Combination of cumulative and convergent flows as a means to improve the uniformity of tertiary current distribution in parallel-plate electrochemical reactors

Abstract

The study of current distribution is usually made in order to determine the performance of an electrochemical reactor. A comparison of the different types of current distributions is performed concluding that the tertiary one is the most unfavorable in parallel-plate electrochemical reactors. To overcome the problem, a reactor with a perpendicular and cumulative flow at the inlet region coupled with a convergent flow along the axial length, based on previous experimentally validated ideas,1,2 is theoretically analyzed for laminar flow conditions. This configuration allows an important improvement in the reactor performance characterized by a more uniform current distribution under limiting current conditions.