Water Content Measurement of Gas Diffusion Media and Membranes by Neutron Radiography

Abstract

Neutron radiography is an excellent tool for measuring water in metallic housings; in stable conditions measurement sensitivity down to 4 μm water thickness in a 127 μm pixel has been demonstrated (1). Recent advances in detector technology have produced neutron imaging detectors with spatial resolution approaching or less than 10 μm, enabling direct measurement of the water content in gas diffusion media (GDM) and membranes with a through-plane thickness greater than 100 μm. This improvement in spatial resolution is demonstrated in Figure 1 for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) operated nominal under the same conditions. This article will focus on the performance of high resolution neutron imaging detectors and image analysis methods for fuel cell research.