Experimental validation of equilibria in fuel cells with dead-ended anodes

This paper investigates the nitrogen blanketing front during the dead-ended anode (DEA) operation of a PEM fuel cell. It is found that the dynamic evolution of nitrogen accumulation in the DEA of a PEM fuel cell eventually arrives to a steady-state, which suggests the existence of equilibrium. We use a multi-component model of the two-phase, one-dimensional (along-channel) system to analyze this phenomenon. Specifically, the model is first verified with experimental observations, and then utilized to show the evolution toward equilibrium. The full order model is reduced to a second-order partial differential equation (PDE) with one state, which can be used to predict and analyze the observed steady state DEA behavior. The parametric study is performed focusing on the influence of the cathode pressure on the existence of equilibrium in the DEA condition.