The soluble lead flow battery: Image-based modelling of porous carbon electrodes
The soluble lead flow battery: Image-based modelling of porous carbon electrodes
A novel numerical modelling framework coupling physics-based model equations and image-based input parameters is developed to simulate the behaviour of the soluble lead flow battery when reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrodes are used. Experimental results are presented to validate the model. Open-source software OpenImpala is used to predict the macro-homogeneous properties of RVC from computed tomography scans of various grades of RVC. The process is repeated on manipulated datasets where a voxel dilation technique has been used to estimate the geometry of RVC electrodes with a range of thicknesses of electrodeposited material. The model predicts that with a region of free electrolyte dividing the electrodes, the electrolyte velocity is low within the electrodes. This is exacerbated by a build-up of deposit close to the inlet. By dividing the electrodes with only a porous separator, a deposit build-up is no longer seen, and the concentration within the electrodes is shown to be far more even. Finally, with an applied current density of 50 mA cm-2, the overpotential is predicted to be reduced by over 100 mV when 100 ppi RVC electrodes are used instead of 10 ppi electrodes. An experimentally validated voltage efficiency of over 80 % is achieved.
Energy storage, Image-based modelling, Porous electrodes, Redox flow batteries, Reticulated vitreous carbon, Soluble lead flow battery
Fraser, Ewan
5ec334a1-8ab3-4028-8d67-57a19024ad00
Le Houx, James, Peter
c3130024-47fa-44ee-b10e-a4d76877fb9a
Arenas Martinez, Luis Fernando
6e7e3d10-2aab-4fc3-a6d4-63a6614d0403
Ranga Dinesh, K.K.J
6454b22c-f505-40f9-8ad4-a1168e8f87cd
Wills, Richard
60b7c98f-eced-4b11-aad9-fd2484e26c2c
1 August 2022
Fraser, Ewan
5ec334a1-8ab3-4028-8d67-57a19024ad00
Le Houx, James, Peter
c3130024-47fa-44ee-b10e-a4d76877fb9a
Arenas Martinez, Luis Fernando
6e7e3d10-2aab-4fc3-a6d4-63a6614d0403
Ranga Dinesh, K.K.J
6454b22c-f505-40f9-8ad4-a1168e8f87cd
Wills, Richard
60b7c98f-eced-4b11-aad9-fd2484e26c2c
Fraser, Ewan, Le Houx, James, Peter, Arenas Martinez, Luis Fernando, Ranga Dinesh, K.K.J and Wills, Richard
(2022)
The soluble lead flow battery: Image-based modelling of porous carbon electrodes.
Journal of Energy Storage, 52 (Part A), [104791].
(doi:10.1016/j.est.2022.104791).
Abstract
A novel numerical modelling framework coupling physics-based model equations and image-based input parameters is developed to simulate the behaviour of the soluble lead flow battery when reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrodes are used. Experimental results are presented to validate the model. Open-source software OpenImpala is used to predict the macro-homogeneous properties of RVC from computed tomography scans of various grades of RVC. The process is repeated on manipulated datasets where a voxel dilation technique has been used to estimate the geometry of RVC electrodes with a range of thicknesses of electrodeposited material. The model predicts that with a region of free electrolyte dividing the electrodes, the electrolyte velocity is low within the electrodes. This is exacerbated by a build-up of deposit close to the inlet. By dividing the electrodes with only a porous separator, a deposit build-up is no longer seen, and the concentration within the electrodes is shown to be far more even. Finally, with an applied current density of 50 mA cm-2, the overpotential is predicted to be reduced by over 100 mV when 100 ppi RVC electrodes are used instead of 10 ppi electrodes. An experimentally validated voltage efficiency of over 80 % is achieved.
Text
SLFB-Image based modelling
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 1 May 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 10 May 2022
Published date: 1 August 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the use of the IRIDIS High Performance Computing Facility at the University of Southampton during the completion of this work. The authors also acknowledge the financial support received from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy Storage and its Applications grant EP/L016818/1 and from UK aid from the UK Government through the Faraday Institution and the Transforming Energy Access Programme (grant number FIEE-002 – Reclaimed Electrolyte, Low Cost Flow Battery RELCo-Bat); however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government's official policies.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
Keywords:
Energy storage, Image-based modelling, Porous electrodes, Redox flow batteries, Reticulated vitreous carbon, Soluble lead flow battery
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 457276
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/457276
ISSN: 2352-152X
PURE UUID: cc9a02ea-b5a8-4f9d-9e5d-b7fec33e4d90
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Date deposited: 30 May 2022 16:55
Last modified: 10 Apr 2024 02:05
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Author:
James, Peter Le Houx
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