Fluidized Bed Electrodes—Fundamental Measurements and Implications

Abstract

THE possibility of using fluidized bed electrodes for simplifying engineering problems encountered in scaling up electrochemical processes from a laboratory to a plant scale has been the subject of recent articles¹. Back-hurst², together with Fleischmann and Goodridge³, has proposed the use of fluidized bed electrodes for chemical syntheses. These electrodes consist of a bed of solid, electrically conducting particles supported on a sintered or porous base through which an electrolyte can be pumped. The flowing electrolyte causes the bed to expand so that the electrolyte flows smoothly between the particles. Electrical contact to the bed is made by an inert conducting wire, plate or mesh, which may be called the feeder and which is inserted into the bed.