Thermo-electrical regime of a vertical electrolyzer: Estimates of the effects of electric conductivity and gas evolution

Some estimates of the distribution of the electric field and current in a vertical electrolyzer are made. The homogeneity criterion, connecting electrode sizes, working space thickness, electrolyte conductivity, and electrode conductivity is obtained. This criterion is verified in numerical calculations. The effects of the gas phase in a vertical electrolyzer are estimated under homogeneous and nonhomogeneous distributions of the potential with height in the working space. It is shown that, under conditions when two-phase models of a liquid with bubbles can be used, the effect of the gas phase on the potential and current distributions with height is insignificant in a number of cases. The research results can be used to select proper electrode materials and to verify and interpret the results of numerical modeling of two-phase electrolyte hydrodynamics in the working space of a vertical electrolyzer.