(434c) Rectangular Geometry of Catalytic Pore Domains for Electrochemical Systems: Role of the Deviations From “Ideality”

The study of catalytic pore in electrochemical systems is vital in determine the effectiveness region and acceptable pore size in chemical processes. This research outcome will be of help to predictions of system behaviors and assessing experimental results relevant to industries e.g. batteries, fuel cells. The “ideal” rectangular geometry for a case of, for example,  anode catalyst layer of direct formic acid fuel cell is analyzed and compared with a geometry  that deviates from the “ideal” strait one used to model the catalysts pore. This study will, for example, exemplify the role of the use of idealized geometrical domains (and their accuracy) in the prediction of system behaviors. A previous analysis (Nogalu and Arce, AIChE Annual Meeting, 2011) indicated that regions of parameter in the systems could lead to large errors for the sysem-level predictions. An effect in the deviation of the idealized geometry is still needed. This system is analyzed by employing the species mass balancing conservation equation and scaled up to the macroscopic level by employing area averaging-based approach. The system is solved analytically in conjunction with the scaling up by using the area averaging approach. The results obtained from the area averaging will enable us to determine the accuracy in, for example, the effectiveness factor for the system. The deviation from “ideality” will be quantified and the error percentage noted. Suggestions for the practical implications will be offered and future work, outlined.