- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine
Access Provided by Xinjiang University

Physical Review Fluids

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Access by Xinjiang University

Growth and detachment of single hydrogen bubbles in a magnetohydrodynamic shear flow

Dominik Baczyzmalski*

Franziska Karnbach

Gerd Mutschke, Xuegeng Yang, and Kerstin Eckert

Margitta Uhlemann

Christian Cierpka

  • Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics, Universität der Bundeswehr München, D-85577 Neubiberg, Germany

  • IFW Dresden, Institute for Complex Materials, D-01069 Dresden, Germany and Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01062 Dresden, Germany

  • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden–Rossendorf, Institute of Fluid Dynamics, D-01314 Dresden, Germany

  • IFW Dresden, Institute for Complex Materials, D-01069 Dresden, Germany

  • Institute of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, Technische Universität Ilmenau, D-98684 Ilmenau, Germany

  • *dominik.baczyzmalski@unibw.de
PDF

Phys. Rev. Fluids 2, 093701 – Published 15 September, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.2.093701

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shear flow on the growth and detachment of single sub-millimeter-sized hydrogen gas bubbles. These bubbles were electrolytically generated at a horizontal Pt microelectrode (100μm in diameter) in an acidic environment (1 M H2SO4). The inherent electric field was superimposed by a homogeneous electrode-parallel magnetic field of up to 700 mT to generate Lorentz forces in the electrolyte, which drive the MHD flow. The growth and motion of the hydrogen bubble was analyzed by microscopic high-speed imaging and measurements of the electric current, while particle tracking velocimetry (μPTV) and particle image velocimetry (μPIV) were applied to measure the surrounding electrolyte flow. In addition, numerical flow simulations were performed based on the experimental conditions. The results show a significant reduction of the bubble growth time and detachment diameter with increasing magnetic induction, which is known to improve the efficiency of water electrolysis. In order to gain further insight into the bubble detachment mechanism, an analysis of the forces acting on the bubble was performed. The strong MHD-induced drag force causes the bubble to slowly slide away from the center of the microelectrode before its detachment. This motion increases the active electrode area and enhances the bubble growth rate. The results further indicate that at large current densities the coalescence of tiny bubbles formed at the foot of the main bubble might play an important role for the bubble detachment. Moreover, the occurrence of Marangoni stresses at the gas-liquid interface is discussed.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

References (53)

