Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance

Patent · 31 March 2015

OSTI ID:1177112

Pham, Quoc; Chang, On; Durairaj, Sumitha

Loss of flow battery electrode catalyst layers during self-discharge or charge reversal may be prevented by establishing and maintaining a negative electrolyte imbalance during at least parts of a flow battery's operation. Negative imbalance may be established and/or maintained actively, passively or both. Actively establishing a negative imbalance may involve detecting an imbalance that is less negative than a desired threshold, and processing one or both electrolytes until the imbalance reaches a desired negative level. Negative imbalance may be effectively established and maintained passively within a cell by constructing a cell with a negative electrode chamber that is larger than the cell's positive electrode chamber, thereby providing a larger quantity of negative electrolyte for reaction with positive electrolyte.

• Research Organization: EnerVault Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: OE0000225
• Assignee: EnerVault Corporation (Sunnyvale, CA)
• Patent Number(s): 8,993,183
• Application Number: 14/095,362
• OSTI ID: 1177112
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY