Performance of all-vanadium liquid flow energy storage battery

What is a vanadium flow battery?

The vanadium flow battery (VFB) as one kind of energy storage technique that has enormous impact on the stabilization and smooth output of renewable energy. Key materials like membranes, electrode, and electrolytes will finally determine the performance of VFBs.

What is a vanadium redox flow battery?

All vanadium liquid flow battery is a kind of energy storage medium which can store a lot of energy. It has become the mainstream liquid current battery with the advantages of long cycle life, high security and reusable resources, and is widely used in the power field. The vanadium redox flow battery is a “liquid-solid-liquid” battery.

Does the vanadium flow battery leak?

It is worth noting that no leakages have been observed since commissioned. The system shows stable performance and very little capacity loss over the past 12 years, which proves the stability of the vanadium electrolyte and that the vanadium flow battery can have a very long cycle life.

What is the structure of a vanadium flow battery (VRB)?

The structure is shown in the figure. The key components of VRB, such as electrode, ion exchange membrane, bipolar plate and electrolyte, are used as inputs in the model to simulate the establishment of all vanadium flow battery energy storage system with different requirements (Fig. 3 ).

How to determine the optimal flow rate of a vanadium electrolyte?

A dynamic model of the VRFB based on the mass transport equation coupled with electrochemical kinetics and a vanadium ionic diffusion is adopted to determine the optimal flow rate of the vanadium electrolyte by solving an on-line dynamic optimization problem, taking into account the battery capacity degradation due to electrolyte imbalance.

Why is ion exchange membrane important in a vanadium redox flow battery?

The ion exchange membrane not only separates the positive and negative electrolytes of the same single cell to avoid short circuits, but also conducts cations and/or anions to achieve a current loop, which plays a decisive role in the coulombic efficiency and energy efficiency of the vanadium redox flow battery.