I am working on the design for a homemade PEM electrolyzer, and my goal is to make it as compact as possible, so as to allow easy transport. My question, as it relates to that, is whether - with the same applied current - the volume of water inside the electrolyzer would influence the rate of decomposition into H2 and O2.
1 Answer
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There are many factors that would influence the rate, e.g. area, spacing and type of electrodes, electrolyte, current and current density, etc. However, if the only factor changed was volume (i.e. electrodes are fully immersed and always at the top of the solution on a float, not at the bottom where pressure might change), volume would have no effect at first.
However, as the reaction proceeds and the concentration of the electrolyte starts to change, due to water loss and possibly due to dissolution of electrodes, the concentration would change more slowly with a large volume of electrolyte. Therefore, there might be a second-order difference as electrolysis proceeds.
answered Nov 18, 2020 at 23:54
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$\begingroup$ Thanks for the feedback, however I'm a little unclear what you mean by there being a "second-order" difference. And my electrodes will be made from graphene oxide, which is not easy to corrode as it transfers current with a high degree of efficiency without breaking down. $\endgroup$– CJLCommented Nov 23, 2020 at 4:36