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Sub-millibar pressure gradient along a gravity-driven percolated CO<sub>2</sub> gas diffusion electrode for vertical scale-up
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Bjornar Sandnes ,
Enrico Andreoli
Industrial Chemistry & Materials
Swansea University Authors:
Craig Armstrong , Bjornar Sandnes , Enrico Andreoli
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PDF | Version of Record
© 2026 The Author(s). Co‐published by the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry. This Open Access Article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1039/d5im00372e
Abstract
Herein the operating principles of a carbon dioxide electrolyser employing a percolator material and a gravity-fed electrolyte are demonstrated. By precisely adjusting reservoir elevations, the catholyte pressure profile applied to the CO2 gas diffusion electrode as a function of height is deliberat...
| Published in: | Industrial Chemistry & Materials |
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| ISSN: | 2755-2608 2755-2500 |
| Published: |
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
2026
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71467 |
| Abstract: |
Herein the operating principles of a carbon dioxide electrolyser employing a percolator material and a gravity-fed electrolyte are demonstrated. By precisely adjusting reservoir elevations, the catholyte pressure profile applied to the CO2 gas diffusion electrode as a function of height is deliberately manipulated. This approach enables the control of pressure differentials across the entire electrode, and the mitigation of hydrostatic pressure accumulation within the catholyte which would otherwise exceed the limited pressure resilience of present electrodes. To rationalise the fluid physics of operation, a tractable model that predicts the internal pressure profile within the percolator was developed, requiring only simple reservoir height adjustments to account for head losses specific to the electrolyser architecture. To validate and apply this model, a 32 cm tall electrolyser with vertical differential pressure monitoring was employed, demonstrating sub-millibar pressure gradients during operation. Under these conditions, stable CO2 electrolysis was achieved, demonstrating the prospect of vertically scaled systems which is critical for industrial implementation. |
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| Keywords: |
Falling film electrolyser (FFE); Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (EC-CO2R); Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs); Differential pressure; Vertical scale-up; Stability |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
Support was provided by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through the SUSTAIN Manufacturing Hub EP/S018107/1, and by Research Wales Innovation Fund through a Collaboration Booster Grant. |