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Dynamic control strategy for the electrolyte flow rate of vanadium redox flow batteries

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  • Wang, Tao
  • Fu, Jiahui
  • Zheng, Menglian
  • Yu, Zitao

Abstract

The vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) is considered to be one of the most promising technologies for large-scale energy storage, with the electrolyte flow rate capable of significantly affecting the mass transfer, temperature rise, and pump power losses of the VRB system. Although the flow-rate optimization under constant current has been addressed in the literature, few studies have investigated the control strategy for the electrolyte flow rate under varying (dis-)charge power that is common in practical applications. Moreover, fewer studies have considered the concentration discrepancy of the active species in the tank and stack in the flow-rate optimization. In this paper, the electrolyte flow-rate optimization is investigated by incorporating the influences of the flow rate on the mass transfer, temperature rise, and required pump power. A transient model of the VRB system is developed to derive the total power losses (by which the overall system energy efficiency is determined; include losses resulting from overpotentials, ohmic drops, and required pump power) as a function of the applied current, concentration of the active species in the stack, and flow rate of the electrolyte. Based on this model, a dynamic flow-rate control strategy is proposed for determining the optimal flow rate under varying (dis-)charge power and state-of-charge conditions. The simulation results show that the proposed control strategy can deliver a high VRB system efficiency of 87.7%, and manage the electrolyte temperature to the safe range during mild summer days.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Tao & Fu, Jiahui & Zheng, Menglian & Yu, Zitao, 2018. "Dynamic control strategy for the electrolyte flow rate of vanadium redox flow batteries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 613-623.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:227:y:2018:i:c:p:613-623
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.07.065
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Jefimowski, Włodzimierz & Szeląg, Adam & Steczek, Marcin & Nikitenko, Anatolii, 2020. "Vanadium redox flow battery parameters optimization in a transportation microgrid: A case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    3. Shouguang Yao & Xiaofei Sun & Min Xiao & Jie Cheng & Yaju Shen, 2019. "Equivalent Circuit Model Construction and Dynamic Flow Optimization Based on Zinc–Nickel Single-Flow Battery," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, February.
    4. Jienkulsawad, Prathak & Jirabovornwisut, Tossaporn & Chen, Yong-Song & Arpornwichanop, Amornchai, 2023. "Effect of battery material and operation on dynamic performance of a vanadium redox flow battery under electrolyte imbalance conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    5. Liu, Yongbin & Yu, Lihong & Liu, Le & Xi, Jingyu, 2021. "Tailoring the vanadium/proton ratio of electrolytes to boost efficiency and stability of vanadium flow batteries over a wide temperature range," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    6. Ni, Jing-Wei & Li, Ming-Jia & Ma, Teng, 2023. "The study of energy filtering management process for microgrid based on the dynamic response model of vanadium redox flow battery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    7. Sun, Jie & Zheng, Menglian & Yang, Zhongshu & Yu, Zitao, 2019. "Flow field design pathways from lab-scale toward large-scale flow batteries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 637-646.
    8. Chen, Hui & Li, Xiangrong & Gao, Hai & Liu, Jianguo & Yan, Chuanwei & Tang, Ao, 2019. "Numerical modelling and in-depth analysis of multi-stack vanadium flow battery module incorporating transport delay," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C), pages 13-23.
    9. Guarnieri, Massimo & Trovò, Andrea & Picano, Francesco, 2020. "Enhancing the efficiency of kW-class vanadium redox flow batteries by flow factor modulation: An experimental method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).

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