Electrolyte reservoirs can be made in a large variety of shapes and sizes.

If thought and consideration is given to the design then electrolyte reservoirs can be made to fit almost any situation or requirements.

The basic requirement for a combined electrolyte reservoir and bubbler is to allow fluid to flow to your cell and allow the gas to return.

It is ideal for the fluid and gas to “bubble” through itself, as this helps to separate the two and provides a safety barrier to your cell in the event of flashback.

The larger the header tank the greater the need for a primary safety barrier in the form of an arrestor as the increased volume increases the need for material resistance to shock.

As a start we are going to look at a basic schematic so the principles of how this functions can be understood. I will also highlight some of the many combinations.

After this we can explore some of the construction options, including no special machining and another version which requires some special machining.

Option 1:

Vertical mounted, Horizontal alignment

In this first diagram is what we have found to be ideal regarding positive fluid and gas flow between the cell and the electrolyte reservoir.

You will notice that the blue line represent the gas and fluid flow arrangement, with fluid being gravity feed to the bottom of the cell and gas and fluid exiting through the top of the cell.

The HOH gas then bubbles through the entire fluid, indicated in yellow, then exits through the top, indicated in green.

As a configuration this is ideal for the following reasons:

• Maximises gas and fluid separation
• Utilises all fluid contained in the reservoir
• Minimises “slosh” through the exit port

Contraindications: (negatives)

• Occupies more space
• More complicated machining required