Redox Flow Battery Cell Layout for Lower Electrolyte Pressure Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Redox flow batteries face challenges in reducing pressure loss of electrolyte solutions, leading to increased pump power requirements and decreased energy efficiency, as conventional meandering flow paths elongate and increase flow resistance.
Innovation Solution
The battery cell design incorporates a plurality of meandering flow paths with introduction, turn-back, and discharge sections, featuring inclined and stepped portions to efficiently diffuse electrolyte solutions over a wide area, reducing pressure loss and pump power by alternating lateral and vertical sections, and maintaining a uniform cross-sectional area and length to minimize flow resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional meandering flow paths are used in bipolar plates, then electrolyte solution can flow through the battery cell, but the flow paths elongate and increase flow resistance, leading to increased pressure loss and pump power requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The bipolar plate is divided into multiple separate flow paths instead of using a single long meandering path. Each flow path has a controlled length with introduction, turn-back, and discharge sections, preventing excessive elongation and reducing overall flow resistance and pressure loss
Solution Approach 2:
The flow paths utilize the widthwise direction of the bipolar plate more effectively by incorporating lateral sections that extend in the widthwise direction. This dimensional optimization allows the flow paths to cover the electrode area without excessive lengthening in the lengthwise direction, reducing flow resistance
2Area of stationary object
If meandering flow paths with long length are used, then electrolyte solution can cover wide area of electrode, but flow resistance increases and energy efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple segmented flow paths are arranged in parallel across the bipolar plate, allowing the electrolyte solution to cover a wide electrode area through distributed paths rather than a single long path, thereby maintaining energy efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the flow path (introduction-side, turn-back, discharge-side) are optimized with specific geometric characteristics. The turn-back section includes inclined or stepped portions that locally enhance electrolyte diffusion into the electrode while controlling overall path length to maintain energy efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cell that has a supply edge to which an electrolyte solution is supplied and a discharge edge from which the electrolyte solution is discharged has an introduction port that is in connection with the supply edge and a discharge port that is in connection with the discharge edge, and includes a plurality of meandering flow paths. Each of the meandering flow paths has an introduction-side section extending from the introduction port toward a discharge edge side, a turn-back section that is turned back from an end portion on the discharge edge side of the introduction-side section toward a supply edge side, and a discharge-side section reaching the discharge port from an end portion on the supply edge side of the turn-back section. The turn-back section has at least one of: an inclined portion extending in an oblique direction, and a stepped portion formed in a step shape.