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Effect of gas evolution on mixing and conversion in a flow‐through electrochemical reactor
Author(s) -
Petersen Matthew A.,
Reardon Kenneth F.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.11827
Subject(s) - mixing (physics) , tracer , electrolysis , flow (mathematics) , groundwater , péclet number , mechanics , volumetric flow rate , complete mixing , chemistry , environmental science , mass transfer , nuclear engineering , electrode , electrolyte , geology , geotechnical engineering , engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics
Flow‐through electrolytic reactors (FTER) emplaced below the subsurface may be used to control the migration of groundwater contamination away from source zones. During prior studies with FTERs, water electrolysis and associated gas generation have occurred concurrently with contaminant degradation. Gas evolution‐induced mixing within the electrode assembly has the potential to impact system performance. A mathematical model of the system was developed to capture the impact of mixing on transport processes in the system. Corresponding transient and steady‐state tracer experiments using ferricyanide as a model contaminant were conducted to quantify mixing‐dependent parameters and verify modeling results. Over a range of relevant groundwater flowrates, Peclet numbers were between 0.1 and 10, indicating that mixing was a important process under low‐flow conditions. Comparison of experiments and model calculations demonstrated that incorporating gas evolution into the model was necessary for accurate performance prediction. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009