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The 3D structure of GDL for fuel cells was measured using high-resolution X-ray tomography in order to study material transport in the GDL. A computational algorithm has been developed to remove noise in the 3D image and construct 3D elements representing carbon fibers of GDL, which were used for both structural and fluid analyses. Changes in the pore structure of GDL under various compression levels were calculated, and the corresponding volume meshes were generated to evaluate the anisotropic permeability of gas within GDL as a function of compression. Furthermore, the transfer of liquid water and reactant gases was simulated by using the volume of fluid (VOF) and pore-network model (PNM) techniques. In addition, the simulation results of liquid water transport in GDL were validated by analogous experiments to visualize the diffusion of fluid in porous media. Through this research, a procedure for simulating the material transport in deformed GDL has been developed; this will help in optimizing the clamping force of fuel cell stacks as well as in determining the design parameters of GDL, such as thickness and porosity. |
