Electrode current distribution in a hypochlorite cell

Abstract

Electrochemical production of gases, e.g. Cl2, H2 and O2, is generally carried out in vertical electrolysers with a narrow electrode gap. The evolution of gas bubbles, on one hand, speeds up the mass transport; on the other it increases the solution resistance and also the cell potential. The gas void fraction in the cell increases with increasing height and, consequently, the current density is expected to decrease with increasing height. Insight into the effects of various parameters on the current distribution and the ohmic resistance in the cell is of the utmost importance in understanding the electrochemical processes at gas-evolving electrodes. An example of the described phenomena is the on-site production of hypochlorite by means of a vertical cell. Experiments were carried out with a working electrode consisting of 20 equal segments and an undivided counter electrode. It has been found that the current distribution over the anode is affected by various electrolysis parameters. The current density,j, decreased linearly with increasing distance,h, from the leading edge of the electode. The absolute value of the slope of theI/h straight line increased with increasing average current density and temperature, and with decreasing velocity of the solution, NaCl concentration and interelectrode gap.