Mass transfer in 3D‐printed electrolyzers: The importance of inlet effects

Abstract

This article investigates the effect of inlet shape, entrance length, and turbulence promoters on mass transfer by using 3D-printed electrolyzers. Our results show that the inlet design can promote turbulence and lead to an earlier transition to turbulent flow. The Reynolds number at which the transition occurs can be predicted by the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the inlet to the cross-sectional area of the electrolyzer channel. A longer entrance length results in more laminar behavior and a later transition to turbulent flow. With an entrance length of 550 mm, the inlet design did no longer affect the mass transfer performance significantly. The addition of gyroid type turbulence promoters resulted in a factor of 2 to 4 increase in mass transfer depending on inlet design, entrance length, and the type of promoter. From one configuration to another, there was a minimal variation in pressure drop (<1600 Pa).

Performance Enhancement of a Membrane Electrochemical Cell for CO2 Capture

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Mass transfer enhancement in electrochemical flow cells through 3D-printed biomimetic channels

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Effect of Flow Distributor Configuration on the Hydrodynamics in a Multipurpose Flow Electrochemical Reactor: Numerical Analysis and Experimental Characterization Employing Digital Image Treatment

“…Nevertheless, recent progress in electrochemical process applications demands the use of different reactor designs and configurations for specific electrochemical processes. In electrochemical reactors composed of flat electrodes, the implementation of new flow distributor configurations is a required task to improve the performance of this kind of reactor, particularly by enhancing the mass transport uniformity over the electrode surface, 7 minimizing the costs, and pressure drop, among other aspects.…”