A flow field is an indispensable component for fuel cells to macroscopically distribute reactants onto electrodes. However, it is still unknown whether flow fields are also required in all-vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). In this work, the performance of a VRFB with flow fields is analyzed and compared with the performance of a VRFB without flow fields. It is demonstrated that the battery with flow fields has a higher discharge voltage at higher flow rates, but exhibits a larger pressure drop. The maximum power-based efficiency occurs at different flow rates for the both batteries with and without flow fields. It is found that the battery with flow fields Exhibits 5% higher energy efficiency than the battery without flow fields, when operating at the flow rates corresponding to each battery's maximum power-based efficiency. Therefore, the inclusion of flow fields in VRFBs can be an effective approach for improving system efficiency. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
CITATION STYLE
Xu, Q., Zhao, T. S., & Zhang, C. (2014). Performance of a vanadium redox flow battery with and without flow fields. Electrochimica Acta, 142, 61–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2014.07.059
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