CFD evaluation of internal manifold effects on mass transport distribution in a laboratory filter-press flow cell

The internal manifold geometry strongly influences the flow distribution inside an electrochemical reactor. The mass transport coefficient is a function of the flow pattern and is a key parameter in successful electrochemical reactor design and scale-up. In this work, a commercial computational flow dynamics (CFD) package was used to describe the flow pattern in the FM01-LC reactor at controlled volumetric flow rates (corresponding to mean linear flow velocities past the electrode surface between 0.024 and 0.11 m s−1). Numerical Re numbers were obtained for each local flow velocity at different positions in the reactor channel. From a known mass transport correlation (based on dimensionless groups, i.e. Sh, Re, Sc), numerical km values were obtained (in the range 200 < Re < 1,000) at different positions in the reactor channel. Computed km numbers are compared against experimental values. This computational approach could be useful in reactor design or selection since it facilitates a fast, preliminary reactor flow and mass transport characterisation without experimental electrochemical measurements.