Current Density Scaling in Electrochemical Flow Capacitors

Journal Article · Wed Feb 18 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0031507jes· OSTI ID:1211481

Hoyt, NC; Wainright, JS; Savinell, RF

Electrochemical flow capacitors (EFCs) are a recently developed energy storage technology. One of the principal performance metrics of an EFC is the steady-state electrical current density that it can accept or deliver. Numerical models exist to predict this performance for specific cases, but here we present a study of how the current varies with respect to the applied cell voltage, flow rate, cell dimensions, and slurry properties using scaling laws. The scaling relationships are confirmed by numerical simulations and then subsequently by comparison to results from symmetric cell EFC experiments. This modeling approach permits the delimitation of three distinct operational regimes dependent on the values of two nondimensional combinations of the pertinent variables (specifically, a capacitive Graetz number and a conductivity ratio). Lastly, the models and nondimensional numbers are used to provide design guidance in terms of criteria for proper EFC operation. (C) The Author(s) 2015. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. All rights reserved.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AR0000352
• OSTI ID: 1211481
• Journal Information: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 162, Issue 6; ISSN 0013-4651
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English