Experimental study of performance enhancement in PEMEC with titanium mesh flow structure via in-situ temperature measurement

A proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell (PEMEC) is a promising method for hydrogen production. However, the flow-field structure of PEMEC presently has the disadvantages of poor fluidity and uneven heat distribution. A titanium mesh flow field was, therefore, proposed to replace the traditional parallel channel structure. A single-cell test platform was set up in this study, and a new in situ temperature measurement method was proposed. The temperature variation and electrolysis performance of titanium mesh structures were studied experimentally. The results demonstrated that the polarization performance of the titanium mesh structure was enhanced compared to that of the parallel structure. In situ measurements showed that the temperature increased and the voltage decreased with an increase in the inlet temperature and flow rate, with the rate of change gradually decreasing. The temperature distribution in the titanium mesh structure was more uniform than that in the parallel structure. When the current density and inlet flow rate step were changed, the voltage stabilized within 12 s. After 100 h of operation, the voltage of the parallel structure and titanium mesh structure increased by 0.12 V and 0.07 V, respectively, indicating good dynamic and duration performance.