The characteristics of a divided, industrial scale electrochemical reactor with five bipolar electrodes (each having a projected area of 0.72 m(2)) were examined in terms of mass transport, pressure drop and flow dispersion. Global mass transport data were obtained by monitoring the (first order) concentration decay of dissolved bromine (which was generated in situ by constant current electrolysis of a 1 mol dm(-3) NaBr(aq)). The global mass transport properties have been compared with those reported in the literature for other electrochemical reactors. The pressure drop over the reactor was calculated as a function of the mean electrolyte flow velocity and flow dispersion experiments showed the existence of slow and fast phases, two-phase flow being observed at lower velocities. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.