Water electrolysis and pressure drop behaviour in a three-dimensional electrode

Abstract

Water electrolysis from acidified solution was used as a model system to investigate the net contribution of hydrogen bubbles to the pressure drop increase in a three-dimensional electrode. A bed of silvered glass beads in both fixed and fluidized state was used, assuming an unchanging particle surface during the experiments. Pressure drop behaviour with time was measured for different experimental conditions and presented relative to the pressure drop determined for a bubble free bed. Parameters, such as current density, electrolyte velocity and particle size, greatly influence the relative pressure drop behaviour in the three-dimensional electrode. A sudden increase in the pressure drop occurs with the appearance of a gas phase in the bed, reaching a constant value (plateau) after a certain time; this plateau corresponds to steady state conditions. The pressure drop increases with increasing current density. This increase is in the range 40-150% relative to the bubble free electrolyte flow through the bed. Electrolyte flow-rate also strongly influences the pressure drop in the hydrogen evolving fixed bed electrode. It was observed that the relative pressure drop decreases with increasing electrolyte velocity. At higher flow rates, peaks occur on the pressure drop-time curves, indicating the existence of channeling inside the bed in which spouting occurs. The time to reach the pressure drop plateau decreases with increasing electrolyte velocity as do the time intervals corresponding to maximum pressure drop values. At the minimum fluidization velocity the peaks disappear and the relative pressure drop decreases with time, tending to approach a constant value. For hydrogen evolution in the fluidized bed, the pressure drop is lower than that measured in the absence of gas, and reason for this decrease being the gas hold-up in the bed.