Flow dynamics and mass transfer studies in a tubular electrochemical reactor with a mesh electrode

The new strict legislation and regulation to protect the environment, has necessitated the use of clean technology in wastewater treatment. The performance of a tubular electrochemical reactor (TER) with a cylindrical mesh electrode has been investigated for wastewater treatment. The residence time distribution (RTD) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were used as tools to study the flow dynamic behavior of the electrolyte within the reactor. The effects of different flow rates on flow dynamics were studied. The results obtained show the positive influence of the mesh electrode on the flow dynamic behavior. The presence of a dead volume and short circuiting in the reactor decreased with an increase in the flow rate. The performance of the TER was experimentally validated by studying the mass transfer and the color removal efficiency and the results show an improvement for higher flow rates.

► RTD and CFD were used to understand the flow dynamics in tubular reactor.
► Cylindrical mesh electrode improves the flow dynamics of certain fluid elements.
► The defects in the tubular reactor decreased with an increase in the flow rate.