Several Inventions Related to Hydrogen Bromine Flow Battery

Flow batteries (also known as flow cells) are a type of large-scale energy storage that relies on the exchange of electrons in different electrolytes. The current technology provides a means of lowering the cost of flow batteries, as well as increasing their durability, by removing the need for an expensive membrane in their design. The technology described here can be applied to various flow battery chemistries, such as hydrogen-bromine, zinc-borine, lithium-oxygen and lithium-ion.  

Researchers

Cullen R. Buie / William Braff / Matthew Suss / Laura Gilson / Kameron Conforti / Martin Bazant

Departments: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering
Technology Areas: Energy & Distribution: Electrochemical Devices, Energy Storage
Impact Areas: Sustainable Future

  • flow battery with dispersion blocker between electrolyte channel and electrode
    United States of America | Granted | 10,411,284

Technology

The current technology separates electrolytes by leveraging laminar flow, rather than using a typical ion-perm-selective membrane. This design makes it a ""membrane-less"" flow battery, and allows the current technology to be far more durable than existing solutions.Different electrolytes are separated using a porous dispersion blocker. The blocker permits the flow of ions, but reduces convective mixing — thus ensuring separated, laminar flow of the different electrolytes. The structure of the porous channels through which the electrolytes flow can also be varied, helping to control their degree of dispersion. This has the added benefit of allowing electrolytes to be pumped through at different pressures and even different directions, which can optimize power output and utilization of the different reactants.  

Problem Addressed

To enable the electrical reaction in a flow battery, the electrolytes must be separated, while still allowing for ions to transfer between them. This is typically done using an ion-perm-selective membrane, which only allows certain types of ions to pass through the membrane in specific directions. This membrane is costly and requires frequent replacement, driving the overall cost of the flow battery beyond commercial viability for large-scale energy storage.  

Advantages

  • Eliminates requirement for a costly ion-perm-selective membrane in a flow battery
  • Able to maintain a constant charging and discharging current of 0.2 A/cm2, thus retaining high voltage efficiency  

License this technology

Interested in this technology? Connect with our experienced licensing team to initiate the process.

Sign up for technology updates

Sign up now to receive the latest updates on cutting-edge technologies and innovations.