Comparison of Fluid Dynamics of Different Flow Geometries in an Iron Flow Battery Prototype

Abstract

Introduction: Renewable energy sources demand is increasing in the world due to their less environmental effect. Solar and wind energy, which requires largescale electrical energy storage, are major contributors to this growth. The iron flow battery is one of the Redox flow battery technologies, which is encouraging for electrical energy storage because of their long lifetime, flexibility to increase storage, and minimum chemical hazard compared to conventional batteries. Method: In this research, the engineering design and fabrication of a locally made Iron flow battery prototype is described. Then, electrolyte flow simulation was carried out through COMSOL Multiphysics to compare the fluid velocity and pressure profiles in three different flow geometries such as plain, parallel, and serpentine, to select the most compatible flow pattern for the Iron flow battery. Result: The resulting velocity profiles indicated that plain flow had stagnated points, the parallel flow had uneven velocity distribution, and serpentine flow had a uniform and high-velocity profile. The simulation results of pressure profiles showed the serpentine, parallel, and plain flows had inlet pressures of 34.38 Pa, 10.01 Pa, and 0.254 Pa, respectively. Conclusion: Given that pumping power is directly proportional to the pressure gradient, the power requirement of electrolyte pumps from highest to lowest is as serpentine flow, parallel flow, and plain flow.