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

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

Volume: 17 Issue: 2

Author(s): A.C.C.J. Cooray, Yasun Y. Kannangara, Chanaka Sandaruwan*, M.K. Vishwani Karunarathna, Nareshkumar B. Handagama and Praveen Rathnayake

Affiliation:

• Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), Center for Excellence in Nanotechnology, Nanotechnology and Science Park, Mahenawatta, Pitipana, Homagama CO, 10206, Sri Lanka

Keywords: Flow battery, CFD simulation, COMSOL, laminar flow, navier-Stokes equation, Iron flow battery.

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.

Cite this article as:

Cooray A.C.C.J., Kannangara Y. Yasun, Sandaruwan Chanaka*, Karunarathna Vishwani M.K., Handagama B. Nareshkumar and Rathnayake Praveen, Comparison of Fluid Dynamics of Different Flow Geometries in an Iron Flow Battery Prototype, Recent Innovations in Chemical Engineering 2024; 17 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0124055204284724240222051052