Investigation of the influence of the void fraction on the energy consumption of a vertical electrolyser under natural convection

Author(s)

Wosiak, Gabriel ; Sena, Sthefany S. ; Carneiro-Neto, Evaldo B. ; Lopes, Mauro C. ; Pereira, Ernesto ; da Silva, Jeyse

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING; v. 10, n. 3, p. 7-pg., 2022-03-31.

Abstract

The ongoing need to develop and enhance current energy sources to replace fossil fuels emphasizes the necessity of a thorough understanding of clean energy production methods such as hydrogen production via water electrolysis. This work provides a versatile CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation that describes an alkaline water electrolyzer, which considers the electrolyte's performance, electrode materials, separator membrane, and the impact of generated bubbles in the electrolysis considering anodic and cathodic reactions at the same time. The bubble presence affects the applied cell potential and the local current distribution, and it is directly related to the efficiency of the process. For a multivariate view, a 2(3) factorial design was carried out, in which electrode material, applied current density, and the presence or absence of gas bubbles were simultaneously investigated. As a result, the contribution of each factor to the cell potential was calculated, their link to the applied current, and the cross-effects. Finally, we observed an important non-uniformity in the local current distribution and an increase in the spent energy due to the produced gases at current densities higher than 100 mA cm(-2). (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50249-8 - Green chemistry: sustainable synthetic methods employing benign solvents, safer reagents, and bio-renewable feedstock
• Grantee: Arlene Gonçalves Corrêa
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program
• FAPESP's process: 21/03592-2 - Finite element modeling and simulation of electrochemical devices
• Grantee: Evaldo Batista Carneiro Neto
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 17/11986-5 - Generation and storage of New Energy: bringing technological development for the country
• Grantee: Ana Flávia Nogueira
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program
• FAPESP's process: 19/27029-5 - Electrochemical carboxylation of organic molecules for the formation of high added value products
• Grantee: Jeyse Tawana da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 13/07296-2 - CDMF - Center for the Development of Functional Materials
• Grantee: Elson Longo da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC
• FAPESP's process: 18/24383-0 - Coupled electrochemical and microwave synthesis of new optimized electrode materials
• Grantee: Gabriel Wosiak Leite
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)