One to two-phase electrolysis processes behavior under spatial conditions

Homogeneous accelerations, like gravity or inertia, leads to a buoyant force and a natural electro-induced flow, due to density gradients (one phase) or due to evolving bubbles (two phases) which occurs during some electrolysis processes such as the water electrolysis. There are interesting effects when the acceleration value is modified. Only few knowledge on the impact of the acceleration forces upon the deposit properties at continuous and mesoscopic scales, for both one and two-phase electrolysis processes, is available. In the present work, predictive calculations result of the deposition rate and the deposit structure with uniform buoyant forces are presented. Numerical simulations for 0, 1 and 10 times the earth acceleration have been performed and are explored in detail. Continuous scale calculations have been done using the finite volume method. The mesoscopic properties in term of structure are obtained using random walker calculations. The link between the inputs of this algorithm and the outputs of the continuous scale calculations is discussed. Finally, qualitative and quantitative evolution of the structure with acceleration is proposed and discussed regarding experimental results. The consequence of a two-phase character upon the electro-induced flow at a vertical bubble evolving electrode is finally presented in terms of primary current density distribution evolution with the imposed electrical potential.