Exploring the Impact of Concentration and Temperature Variations on Transient Natural Convection in Metal Electrodeposition: A Finite Volume Method Analysis

Abstract

A mathematical model was developed to accurately determine the current density, concentration, and velocity profiles in electrochemical reactors operating under natural convection conditions. The model considers the interplay of key variables, such as potential, concentration, and temperature linked to the hydrodynamics through the density field using the Boussinesq approximation. Thus, a comprehensive analysis under both laminar and turbulent flow conditions is provided. The computational algorithm that represents the model is implemented in OpenFOAM and it offers the ability to operate the reactor at a fixed cell potential difference or under potentiostatic and galvanostatic control. The model’s accuracy was verified in different parallel-plate reactors using copper deposition as a test reaction from dilute and concentrated solutions, showing a strong agreement with the experimental results. This tool can be leveraged to optimize cell design and operating conditions in electrochemical systems that involve significant natural convection, such as in the electrowinning and electrorefining industries.