  1. H. Vogt, On the supersaturation of gas in the concentration boundary layer of gas evolving electrodes, Electrochim. Acta 25, 527 (1980).
  2. C. Sillen, The effect of gas bubble evolution on the energy efficiency in water electrolysis, Ph.D. thesis, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands, 1983.
  3. P. J. Sides, Phenomena and effects of electrolytic gas evolution, in Modern Aspects of Electrochemistry (Plenum Press, New York, 1986), Vol. 18, pp. 303–354.
  4. H. Vogt and R. J. Balzer, The bubble coverage of gas-evolving electrodes in stagnant electrolytes, Electrochim. Acta 50, 2073 (2005).
  5. K. Zeng and D. Zhang, Recent progress in alkaline water electrolysis for hydrogen production and applications, Prog. Energy Combust. Sci. 36, 307 (2010).
  6. M. Wang, Z. Wang, X. Gong, and Z. Guo, The intensification technologies to water electrolysis for hydrogen production: A review, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 29, 573 (2014).
  7. F. Hine and K. Murakami, Bubble effects on the solution IR drop in a vertical electrolyzer under free and forced convection, J. Electrochem. Soc. 127, 292 (1980).
  8. F. Hine, M. Yasuda, R. Nakamura, and T. Noda, Hydrodynamic studies of bubble effects on the ir-drops in a vertical rectangular cell, J. Electrochem. Soc. 122, 1185 (1975).
  9. B. E. Bongenaar-Schlenter, L. J. J. Janssen, S. J. D. van Stralen, and E. Barendrecht, The effect of the gas void distribution on the ohmic resistance during water electrolytes, J. Appl. Electrochem. 15, 537 (1985).
  10. J. Eigeldinger and H. Vogt, The bubble coverage of gas-evolving electrodes in a flowing electrolyte, Electrochim. Acta 45, 4449 (2000).
  11. B. J. Balzer and H. Vogt, Effect of electrolyte flow on the bubble coverage of vertical gas-evolving electrodes, J. Electrochem. Soc. 150, E11 (2003).
  12. D. Zhang and K. Zeng, Evaluating the behavior of electrolytic gas bubbles and their effect on the cell voltage in alkaline water electrolysis, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 51, 13825 (2012).
  13. L. M. A. Monzon and J. M. D. Coey, Magnetic fields in electrochemistry: The Lorentz force: A mini-review, Electrochem. Commun. 42, 38 (2014).
  14. J. A. Koza, S. Mühlenhoff, P. Żabiński, P. Nikrityuk, K. Eckert, M. Uhlemann, A. Gebert, T. Weier, L. Schultz, and S. Odenbach, Hydrogen evolution under the influence of a magnetic field, Electrochim. Acta 56, 2665 (2011).
  15. T. Iida, H. Matsushima, and Y. Fukunaka, Water electrolysis under a magnetic field, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154, E112 (2007).
  16. Z. Diao, P. A. Dunne, G. Zangari, and J. M. D. Coey, Electrochemical noise analysis of the effects of a magnetic field on cathodic hydrogen evolution, Electrochem. Commun. 11, 740 (2009).
  17. H. Matsushima, T. Iida, and Y. Fukunaka, Observation of bubble layer formed on hydrogen and oxygen gas-evolving electrode in a magnetic field, J. Solid State Electrochem. 16, 617 (2012).
  18. H. Matsushima, T. Iida, and Y. Fukunaka, Gas bubble evolution on transparent electrode during water electrolysis in a magnetic field, Electrochim. Acta 100, 261 (2013).
  19. T. Weier, D. Baczyzmalski, J. Massing, S. Landgraf, and C. Cierpka, The effect of a Lorentz-force-driven rotating flow on the detachment of gas bubbles from the electrode surface, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 42, 20923 (2017).
  20. D. Baczyzmalski, F. Karnbach, X. Yang, G. Mutschke, M. Uhlemann, K. Eckert, and C. Cierpka, On the electrolyte convection around a hydrogen bubble evolving at a microelectrode under the influence of a magnetic field, J. Electrochem. Soc. 163, E248 (2016).
  21. T. Weier and S. Landgraf, The two-phase flow at gas-evolving electrodes: Bubble-driven and Lorentz-force-driven convection, Eur. Phys. J.: Spec. Top. 220, 313 (2013).
  22. D. Baczyzmalski, T. Weier, C. J. Kähler, and C. Cierpka, Near-wall measurements of the bubble- and Lorentz-force-driven convection at gas-evolving electrodes, Exp. Fluids 56, 162 (2015).
  23. J. F. Klausner, R. Mei, D. M. Bernhard, and L. Z. Zeng, Vapor bubble departure in forced convection boiling, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 36, 651 (1993).
  24. L. Z. Zeng, J. F. Klausner, D. M. Bernhard, and R. Mei, A unified model for the prediction of bubble detachment diameters in boiling systems, II: Flow boiling, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 36, 2271 (1993).
  25. G. E. Thorncroft, J. F. Klausner, and R. Mei, Bubble forces and detachment models, Multiphase Sci. Technol. 13, 42 (2001).
  26. R. Situ, T. Hibiki, M. Ishii, and M. Mori, Bubble lift-off size in forced convective subcooled boiling flow, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 48, 5536 (2005).
