DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A REDOX FLOW BATTERY

R. Valery Roy, Ph.D.Redox flow batteries are electrochemical devices designed to store and dispense energy. This technology is seen as a promising candidate for grid-scale energy storage. This thesis reviews the operating principles of flow batteries. It also documents the design, fabrication, and performance of a lab-scale, all-vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). Performance is characterized in terms of cell polarization and maximum power density. The parameters varied were electrolyte flow rate, electrolyte state of charge, membrane thickness, and electrode compression. Electrolyte state of charge and flow rate had a signi cant performance e ect at high current densities and ohmic losses were signi cant in all con gurations. A maximum power density of 0.38 W/cm2 was achieved. Improvements to the experimental setup are suggested and topics for further research are discussed.Mechanical Engineerin