Practical Development of a ZnBr2 Flow Battery with a Fluidized Bed Anode Zinc-Electrode

The penetration of renewable sources (solar and wind power) into the power system network has been increasing in the recent years. As a result of this, there have been serious concerns over reliable and satisfactory operation of the power systems. One of the solutions being proposed to improve the reliability and performance of these systems is to integrate energy storage devices into the power system network. Zinc-bromine batteries systems among other energy storage technologies has appeared as one of the best options. This paper presents the performance of three different electrodes feeder materials (carbon, nickel and a titanium) coupled and investigated within a fabricated ZnBr2 cell system via numerical modelling, DDPM+DEM model in ANSYS Fluent to simulate an incorporated anode zinc-electrode and COMSOL Multiphysics for the electrochemical behavior of the cell. After introducing briefly other alternatives to store energy, ZnBr2 cell systems, and its mode of operation were then discussed, before focusing on the numerical modelling and simulation and the laboratory experiments. Several extensive electrochemical experiments were implemented on the cell to achieve fast deposition of zinc onto the electrode surface during charge and fast dissolution during discharge for high performance. The mechanical action of the fluidised design of electrode is intended to improve deposit morphology, obviate the risk of dendrite growth and provide high transport rates of reactant to and from the active electrode surface. In conclusion, this paper has analyzed electrochemical techniques like chronopotentiometry, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy that were used to understand the behavior of the zinc bromide cells at a particular flow rate of 166.7cm3 min−1 required to give good fluidization of the anode