Spatial Distribution of Pressure Using Fluid Physics for the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery and Minimizing Fluid Crossover Between the Battery Electrodes

Abstract

Our focus in this treatment is a relatively novel approach to minimizing the fluid transfer imbalance between the negative and positive electrodes of a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) through the membrane, and determination of the horizontal/lateral change in pressure across each electrode, as well as the vertical pressure distributions. Underpinnings of the fluid transfer are the Darcy continuum equation. Here we develop analytical equations from the field equations affecting the fluid flow in the VRFB, which are very useful for controlling settings in battery stacks consisting of several cells.