Numerical Analysis and Optimization of Flow Rate for Vanadium Flow Battery Incorporating Temperature Effect

Abstract

The vanadium flow batteries that employ the vanadium element as active couples for both half-cells, thus avoiding cross-contamination, are promising large-scale energy storage devices. In this work, the flow rate is optimized by incorporating the temperature effects, attempting to realize a more accurate flow control and subsequently enhance the performance of vanadium flow batteries. This work starts with the development of a comprehensive dynamic model on the basis of mass conservation, followed by a modeling validation and a thorough investigation of the temperature effects on electrolyte viscosity and internal resistance. After that, the flow rate is optimized to incorporate such effects. It is found that the flow rate strategy needs to be regulated with the variation of temperature due to the variations of electrolyte viscosity and internal resistance. Moreover, a relatively low flow rate is preferable for low-temperature applications, while for the high-temperature use, a relatively high flow rate is encouraged. Such in-depth investigation can not only provide a cost-effective method to optimize the flow rate and predict the behaviors of vanadium flow batteries, but can also be of great benefit to the management, application, and promotion of vanadium flow batteries.