Identifying liquid water and ice in model PEMFCs with high temporal-spatial resolutions using energy-selective neutron imaging

Song, F.; Higuchi, Yuki*; Kato, Satoru*; Yoshimune, Wataru*; Hibi, Shogo*; Nozaki, Hiroshi*; Hiroi, Kosuke  ; Takata, Shinichi  ; Shinohara, Takenao   

In our previous works, freezing and thawing of water in a full-sized fuel cell used in a commercial vehicle during cold-starts and shut-downs have been successfully observed from the through-plane direction using the energy selective neutron imaging (ESNI). To further clarify the icing mechanism in cell, observation of the cell cross-section is necessary. ESNI was conducted on miniature model cells to visualize the freezing processes within the cell cross-section. In the presentation, the development of ESNI in RADEN and the latest cross-sectional ESNI result are demonstrated. The potential and challenges of the technology is discussed.