Mit10 626S14
Mit10 626S14
Mit10 626S14
© Macmillan Publishers Limited. Huskinson, B., M. P. Marshak, et al. "A Metal-free Organic–inorganic
Aqueous Flow Battery." Nature 505 (2014): 195–98. All rights reserved. This content is excluded from
our Creative Commons license. For more information, see http://ocw.mit.edu/help/faq-fair-use/.
2H+
HBr (aqueous)
G
Br2 2HBr
Br 2 Graphite cathode
HB
r+
2e- -
Figure 1: Comparison of two new bromine flow battery technologies. Top: Proton-exchange mem
brane based Quinone-Bromine Flow Battery (QBFB) of Huskinson et al., Nature (2014). Bot
tom: Membraneless Hydrogen-Bromine Flow Battery (HBFB) of Braff et al., Nature Com
munications (2013). Left: Cell schematics. Right: Experimental polarization curves.
© Macmillan Publishers Limited. Braff, W. A., M. Z. Bazant, et al. "Membrane-less Hydrogen Bromine Flow
Battery." Nature Communications 4, no. 2346 (2013). All rights reserved. This content is excluded from
our Creative Commons license. For more information, see http://ocw.mit.edu/help/faq-fair-use/.
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1. Bromine Flow Battery Comparison: Performance See Figure 1. In the following
assume 50% SOC for the QBFB and 3M Br2 for the HBFB.
2. Bromine Flow Battery Comparison: Cost See Figure 1. In the following assume 50%
SOC and 1M quinone for the QBFB and 3M Br2 for the HBFB.
(a) Estimate the power cost ($/kW) for each cell discharging at 0.2 W/cm2 . Assume hard
ware costs of $0.003/cm2 per active area for both cells. The Nafion 212 membrane in
the QBFB costs $0.26/cm2 , while no membrane is needed for the HBFB. The anode
catalyst in the HBFB (platinum) costs $0.01/cm2 , while no anode catalyst is needed for
QBFB. Neither cell needs any catalyst for bromine reduction at the cathode. Which cell
is cheaper per power? Can either one beat lead-acid and Li-ion batteries (≈ $200/kW)?
(b) Estimate the capacity cost or energy cost ($/kWh) for each cell, assuming slow cycling
near the open circuit voltage. In flow batteries, the capacity cost is dominated by that of
the active materials stored in large separate tanks and the cost of the tanks themselves.
The quinones cost $4.74/kg with molecular mass 100 g/mol per electron transferred
(where 2 electrons are transferred per mole of quinone). Hydrogen (H2 ) costs $120/kg
and has mass 1 g/mol per electron transferred. Bromine (Br2 ) costs $1.76/kg and has
mass 80 g/mol per electron transferred. The cost to store H2 in tanks at 10,000 PSI is
$500/kg, cost to store the bromine and quinone is $1.5/L. The cost to operate a liquid
pump for bromine or quinone is $0.03/(L*min), and pumps are operated for 1 hour per
cycle. Which cell is cheaper per energy stored? Can either one beat the lead-acid battery
(≈ $200/kWh) or the Li-ion battery (≈ $400/kWh)? Can either cell beat the cost target
$100/kWh to make solar or wind energy more competitive?
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3. Battery discharge at constant load. Consider a battery whose open-circuit voltage
varies with charge Q(t) stored in the cathode as VO (Q) = V 0 (1 − αQ − βQ2 ), where α, β > 0.
Consider slow discharge against an external resistance R from Q(0) = 0, and neglect any
internal resistance.
(a) What is the maximum capacity Qmax (α, β) for galvanic discharge?
(b) Solve for the voltage profile, V (t) if β = 0.
(c) Solve for V (t) with α, β > 0.
electrolyte-filled R dx (x,t)
pores
(a) Show that the mean potential in the pores satisfies a linear diffusion equation
∂φ ∂2φ
RC =
∂t ∂x2
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