Work

An undulating flow field for enhancing through-plane mass transfer in vanadium redox flow batteries

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The performance of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) is critically influenced by the flow-field configuration, which governs electrolyte distribution and mass transport. To overcome the insufficient through-plane mass transfer in conventional designs, this study proposes a novel undulating flow field (UFF) featuring a central inlet, pentagonal channels (narrow top, wide bottom), and multiple transverse channels. Using a three-dimensional coupled multiphysics model and experimental validation, we systematically compare a serpentine flow field (SFF) with three UFF variants. Results show that the UFF improves the uniformity of active species concentration. Specifically, at a flow rate of 130 mL·min⁻¹, UFF-11 reduces pressure drop and pumping loss by 55.41% relative to SFF. Under a high current density of 200 mA·cm⁻² and a low flow rate of 30 mL·min⁻¹, UFF-11 increases discharge capacity by approximately 165 mAh, peak power density by 11.74 mW·cm⁻², and energy efficiency by 4.29% compared with SFF. Considering pump consumption, UFF-11 also achieves a substantially higher net system energy efficiency, demonstrating clear advantages under low-flow, high-load conditions. This work provides a new strategy for VRFB flow-field design and optimization.

Source: International Journal of Electrochemical Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijoes.2026.101492

Authors: Daorina Bao, You Li, Jiawei He, Xiaodong Guo, Zelong Liu, Xin Jiang

Institutions: Inner Mongolia University, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Shenzhen Technology University

Language: English

Topic: Aqueous and Flow Batteries

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,670