Water transport analysis of hollow fiber membrane humidifier module using response surface method

•Humidifier performance model was developed using response surface method.•The model is highly reliable, with an R2 of 0.996.•Validation shows 3% in mean deviation the maximum error value observed is 8%.•Temperature has the largest impact on water transport.•Sensitivity analysis was done to determine the humidifier performance. Water management is critical for the sustainability and durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). A humidifier is a device that maintains the PEMFC performance by controlling the intake humidity of the cathode air. In this study, a hollow fiber membrane is used to investigate the humidifier's performance by determining water transfer through it. The water transport through the hollow fiber membrane is affected by various operating factors such as temperature, flow rate, pressure, and relative humidity. Furthermore, the response surface method is applied to establish a regression model with the four main operational parameters. The reliability of the model is demonstrated by its high R-square value of ∼ 0.9967. Furthermore, this model was validated with a 3 % in mean deviation; the maximum error value observed is 8 %. The regression model is used to demonstrate the effect of the individual factors and the interaction among these variables. The sensitivity study reveals that the performance of the membrane humidifier exhibits a positive correlation with temperature, relative humidity, and flow rate and a negative correlation with pressure.