Along-flow-path gradient flow field enabling uniform distributions of reactants for redox flow batteries

Pan，Lyuming1,3; Sun，Jing4; Qi，Honghao1,3; Han，Meisheng1,3; Chen，Liuping2,3; Xu，Junhui2,3; Wei，Lei1,3; Zhao，Tianshou1,3

2023-06-30

10.1016/j.jpowsour.2023.233012

Journal of Power Sources   Impact Factor & Quartile

0378-7753

Designing flow fields that can lead to uniform distributions of reactants at a minimum pump work is critical to enhancing the performance of redox flow batteries. This paper reports on an improved design of conventional serpentine flow fields, in which the channel depth is linearly reduced from the inlet to the outlet, speeding up the flow speed along the flow path and enhancing the under-rid convection downstream toward the outlet. Three-dimensional numerical simulations reveal that the optimized gradient at 25% (the channel-depth ratio between the outlet and inlet) can lead to the highest pump-based voltage efficiency. Experimental validations demonstrate that the application of the optimized flow field to a vanadium redox flow battery leads to significant improvements in both energy efficiency and electrolyte utilization, which is 5.0% and 27.7%, respectively, higher than that with the conventional serpentine flow field at a relatively high current density and low flow rate (400 mA cm, 12 mL min cm). The effectiveness of the flow field design in boosting the uniform reactant distribution provides a feasible approach for scaling up high-performance redox flow batteries.

Along-flow-path gradient design Energy efficiency Energy storage Flow field Redox flow battery

English

First ; Corresponding

National Natural Science Foundation of China[52206089];

MATERIALS SCIENCE

2-s2.0-85151729361

Scopus

1.Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering,SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
2.Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for Comprehensive Utilization of Well and Rocks Salt,Chinasalt Jintan Co.,Ltd.,Changzhou,213200,China
3.Joint Research Center on Energy Storage Technology in Salt Caverns,Shenzhen,518055,China
4.Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,Kowloon,Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong SAR,China

Pan，Lyuming,Sun，Jing,Qi，Honghao,et al. Along-flow-path gradient flow field enabling uniform distributions of reactants for redox flow batteries[J]. Journal of Power Sources,2023,570.

Pan，Lyuming.,Sun，Jing.,Qi，Honghao.,Han，Meisheng.,Chen，Liuping.,...&Zhao，Tianshou.(2023).Along-flow-path gradient flow field enabling uniform distributions of reactants for redox flow batteries.Journal of Power Sources,570.

Pan，Lyuming,et al."Along-flow-path gradient flow field enabling uniform distributions of reactants for redox flow batteries".Journal of Power Sources 570(2023).