SBIR Phase I: Low Cost Metal Chelate Flow Battery for Long Duration Energy Storage

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目开发了一种用于为电网存储能量的新型液流电池的化学物质。电池化学使用了丰富的矿物和材料，可以在美国来源和制造。这些流动电池材料支持4至100小时的长时间能量存储-足以支持电网，并支持增加对太阳能和风能等间歇性电源的使用。这项流量电池技术旨在满足电网规模存储的激进成本目标，使公司能够利用国内外市场对能源存储的需求。电池系统为美国提供了一个拥有高冲击性电池技术并在长期能量储存市场占据领先地位的机会。这个SBIR第一阶段项目旨在降低金属络合液流电池的材料成本，使电池的存储时间超过10小时，往返效率超过80%。其目标是开发一种材料净化工艺，使用低品位矿物，并以最少的废物去除关键杂质。这一目标将通过开发和建设一种化学净化系统来实现，该系统选择性地去除低品位矿物中的杂质。这一过程将通过液流电池的演示得到验证，该电池在满功率下连续放电10多个小时。研发工作的重点是通过一种新的化学物质来流动电池性能的整体解决方案，该化学物质在单一平台上优化成本、丰富性、安全性和性能，以实现长期能量存储。开发领域包括电解液纯度、对前体的敏感性、工艺开发、系统污垢和电解液纯度敏感性、净化系统设计和回收，以及结合新净化工艺的10-24小时放电电池性能演示。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project develops the chemistry for a new flow battery used to store energy for the electric grid. The battery chemistry uses abundant minerals and materials that can be sourced and manufactured in the United States. These flow battery materials support long duration energy storage of 4 to 100 hours – enough to back up the grid and support increased use of intermittent power sources such as solar and wind. This flow battery technology aims to meet aggressive cost targets for grid-scale storage, positioning the company to take advantage of the domestic and international market demand for energy storage. The battery system provides an opportunity for the U.S. to own high impact battery technology and claim a leadership position in the long duration energy storage market. This SBIR Phase I project seeks to lower the materials costs of a metal chelate flow battery for 10+ hour storage durations with greater than 80% round-trip efficiency. The goal is to develop a material purification process that uses low-grade minerals and removes key impurities with minimal waste. This goal will be achieved through the development and construction of a chemical purification system that selectively removes the impurities present in the low-grade minerals. The process will be validated by the demonstration of a flow battery operating with 10+ hours of continuous discharge at full power. The research and development effort focuses on a holistic solution to flow battery performance via a new chemistry that optimizes cost, abundance, safety, and performance in a single platform for long duration energy storage. Areas of development include electrolyte purity, sensitivity to precursors, processes development, system fouling and electrolyte purity sensitivity, purification system design and recycling, and 10-24 hour discharge battery performance demonstration incorporating the new purification process.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.