Aa. Wragg et Aa. Leontaritis, LOCAL MASS-TRANSFER AND CURRENT DISTRIBUTION IN BAFFLED AND UNBAFFLEDPARALLEL-PLATE ELECTROCHEMICAL REACTORS, Chemical engineering journal, 66(1), 1997, pp. 1-10
Measurements of average and local mass transfer distributions were mad
e in a parallel plate electrochemical cell using the limiting diffusio
n current technique based on ferricyanide ion reduction at nickel elec
trodes. The cell was operated with and without baffles. The local mass
transfer coefficient values given by arrays of surface-flush mounted
nickel mini-electrodes exhibited a distribution that reflected the com
plex hydrodynamics associated with phenomena such as cell inlet and ex
it effects and flow reversal at the baffles. In the unbaffled cell, th
e behaviour was dominated by a global swirling motion in the cell driv
en by the inlet jets. A relatively inactive zone appeared in the middl
e of the cell. Overall, the cell exhibited superior mass transfer perf
ormance when operated with baffles. The behaviour is compared with tha
t in a similar cell described by Goodridge et al.