Design and testing of a water management system for LT-PEMFC based on liquid water injection and cathode gas recirculation

Dependent on the application, fuel cell systems face different challenges. The primary aim of the project presented is to increase the power density of an automotive system by reducing the size of the cathode air path and adjusting the operating conditions. 1D simulations suggested an approach utilizing liquid water injection combined with cathode gas recirculation could be feasible. This paper presents the development process and test results of a water injection system, the preliminary test results of two different approaches to cathode exhaust gas recirculation and first test results implementing this humidification strategy on a full-scale automotive fuel cell system.