Compartmental models for the electrolytes exit age distribution with and without air flow in the electrochemical mixed flow reactor

This paper focuses on understanding the behavior of electrolyte's flow through an electrochemical mixed flow reactor by studying the residence time distribution. Tracer tests were utilized to examine the residence time distribution at several mixing speeds (300, 450, and 600 rpm), without and with an airflow by various compartment models. The results revealed that the models of the ideal reactor with a dead volume and the ideal reactor with bypass were failed to express the experimental data, while a three-parameter model that was consist of a dead volume, a bypass, and an exchange fraction succeeded to describe the electrolyte exit age distribution behavior. The value of bypass fraction increased for the electrochemical mixed flow reactors without airflow. Whereas, in the presence of airflow, the bypass fraction values decreased with an increase in the mixing speed. The fraction of active volume decreased with mixing speed increasing for the reactor with and without airflow. The values of the fluid exchange fraction were relatively high and reduced with the increase in mixing speed in the reactor without airflow, while this phenomenon differed in the reactor with an airflow. The values of the experimental average residence time were close to that obtained by the solved compartment model.