IR Spectroscopy as a Method for Online Electrolyte State Assessment in RFBs

Abstract

The transition from fossil to renewable energy sources requires adequate storage technologies due to the intermittency of the supplied energy. With respect to this, organic redox-flow batteries (ORFBs) represent a promising concept for the storage of electricity on a large scale at economically justifiable costs. However, these storage technologies can only be operated reliably if parameters representing the actual condition of the storage medium (i.e., the electrolyte) can be accurately assessed. These so-called electrolyte state variables are represented by two key figures of merit: state of charge (SOC), a measure of the amount of charge that the electrolyte currently holds; and state of health (SOH), representing the amount of charge that the electrolyte is able to store given its current condition. The herein presented IR-based approach is able to simultaneously provide reliable, fast, accurate, and precise estimates for both SOC and SOH parameters at any point in time and independent of the current battery status. The method is able to provide a time resolution in the range of minutes, is independent of the electrolyte temperature and can be applied to nearly all organic-based redox-active materials and solvents, while potentially being applicable to inorganic RFBs, such as vanadium-based systems, as well.