A collaborative study conducted by Skoltech University, Harbin Institute of Technology, and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology recently inquired into the ways a vanadium redox flow battery might respond to variations in temperature.
With all three universities based in cities with frigid cold seasons, it's no surprise that researchers hoped to optimize energy storage in temperatures as low as 5 C (41 F).
The study, published in the Journal of Power Sources, outlined a mathematical model for the behavior of a vanadium redox flow battery under different ambient conditions. Researchers hoped this would inform the engineering and development of future energy storage systems, particularly outdoor ones.
"Low ambient temperatures … [lead] to substantial capacity loss due to increased concentration losses and enhanced electrolyte conversion," explained Skoltech's Mikhail Pugach to Tech Xplore. "However, at high load currents … the electrolyte temperature can rise by more than 15°C over 10 charge-discharge cycles, stabilizing flow and capacity."
The vanadium redox flow battery can operate in two different modes. The constant flow rate mode lends itself to instability under lower temperatures. The constant pump power mode allows the battery to overcome the risk of power losses.
Applying a higher current relative to the surface area in constant pump power mode can induce a "self-heating" phenomenon. Through that process, the battery "can operate stably even under low ambient temperatures" that would otherwise impede the current, as noted by Skoltech's Stanislav Bogdanov to Tech Xplore.
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The research team in this study observed and recorded potential power losses under various conditions. By examining many scenarios, the researchers aimed to help large-scale energy storage systems maintain peak efficiency regardless of seasonal difficulties.
Flow batteries have proven especially useful in managing energy at a large scale, per Tech Xplore. They can help energy grids with providing more reliable energy.
During colder weather, instead of depending on an increased power supply to offset losses, power consumers can trust in flow batteries and their local grids to keep power retention high, driving electrical costs down.
A more stable energy storage system can likewise reduce pressure on our power plants, helping cut down on the planet-heating carbon pollution that stems from the burning of fossil fuels.
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