Study on the effect of electrode configuration on the performance of a hydrogen/vanadium redox flow battery

All-vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are one of the potential energy storage systems for renewable energy storage. The high cost of vanadium electrolytes is one of the barriers to VRFB commercialization. To reduce the cost of the battery, the aqueous negative electrolyte is replaced with gaseous hydrogen, whereas the positive electrolyte retains vanadium ions as a hydrogen-vanadium redox flow battery (HVRFB). Hydrogen can be supplied using renewable energy sources, which enhances the kinetics of the reaction. The HVRFB is investigated in this study by examining the effects of negative electrode configuration, Pt loading, humidity conditions, and electrolyte flow rate. Pt loading and positive electrolyte flow rate are discovered to have a significant effect on electrolyte utilization. The highest battery performance is obtained when the catalyst loading is set at 0.3 mg Pt cm(-2) and the positive electrolyte flow rate is around 2 L h(-1). The HVRFB operates continuously for 200 cycles and demonstrates an energy efficiency of around 88% when operated at a current density of 80 mA cm(-2). (C)& nbsp;2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigates the performance of hydrogen-vanadium redox flow batteries under various conditions, finding that platinum loading and positive electrolyte flow rate significantly impact battery performance, with the best performance achieved at a catalyst loading of 0.3 mg Pt cm(-2) and a positive electrolyte flow rate of around 2 L h(-1). The HVRFB demonstrates an energy efficiency of around 88% when operated at a current density of 80 mA cm(-2) for 200 cycles.