Mathematical Model for a Parallel Plate Electrochemical Reactor, Cstr and Associated Recirculation System.

A mathematical model is presented for a system comprised of a parallel plate electrochemical reactor (ER) and a continuous, stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) under both total and partial recycle. The model is used to predict the time dependent behaviour of the electrowinning of copper from an aqueous, hydrochloric acid solution. The model includes many important aspects of an ER/CSTR system which have been neglected previously. These aspects are the kinetics of electrode reactions, the electroneutrality condition, three mass transfer processes for ionic species in the electrolyte (diffusion, ionic migration, and convection) and the electrode gap in the ER, and the inclusion of a true CSTR in the recycle stream.