Mass transfer enhancement for mesh electrode in a tubular electrochemical reactor using experimental and numerical simulation method

The effect of electrode configuration on mass transfer rate in a tubular electrochemical reactor was investigated with the limiting-current method. The expression of mass transfer enhancement factor was derived from the dimensionless equations for different electrode configurations. Furthermore, the local velocity distribution in the tubular electrochemical reactor was simulated by computational fluid dynamics technology. These simulation results explained the reason of mass transfer enhancement for mesh electrode: the rotation of the solution is induced by high rates of shear, and small eddies are formed. The local velocity distributions in bulk for X-dimension get flatter because of the lateral momentum transfer. Due to the impact and obstruction of electrode holes, the turbulence of the electrolyte gets drastic and the mass transfer performance in the tubular electrochemical reactor is improved.