Investigation of the Optimum Operative Conditions for a Parallel Plate Electrochemical Reactor

Abstract

A new solver named POTisoFOAM is presented to predict and investigate the performance of electrochemical reactors. Its mathematical model is developed and implemented through finite volume methods and exploits the flexibility of the open source package OpenFOAM. The solver consists of two consecutive predictor-corrector loops. The first solves the pressure and velocity fields accounting for turbulence, while the second handles the ions transport and current conservation. The equations' system is further complicated by means of the non linear Buttler-Volmer boundary conditions. Despite the strong coupling between the charged ions and the electric potential, the reconstruction of the tertiary current density distribution is achieved. This study simulates the electrodeposition of copper, where changes in the electrodes geometry due to material deposition and corrosion are taken into account with the intent to predict the electrodes' replacements and the productivity of the reactor.

Mass Transfer Study inside a Li Production Electrolysis Cell Based on a Rigorous CFD Analysis

“…The presence of the bubbles and their movement through the reactor promotes turbulence in the liquid phase, however due to their low concentration, the gas turbulence as well as the bubble-bubble collisions can be neglected [13]. Therefore the standard k − ε model is used only for the liquid phase as previously done in [14]. The model is chosen for its easy convergence, its robustness, and for performing well in the bulk of the flow.…”