Three-dimensional numerical study on hydrogen bubble growth at electrode

Abstract: 3D direct numerical simulation of electrolysis is applied to investigate the growth and detachment of bubbles at electrodes. The moving gas-liquid interface is modeled employing the VOF-based method. To ensure the accuracy of the simulations, a mesh-independence study has been performed. The simulations include the growth phase of the bubbles followed by their detachment from the electrode surface and the results are validated with analytical models and experimental data. The bubble growth is diffusion controlled leading to the scaling $R = 2\beta t^{1/2}$, but the growth exponent is overpredicted by our simulation during initial stage. Furthermore, it is proved that the nucleation sites of the bubble strongly influence gas transport by measuring the relevant Sherwood number. Finally, we investigate the effects of contact angle and nucleation sites on bubble detachment behavior, and compare the detachment radius with Fritz's formula, the results show a good agreement, confirming that buoyancy is the dominant driving force. As the nucleation sites increase, the induced bubble coalescence accelerates the bubble detachment. Taken together, these findings give us valuable insights into improving gas bubble removal and enhancing overall electrolysis efficiency.