  27. D. Chen, L. Pan, and S. Ren, Prediction of bubble detachment diameter in flow boiling based on force analysis, Nucl. Eng. Des. 243, 263 (2012).
  28. G. Duhar and C. Colin, Dynamics of bubble growth and detachment in a viscous shear flow, Phys. Fluids 18, 077101 (2006).
  29. X. Yang, F. Karnbach, M. Uhlemann, S. Odenbach, and K. Eckert, Dynamics of single hydrogen bubbles at a platinum microelectrode, Langmuir 31, 8184 (2015).
  30. D. Fernández, P. Maurer, M. Martine, J. M. D. Coey, and M. E. Möbius, Bubble formation at a gas-evolving microelectrode, Langmuir 30, 13065 (2014).
  31. G. Sakuma, Y. Fukunaka and H. Matsushima, Nucleation and growth of electrolytic gas bubbles under microgravity, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 39, 7638 (2014).
  32. F. Mugele and J. C. Baret, Electrowetting: From basics to applications, J. Phys.: Cond. Matter 17, R705 (2005).
  33. X. Yang, D. Baczyzmalski, C. Cierpka, and K. Eckert, Marangoni convection at electrogenerated hydrogen microbubbles (unpublished).
  34. S. Lubetkin, The motion of electrolytic gas bubbles near electrodes, Electrochim. Acta 48, 357 (2002).
  35. P. Boissonneau and P. Byrne, An experimental investigation of bubble-induced free convection in a small electrochemical cell, J. Appl. Electrochem. 30, 767 (2000).
  36. F. Karnbach, X. Yang, G. Mutschke, J. Fröhlich, J. Eckert, A. Gebert, K. Tschulik, K. Eckert, and M. Uhlemann, Interplay of the open circuit potential-relaxation and the dissolution behavior of a single H2 bubble generated at a Pt microelectrode, J. Phys. Chem. C 120, 15137 (2016).
  37. H. Liu, L. Pan, and J. Wen, Numerical simulation of hydrogen bubble growth at an electrode surface, Can. J. Chem. Eng. 94, 192 (2016).
  38. H. Liu, L. Pan, H. Huang, Q. Qin, P. Li, and J. Wen, Hydrogen bubble growth at micro-electrode under magnetic field, J. Electroanal. Chem. 754, 22 (2015).
  39. Q. Chen, L. Luo, H. Faraji, S. W. Feldberg, and H. S. White, Electrochemical measurements of single H2 nanobubble nucleation and stability at pt nanoelectrodes, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 5, 3539 (2014).
  40. D. Fernández, M. Martine, A. Meagher, M. E. Möbius, and J. M. D. Coey, Stabilizing effect of a magnetic field on a gas bubble produced at a microelectrode, Electrochem. Comm. 18, 28 (2012).
  41. L. Luo and H. S. White, Electrogeneration of single nanobubbles at sub-50-nm-radius platinum nanodisk electrodes, Langmuir 29, 11169 (2013).
  42. M. Rossi, R. Segura, C. Cierpka, and C. J. Kähler, On the effect of particle image intensity and image preprocessing on depth of correlation in micro-PIV, Exp. Fluids 52, 1063 (2012).
  43. C. Cierpka and C. J. Kähler, Particle imaging techniques for volumetric three-component (3D3C) velocity measurements in microfluidics, J. Vis. 15, 1 (2012).
  44. C. J. Kähler, S. Scharnowski, and C. Cierpka, On the uncertainty of digital PIV and PTV near walls, Exper. Fluids 52, 1641 (2012).
  45. C. Cierpka, R. Segura, R. Hain, and C. J. Kähler, A simple single camera 3C3D velocity measurement technique without errors due to depth of correlation and spatial averaging for microfluidics, Meas. Sci. Technol. 21, 045401 (2010).
  46. G. Mutschke, D. Baczyzmalski, C. Cierpka, F. Karnbach, M. Uhlemann, X. Yang, K. Eckert, and J. Fröhlich, Numerical simulation of mass transfer and convection near a hydrogen bubble during water electrolysis in a magnetic field, Magnetohydrodyn. 53, 193 (2017).
  47. C. A. C. Sequeira, D. M. F. Santos, B. Šljukić, and L. Amaral, Physics of electrolytic gas evolution, Brazil. J. Phys. 43, 199 (2013).
  48. D. R. Lide, CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 87th ed. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2006).
  49. P. K. Weissenborn and R. J. Pugh, Surface tension of aqueous solutions of electrolytes: Relationship with ion hydration, oxygen solubility, and bubble coalescence, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 184, 550 (1996).
  50. J. Magnaudet, S. H. U. Takagi, and D. Legendre, Drag, deformation, and lateral migration of a buoyant drop moving near a wall, J. Fluid Mech. 476, 115 (2003).
  51. J. Magnaudet, Small inertial effects on a spherical bubble, drop, or particle moving near a wall in a time-dependent linear flow, J. Fluid Mech. 485, 115 (2003).
  52. D. Legendre and J. Magnaudet, The lift force on a spherical bubble in a viscous linear shear flow, J. Fluid Mech. 368, 81 (1998).
  53. R. Clift, J. R. Grace, and M. E. Weber, Bubbles, Drops, and Particles (Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1978).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Fluids 2, 093701– Published 15 September, 2017
  • Received 23 June 2017

©2017 American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation