Rastislav Putala1 , Viktor Ferencey2
1) Institute of Power Machines and Equipment, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, STU in Bratislava
2) Hydrogen Fuel Cells Slovakia, j.s.c. Bratislava
Abstract: This paper focuses on the complex transport processes in the cathode tract of a hydrogen PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell, which significantly affect the achieved values of the cell output parameters. Transport processes on the cathode side of a hydrogen PEM fuel cell are specific to different parts (sections) of the cathode tract, which includes the cathode gas flow channel denoted by the symbol GFC, the reactant-air diffusion layer (GDL) and the cathode catalytic layer (CCL). The individual parts of the cathode tract differ in their function, design and material. It is shown how the generally valid equations are affected by the physical structure of the PEM fuel cell. Since several phases coexist during the operation of the fuel cell, it is shown where interphase interactions occur. The paper explicitly describes the main factors that affect the quality of transport processes in individual parts of the cathode tract of a hydrogen PEM fuel cell.
Key words: hydrogen fuel cell, gas transport, diffusion layer, catalytic layer, cathode, air, oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor, protons, electrons, reactants.
Reactants and energies balance diagram of a PEM fuel cell system.
![Schematic of a PEM fuel cell with key transport processes indicated by arrows and the region of interest indicated by a rectangle.[B]](https://fuelcell.sk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Schematic-of-a-PEM.png)
Schematic of a PEM fuel cell with key transport processes indicated by arrows and the region of interest indicated by a rectangle.[B]