removal from oxidant delivery and reduced parasitic loads.