The flow in a narrow (3 mm wide) vertical gap of an electrochemical cell with gas evolution at one electrode is modeled by means of the two-phase Euler-Euler model. The results indicate that at certain conditions an unsteady type of flow with vortices and recirculation regions can occur. Such flow pattern has been observed experimentally, but not reported in previous modeling studies. Further analysis establishes that the presence of a sufficient amount of small (similar to 10 mu m) bubbles is the main factor causing this type of flow at high current densities. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.