skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: NASA-Redox cell-stack shunt current, pumping power, and cell-performance tradeoffs

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5231997· OSTI ID:5231997

The NASA Redox energy storage system has been under active technology development since the mid 1970's. The hardware currently undergoing laboratory testing is either 310 cm/sup 2/ or 929 cm/sup 2/ (0.33 ft/sup 2/ or 1.0 ft/sup 2/) per cell active area with up to 40 individual cells connected to make up a modular cell stack. This size of hardware allows rather accurate projections to be made of the shunt power/pump power trade-offs. The modeling studies that have been completed on the system concept are reviewed along with the more recent approach of mapping the performance of Redox cells over a wide range of flow rates and depths-of-discharge of the Redox solutions. Methods are outlined for estimating the pumping and shunt current losses for any type of cell and stack combination. These methods are applicable to a variety of pumping options that are present with Redox systems. The results show that a fully developed Redox system will have acceptable parasitic losses when using a fixed flow rate adequate to meet the worst conditions of current density and depth of discharge. These losses can be reduced by about 65% if variable flow schedules are used. The exact value of the overall parasitics will depend on the specific system requirements of current density, voltage limits, charge, discharge time, etc.

Research Organization:
NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AI04-80AL12726
OSTI ID:
5231997
Report Number(s):
DOE/NASA/12726-11; NASA-TM-82686; ON: DE82008440
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English