Enhancing Mass Transport in Organic Redox Flow Batteries Through Electrode Obstacle Design
This study examines the impact of incorporating obstacles in the electrode structure of an organic redox flow battery with a flow-through configuration. Two configurations were compared: A control case without obstacles (Case 1) and a modified design with obstacles to enhance mass transport and unif...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/1/29 |
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| author | Joseba Martínez-López Unai Fernández-Gamiz Eduardo Sánchez-Díez Aitor Beloki-Arrondo Íñigo Ortega-Fernández |
| author_facet | Joseba Martínez-López Unai Fernández-Gamiz Eduardo Sánchez-Díez Aitor Beloki-Arrondo Íñigo Ortega-Fernández |
| author_sort | Joseba Martínez-López |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examines the impact of incorporating obstacles in the electrode structure of an organic redox flow battery with a flow-through configuration. Two configurations were compared: A control case without obstacles (Case 1) and a modified design with obstacles to enhance mass transport and uniformity (Case 2). While Case 1 exhibited marginally higher discharge voltages (average difference of 0.18%) due to reduced hydraulic resistance and lower Ohmic losses, Case 2 demonstrated significant improvements in concentration uniformity, particularly at low state-of-charge (SOC) levels. The obstacle design mitigated local depletion of active species, thereby enhancing limiting current density and improving minimum concentration values across the studied SOC range. However, the introduction of obstacles increased flow resistance and pressure drops, indicating a trade-off between electrochemical performance and pumping energy requirements. Notably, Case 2 performed better at lower flow rates, showcasing its potential to optimize efficiency under varying operating conditions. At higher flow rates, the advantages of Case 2 diminished but remained evident, with better concentration uniformity, higher minimum concentration values, and a 1% average increase in limiting current density. Future research should focus on optimizing obstacle geometry and positioning to further enhance performance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e20facf1e9f04d78ad453e9cec2fa86f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2313-0105 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Batteries |
| spelling | doaj-art-e20facf1e9f04d78ad453e9cec2fa86f2025-01-24T13:22:28ZengMDPI AGBatteries2313-01052025-01-011112910.3390/batteries11010029Enhancing Mass Transport in Organic Redox Flow Batteries Through Electrode Obstacle DesignJoseba Martínez-López0Unai Fernández-Gamiz1Eduardo Sánchez-Díez2Aitor Beloki-Arrondo3Íñigo Ortega-Fernández4Nuclear Engineering and Fluid Mechanics Department, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Nieves Cano 12, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, SpainNuclear Engineering and Fluid Mechanics Department, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Nieves Cano 12, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, SpainCentre for Cooperative Research on Alternative Energies (CIC EnergiGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Alava Technology Park, Albert Einstein 48, 01510 Vitoria-Gasteiz, SpainTECNALIA Research & Innovation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Mikeletegi Pasealekua 2, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainTECNALIA Research & Innovation, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Mikeletegi Pasealekua 2, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, SpainThis study examines the impact of incorporating obstacles in the electrode structure of an organic redox flow battery with a flow-through configuration. Two configurations were compared: A control case without obstacles (Case 1) and a modified design with obstacles to enhance mass transport and uniformity (Case 2). While Case 1 exhibited marginally higher discharge voltages (average difference of 0.18%) due to reduced hydraulic resistance and lower Ohmic losses, Case 2 demonstrated significant improvements in concentration uniformity, particularly at low state-of-charge (SOC) levels. The obstacle design mitigated local depletion of active species, thereby enhancing limiting current density and improving minimum concentration values across the studied SOC range. However, the introduction of obstacles increased flow resistance and pressure drops, indicating a trade-off between electrochemical performance and pumping energy requirements. Notably, Case 2 performed better at lower flow rates, showcasing its potential to optimize efficiency under varying operating conditions. At higher flow rates, the advantages of Case 2 diminished but remained evident, with better concentration uniformity, higher minimum concentration values, and a 1% average increase in limiting current density. Future research should focus on optimizing obstacle geometry and positioning to further enhance performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/1/29organic redox flow batterynumerical modelconcentration uniformitylimiting current densitypressure drop |
| spellingShingle | Joseba Martínez-López Unai Fernández-Gamiz Eduardo Sánchez-Díez Aitor Beloki-Arrondo Íñigo Ortega-Fernández Enhancing Mass Transport in Organic Redox Flow Batteries Through Electrode Obstacle Design Batteries organic redox flow battery numerical model concentration uniformity limiting current density pressure drop |
| title | Enhancing Mass Transport in Organic Redox Flow Batteries Through Electrode Obstacle Design |
| title_full | Enhancing Mass Transport in Organic Redox Flow Batteries Through Electrode Obstacle Design |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing Mass Transport in Organic Redox Flow Batteries Through Electrode Obstacle Design |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing Mass Transport in Organic Redox Flow Batteries Through Electrode Obstacle Design |
| title_short | Enhancing Mass Transport in Organic Redox Flow Batteries Through Electrode Obstacle Design |
| title_sort | enhancing mass transport in organic redox flow batteries through electrode obstacle design |
| topic | organic redox flow battery numerical model concentration uniformity limiting current density pressure drop |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/1/29 |
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