The PI proposes to continue his investigations into the underlying principles that govern the dynamic behavior of chemical reactors by studying unsteady state behavior. His objectives are to gain insight into chemical processes and to use the results as paradigms with which the understanding of chemical dynamics can be advanced. He plans to look at two systems: electrochemical and two-phase processes. The modelling of the dynamics of electrodissolution of metals can have various forms: one approach is to model the process with ordinary differential equations derived from surface reactions on the electrode surface while other models have as an intrinsic property the diffusion through a film on the electrode surface. The PI plans to look at both types of models and experimentally determine the best one. He also plans to look at the dynamics of electrochemical reactions other than metal dissolution such as the electrochemical catalytic reactions. The dynamics of gas-liquid continuous chemical reactor systems will also be studied. Reaction occurs in the liquid phase and one of the reactants, normally oxygen, is absorbed from a gaseous phase. The PI plans to investigate the effect of reaction on the rate of mass transfer, and consequently, the interaction of enhanced mass transfer with oscillatory behavior. Mathematical models will be postulated and then experimentally verified.
