Analysis of Mass Transfer and Fluid Flow for Electrochemical Processes

Numerical analyses of fluid flow and mass transfer in electrochemical systems will become more common. It may be difficult, however, to utilize currently available commercial solvers for mass transfer, especially when concentration fields are coupled through an electrical field or through homogeneous chemical reactions. The large Schmidt numbers that are important in electrochemistry may also imply that mass-transfer calculations require much finer computational grids than fluid-flow simulation. Nevertheless, commercial fluid-flow solvers will often be adopted. Attention must be paid to experimental verification of the simulations.The focus of this review has been on mass transfer in laminar, single-phase flows. Significant work is necessary for the rigorous analysis of current distribution in turbulent flows. Progress is also required for the analysis of current distribution in multiphase flows, especially in porous media relevant to fuel cell or battery applications.