Author(s)

F. Tomasoni, J. F. Thomas, D. Yildiz, J. van Beeck & J. Deconinck

Abstract

Electrochemical processes are at the heart of a wide variety of both basic and advanced industrial activities. In many industrial electrochemical applications high flow rates are applied such that the electrochemical process is convectivetransport- dependent. In order to obtain the mass and charge transfer from the solution to the surface of the electrodes the flow field characterization is therefore essential. In view of understanding in detail such processes, this paper presents the preliminary characterization of the complex flow field that takes place in an electrochemical rotating cylinder reactor (short aspect ratio Γ = 1.7 and wide gap η = 0.16). For this purpose a combined experimental, numerical and theoretical approach is followed. The experimental characterization is performed using time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), a non-intrusive and laserbased experimental technique. Special attention is paid to the image processing and possible optical problems. The investigation is performed for different flow conditions, from moderate (1700) to high (13600) Reynolds number. The experimental results have been compared to the velocity profiles obtained using RANS and DNS simulations. The theoretical part of this study is to provide new analytical models based on the solution of the momentum boundary layer equation and of the mass and charge transport equations. The analytical velocity profile agrees well with the experimental data. Keywords: rotating cylinder electrode, PIV, RANS, DNS.

Keywords

rotating cylinder electrode, PIV, RANS, DNS.