A Novel Iron Chloride Red-Ox Concentration Flow Cell Battery (ICFB) Concept; Power and Electrode Optimization

Energies, vol. 14, pp. 1109

Abstract

For renewable energies to succeed in replacing fossil fuels, large-scale and affordable solutions are needed for short and long-term energy storage. A potentially inexpensive approach of storing large amounts of energy is through the use of a concentration flow cell that is based on cheap and abundant materials. Here, we propose to use aqueous iron chloride as a reacting solvent on carbon electrodes. We suggest to use it in a red-ox concentration flow cell with two compartments separated by a hydrocarbon-based membrane. In both compartments the red-ox couple of iron II and III reacts, oxidation at the anode and reduction at the cathode. When charging, a concentration difference between the two species grows. When discharging, this concentration difference between iron II and iron III is used to drive the reaction. In this respect it is a concentration driven flow cell redox battery using iron chloride in both solutions. Here, we investigate material combinations, power, and concentration relations.

Authors 3

1. Björn Kleinsteinberg Aachen Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA) Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Systems Group

   RWTH Aachen University · Helmholtz-Institute Münster

   Affiliation as printed

   Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Systems Group, Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA), RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany

   Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS), IEK-12, Forschungszentrum Juelich, Corrensstrasse 46, 48149 Münster, Germany

2. Bjørn Selnes-Volseth

   Norwegian University of Science and Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway

3. Odne Stokke Burheim corresponding

   Norwegian University of Science and Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway