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A reduced-order 2D model for water management and reliability in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Espinoza-Andaluz, Mayken LU and Andersson, Martin LU orcid (2026) 2026 IEEE Green Technologies Conference, GreenTech 2026 In IEEE Green Technologies Conference p.518-522
Abstract

Water management is a critical factor for the performance and reliability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) operating as energy generation systems. Inadequate operating conditions may lead to non-uniform water distribution, resulting in membrane dehydration or flooding of porous media, both of which adversely affect cell operation. In this work, a two-dimensional reduced-order model is developed to analyze water transport and operational reliability in a single PEFC. The model resolves vapor transport, liquid water formation, and membrane hydration at the cell scale, enabling the identification of operational risk regions as functions of current density, inlet relative humidity, and flow conditions. Area-based metrics are... (More)

Water management is a critical factor for the performance and reliability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) operating as energy generation systems. Inadequate operating conditions may lead to non-uniform water distribution, resulting in membrane dehydration or flooding of porous media, both of which adversely affect cell operation. In this work, a two-dimensional reduced-order model is developed to analyze water transport and operational reliability in a single PEFC. The model resolves vapor transport, liquid water formation, and membrane hydration at the cell scale, enabling the identification of operational risk regions as functions of current density, inlet relative humidity, and flow conditions. Area-based metrics are introduced to quantify dry-out and flooding risks, and combined risk maps are used to delineate reliable operating envelopes. The results exhibit physically consistent trends and clear spatial localization of water-related operational risks, demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed approach for supporting reliable operation and design of fuel cell-based energy systems.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Degradation precursors, Flooding, PEM fuel cells, Reduced-order models, Reliability
host publication
2026 IEEE Green Technologies Conference, GreenTech 2026
series title
IEEE Green Technologies Conference
pages
518 - 522
publisher
IEEE Computer Society
conference name
2026 IEEE Green Technologies Conference, GreenTech 2026
conference location
Boulder, United States
conference dates
2026-03-25 - 2026-03-27
external identifiers
  • scopus:105037017704
ISSN
2166-5478
DOI
10.1109/GreenTech68285.2026.11471581
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8a17471f-6224-487a-a520-8c2840e2c818
date added to LUP
2026-05-07 18:06:33
date last changed
2026-06-04 11:04:25
@inproceedings{8a17471f-6224-487a-a520-8c2840e2c818,
  abstract     = {{<p>Water management is a critical factor for the performance and reliability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) operating as energy generation systems. Inadequate operating conditions may lead to non-uniform water distribution, resulting in membrane dehydration or flooding of porous media, both of which adversely affect cell operation. In this work, a two-dimensional reduced-order model is developed to analyze water transport and operational reliability in a single PEFC. The model resolves vapor transport, liquid water formation, and membrane hydration at the cell scale, enabling the identification of operational risk regions as functions of current density, inlet relative humidity, and flow conditions. Area-based metrics are introduced to quantify dry-out and flooding risks, and combined risk maps are used to delineate reliable operating envelopes. The results exhibit physically consistent trends and clear spatial localization of water-related operational risks, demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed approach for supporting reliable operation and design of fuel cell-based energy systems.</p>}},
  author       = {{Espinoza-Andaluz, Mayken and Andersson, Martin}},
  booktitle    = {{2026 IEEE Green Technologies Conference, GreenTech 2026}},
  issn         = {{2166-5478}},
  keywords     = {{Degradation precursors; Flooding; PEM fuel cells; Reduced-order models; Reliability}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{518--522}},
  publisher    = {{IEEE Computer Society}},
  series       = {{IEEE Green Technologies Conference}},
  title        = {{A reduced-order 2D model for water management and reliability in polymer electrolyte fuel cells}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/GreenTech68285.2026.11471581}},
  doi          = {{10.1109/GreenTech68285.2026.11471581}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}