Mass transfer in the ElectroCell Microflow and MP cell and the effect of mesh electrodes

• Published in: Journal of electroanalytical chemistry (Lausanne, Switzerland) Vol. 918; p. 116481
• Main Authors: Weusten, S.J.C., van der Schaaf, J., de Groot, M.T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-08-2022; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Electrolytic cells; Filter-press; Mass transfer; Mesh electrodes; Porous electrode; Reactors; Surface area; Mesh electrodes; Electrochemistry; Filter-press; Porous electrode; Mass transfer
• ISSN: 1572-6657; 1873-2569
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2022.116481

•The empty channel Electrocell Microflow Cell and MP Cell perform similarly to their larger counterparts in literature.•Turbulence promoters enhance mass transfer by a factor 1.4–1.5.•Mesh electrodes greatly enhance mass transfer (between a factor 2.1 and 2.8)•Woven mesh electrodes result in 5.7 to 6.7 times faster reaction rates.
The Electrocell family of electrolyzers is a set of differently sized commercially available electrochemical flow reactors, suitable for scaling up new electrochemical processes. In this work mass transfer correlations are established for the smallest two flow cells, namely the Microflow cell (MFC) and MP cell (MPC). The empty channel performance of the MFC and MPC is comparable to similar lab-scale reactors in literature, such as the FM01-LC and the larger Electrocell Electro Syn cell. Turbulence promoters enhance mass transfer in the MFC and MPC by only a factor 1.4 and 1.5 respectively. Also, the performance of mesh electrodes was investigated: woven and expanded mesh electrodes result in a factor 2.1 to 2.8 enhancement in mass transfer when the surface area of the mesh is considered. The overall reaction rate is enhanced by a factor 5.9 to 6.7 for woven meshes, and 1.9 to 3.0 for expanded meshes due to the higher surface area of the woven meshes. Fine woven meshes therefore seem the preferred type of electrodes for reactions limited by mass transfer.