The objective of our study is to quantify the mass water transferred by various modes: diffusion, convection and migration. For the water transfer, the principal forces considered in the model are, the convection force, the osmotic force (i.e. diffusion) and the electric force (migration). The first of these forces results from a pressure gradient, the second of a concentration gradient and the third of a protons' migration from the anode to the cathode, which has an effect on the dipole of the water molecules (resistance force to the advancement). The numerical tool used to solve the equations' system is the finite element method. The results obtained numerically considering this method are concentration profiles and concentration variation with time and membrane thickness. These results illustrate the contribution of each mass transfer mode. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.