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The continuous stirred tank electrochemical reactor. An overview of dynamic and steady state analysis for design and modelling

  • Reviews of Applied Electrochemistry 30
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Abstract

The continuous stirred tank reactor is frequently adopted as a model for electrochemical reactors. This article brings together the various important aspects of the model: dynamics, thermal characteristics, residence time distributions and steady state characteristics and gives an overview of the design procedures.

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Abbreviations

A :

magnitude of stepchange

C j :

concentration of speciesj (mol m−3)

C f :

friction factor

CE:

current efficiency

C s j :

concentration of speciesj at the surface (mol m−3)

C ji :

inlet concentration of speciesj (mol m−3)

C p :

heat capacity (J kg−1 K−1)

d p :

mean particle diameter (m)

D c :

dispersion coefficient

D a :

Damköhler number

e :

voidage

E :

electrode potential (V)

E T :

cell voltage (V)

E 0d :

decomposition potential (V)

f :

parameterF/RT (V−1)

F :

Faraday number

G j :

transfer function

H :

enthalpy (kJ mol−1)

ΔH r :

heat of reaction (kJ mol−1)

ΔH v :

heat of vaporization (kJ mol−1)

i :

current density (A m−2)

i T :

total current density (A m−2)

i * :

dimensionless current density =i 1/n 1 Fk LA C A0

I :

current (A)

I j :

partial current for reactionj (A m−2)

k :

homogeneous reaction rate constant (s−1)

k j :

electrochemical rate constant in forward direction for stepj (m s−1 (mol m−3)1−w)

k −j :

electrochemical rate constant in reverse direction for stepj (m s−1 (mol m−3)1−w)

K bl :

reverse electrochemical rate parameter (m s−1)

K Lj :

mass transport coefficient of speciesj (m s−1)

K :

equilibrium constant

K p :

gain

L :

electrode length (m)

m :

total mass of electrolyte (kg)

m j :

mass of componentsj (kg)

n :

tank number

N :

number of tanks

n j :

mol of speciesj

P :

pressure (bar)

Q :

heat flow (kJ s−1)

Q ex :

heat from external source (kJ s−1)

Q v :

enthalpy of vaporization (kJ.s−1)

Q L :

heat losses (kJ s−1)

r j :

rate of electrode processes (mol m−3 s−1)

r-i :

rate of electrode processes in reverse direction (mol m−3 s−1)

B :

gas constant (kJ mol−1 K−1)

R e :

internal electrical resistance (Ω)

s :

Laplace transform operator

S :

surface area (m2)

S :

selectivity

t :

time (s)

T :

temperature (K)

T j :

inlet temperature of electrolyte (K)

u :

velocity (m s−1)

U :

overall heat transfer coefficient (kJ m−2 K−1 s−1)

v :

volumetric flowrate of electrolyte

V :

volume (m3)

W :

mean mass flowrate (kJ s−1)

w 1,w 2,w j :

reaction order exponents

x :

dimension of reactor

X 1,X 2 :

perturbation variables

X 1 :

fractional conversion of speciesj

Y 1,Y 2 :

perturbation variables

z :

dimensionless length

Bo :

Bodenstein number

Pe :

Peclet number

Re :

Reynolds number

α′:

transfer coefficient (V−1)

β:

coefficient defining potential dependence of electrochemical rate constant = α′nF (V−1)

ϱ:

density (kg m−3)

τ:

residence time (s)

τL :

dimensionless residence time

\(\bar \eta\) :

effectiveness factor

η:

overpotential (V)

σ:

specific surface area (m−1)

ν:

parameter στ (s m−1)

a:

anode

c:

cathode

i:

inlet

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science and Technology, Teesside Polytechnic, TS1 3BA, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, UK

    K. Scott

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  1. K. Scott
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Scott, K. The continuous stirred tank electrochemical reactor. An overview of dynamic and steady state analysis for design and modelling. J Appl Electrochem 21, 945–960 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01077579

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01077579

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