CENELEST

A model based approach is developed to determine the membrane permeability properties including vanadium ion crossover and water transfer behaviour for the vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) system. The permeability of vanadium ions and water transfer coefficients are estimated through nonlinear optimisation with measured negative and positive half-cell potentials. Experimental studies were conducted to test two different membranes as examples to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. This method can significantly simplify the conventional approach to characterising the membrane permeability property. The results are useful for online prediction of the battery system capacity decay and for scheduling regular maintenance such as electrolyte rebalancing to restore capacity.

You can access the article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2021.102688

After 35 years of research and development that began at UNSW Sydney in 1985, the All-Vanadium Redox Flow Battery is now being commercialized by a number of companies around the world in applications such as load levelling, peak shaving and renewable energy storage. It is unique amongst all flow battery chemistries in that it uses the same element in both half-cells, thereby eliminating problems of cross contamination and providing indefinite life for the electrolyte. This article presents a detailed overview of the VRFB technology, beginning with the original research and development at UNSW, through to the more recent improvements in cell materials and design that have enhanced power density and reduced costs. Early field testing and current commercialization activities are also described.

You can access the article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819723-3.00050-0