Effects of Compression on the Removal of Water Droplet from GDLs of PEM Fuel Cells

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with a sound potential for employing in the propulsion systems of green vehicles are currently at a high stage of development. However, appropriate water management is crucial for further development of PEMFCs. In the current investigation, the role of gas diffusion layer (GDL) compression and wettability on the removal of a water droplet from different GDLs with dissimilar levels of compression (0%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) and wettability (contact angles of 80 degrees, 105 degrees, and 150 degrees) is inspected by numerous 3D lattice Boltzmann simulations. The results of this study demonstrate that by increasing of compression level, the droplet ejection will be more probable. Besides, for hydrophobic GDLs (i.e., contact angles of 105 degrees and 150 degrees) adding compression will help the removal process, regardless of the compression amount. However, for the hydrophilic GDLs (contact angle of 80 degrees) adding compression is not necessarily helpful.