TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: In the electrochemical cell (I), the means for extracting unwanted contaminants from the electrolyte include means for creating Taylor vortex flows in electrolyte. In the electrochemical cell (II): the Taylor vortex flows or circular couette flows are created in the fluid electrolyte; the first electrode is cylinder-like and its second surface layer is its inner surface layer; the second electrode is cylinder-like and its second surface layer is its outer surface layer that is located substantially parallel to and within the first cylinder-like electrode so as to create the chamber for the electrolyte between the electrodes; one chemical is a reductant and the other chemical is an oxidizer; the flows include Taylor vortex flows or circular couette flows; one of the electrode comprises a catalytic surface layer and protuberances that extend from the surface layer into the circular couette flows; one of the electrode catalytic surface layers comprises nanoporous metal foam, where the nanoporous metal foam comprises pores surrounded by scaffold struts, organic catalyst particles that decorate the scaffold struts or metal catalyst particles that decorate the scaffold struts; and the metal is platinum metals group or alloy comprising platinum metals group, where the alloy is platinum or ruthenium. The electrochemical cell (II): comprises means for controlling entry of a chemical into pores of an electrode layer so that reaction-time:residence-time is (ta/tr) less than or equal to 1/10; and comprises fuel reformer located with the second electrode that generates hydrogen gas, which enters into fuel cell by penetrating the second electrode. The reductant is hydrogen. In the system the electrochemical cell comprises fuel reformer located within the first electrode and having a fuel reformer chamber on the side of the first electrode that is opposite that of the electrolyte chamber where fuel from the reformer chamber penetrates the first electrode. Preferred Method: In the method, the rotation of one electrode with respect to the other electrode is at a rate sufficient to cause electrolyte circular couette flows in the electrolyte chamber. The method in which the cell contains a fuel reformer chamber between a fixed catalytic surface and a rotating catalytic surface and the method comprises: pumping a fuel containing hydrogen atoms into the fuel reformer chamber; and rotating the reformer rotating catalytic surface at a speed sufficient to cause fuel reformer Taylor vortex flows in reformer chamber, fuel cell Taylor vortex flows in the fuel cell electrolyte chamber, and hydrogen from the fuel to penetrate through anode electrode to creates hydrogen ions that pass into the electrolyte chamber. The rotation of one electrode with respect to the other electrode is at a rate sufficient to cause circular couette flows in the electrolyte chamber. In the system the first electrode is rotated a rate of rotation adequate to produce Taylor vortex flows within the fuel reformer chamber or to produce circular couette flows in the fuel reformer and the fuel cell electrolyte chamber. In the system electrodes are separated by an electrolyte chamber to permit one electrode to rotate within the other electrode and the electrolyte chamber has a gap distance (d), and gap length (l), and further comprises: (a) means for rotating one electrode with respect to the other electrode at Omega radians per second; (b) means for pumping electrolyte into and out of the chamber at a total volumetric exchange rate of U1/U2, where U2 is the volume of electrolyte in the chamber and U1 is the volumetric rate of flow into and out of the chamber; and (c) means for regulating the volumetric exchange rate of axial flow and Taylor number (Tc) of vortex flow in the electrolyte so that (Tc is equal to 2r2 Omega 2d3/v2(1+(r1/r2)) greater than 1.715(f(R1a)), and R1c is equal to ( Omega r1d/v) less than or equal to 104, where f(R1a) is 1+(0.297)(log10R1a)4.04342 (when R1a is greater than or equal to 1) or 1 (when R1a is 0-1), r1 is the largest radius of the first electrode, r2 is the smallest radius of the second electrode, v is kinematic viscosity of electrolyte ( mu (poise)/ rho (g/cc.), R1a is (dl/v)(U1/U2) and U1/U2 greater than or equal to 0. In the system a chemical reactant passing through the cell has a reaction time (ta) within the first or second electrode and comprising: means for causing the chemical reactant to pass through a reaction zone of the first or second electrode zone in a length of time (tr) that is at least 10 times a chemical conversion reaction time (ta) for the chemical reactant within the first or second electrode. In the electrochemical cell further improvement comprises: means for creating circular couette flows in the fluid; one cylinder-like electrode rotating relative to and separated by a fluid chamber from another cylinder-like electrode; fluid that is an electrolyte; protuberances that extend from the surface layer of the electrode into the circular couette flows. In the electrochemical cell the means for creating Taylor vortex flows includes the first cylindrical-like electrode enclosing the second cylindrical-like electrode separated from the first by the electrolyte chamber of gap distance (d) and length (l) and (a), (b), (c) as above per se. In the electrochemical cell RPM is 30 Omega / pi , coordinates of d and RPM are within a zone of operable parameters. In the electrochemical cell the improvement further comprises: the first electrode is reactive with a first chemical entering its pores from its first surface to produce a first ion at its second surface layer; the second electrode is reactive with a second chemical entering its pores from its first surface to produce a second ion at its second surface layer having a charge different from that of the first ion; means for controlling entry of a chemical into pores of the electrode surface layer so that reaction-time:residence-time is (ta/tr) less than or equal to 1/10.