SBIR Phase I: High Energy-Density Hydrogen-Halogen Flow Batteries for Energy Storage

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发高能量密度、低成本的储能技术。可负担得起的长时间储能对于可再生能源的广泛采用至关重要。这是一个不断增长的细分市场，而目前的存储技术（如锂离子电池）对这一市场的服务不足。在电力中断影响严重的农村社区，储能可能非常重要。该项目旨在开发能源存储，当与太阳能或风能可再生能源相结合时，比基于化石燃料的发电更便宜。这种发展将加速向现代清洁能源经济的过渡，将减少发电对环境的影响，并将增加农村社区的经济复原力。本小型企业创新研究（SBIR）一期项目拟开发一种电化学储能装置。液流电池是长时间能量存储的一个引人注目的选择，因为能量存储（储罐中的化学物质）与电力传输（在电化学电池中）解耦。液流电池的一个主要障碍是用于储存的化学品（例如钒）的高成本。该一期项目开发了一种液流电池，该电池利用了常见的高能量密度氢和卤素化合物。该项目将液流电池技术扩展到新的浓度和流体动力学体系，使该技术能够实现商业规模。该项目还测试了由现代复合材料制成的新型双极板，以检验其在商业生产中作为低成本、长寿命电池组件的适用性。实验室的努力是由验证的数值模型的发展补充，将用于优化细胞设计。这些实验室实验和高卤素浓度下的验证数值模型将为社区和电网尺度的电化学储能打开新的窗口。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is the development of a high energy density, low-cost energy storage technology. Affordable long duration energy storage is critical to the wide adoption of renewable power. This is a growing market segment which is underserved by current (e.g., lithium-ion battery) storage technologies. Energy storage can be of importance in rural communities where the impacts of power disruption are severe. This project seeks to develop energy storage that, when paired with solar or wind renewable power, is cheaper than fossil fuel-based generation. Such a development would accelerate the transition to a modern clean energy economy, would reduce the environmental impacts of power generation, and would increase the economic resilience of rural communities.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop an electrochemical energy storage device. Flow batteries are a compelling option for long-duration energy storage, as the energy storage (chemicals in tanks) is decoupled from the power delivery (in an electrochemical cell). A major hurdle for flow batteries has been the high cost of the chemicals used for storage (e.g., vanadium). This Phase I project develops a flow battery that makes use of commonly available and high energy density hydrogen and halogen chemical compounds. The project extends this flow battery technology into new concentration and fluid dynamical regimes that will enable commercial scaling of the technology. This project also tests novel bipolar plates made from modern composite materials, examining their suitability as low-cost, long lifespan cell components in commercial production. Laboratory efforts are complemented by the development of validated numerical models which will be used to optimize cell design. These laboratory experiments and validated numerical models in the high halogen concentration regime will open new windows for electrochemical energy storage at community and grid scales.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.