TY - JOUR
T1 - Modeling the Performance of an Integrated Battery and Electrolyzer System
AU - Raventos, Andrea Mangel
AU - Kluivers, Gerard J.
AU - Haverkort, J. W.
AU - De Jong, Wiebren
AU - Mulder, Fokko M.
AU - Kortlever, Ruud
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Both daily and seasonal fluctuations of renewable power sources will require large-scale energy storage technologies. A recently developed integrated battery and electrolyzer system, called battolyser, fulfills both time-scale requirements. Here, we develop a macroscopic COMSOL Multiphysics model to quantify the energetic efficiency of the battolyser prototype that, for the first time, integrates the functionality of a nickel-iron battery and an alkaline electrolyzer. The current prototype has a rated capacity of 5 Ah, and to develop a larger, enhanced system, it is necessary to characterize the processes occurring within the battolyser and to optimize the individual components of the battolyser. Therefore, there is a need for a model that can provide a fast screening on how the properties of individual components influence the overall energy efficiency of the battolyser prototype. The model is validated using experimental results, and new configurations are compared, and the energy efficiency is optimized for the scale-up of this lab-scale device. Based on the modeling work, we find an optimum electrode thickness for the nickel electrode of 3 and 2.25 mm for the iron electrode with optimal electrode porosities in the range of void fraction of 0.15-0.35. Additionally, electrolyte conductivity and the gap thickness are found to have a small effect on the overall efficiency of the device.
AB - Both daily and seasonal fluctuations of renewable power sources will require large-scale energy storage technologies. A recently developed integrated battery and electrolyzer system, called battolyser, fulfills both time-scale requirements. Here, we develop a macroscopic COMSOL Multiphysics model to quantify the energetic efficiency of the battolyser prototype that, for the first time, integrates the functionality of a nickel-iron battery and an alkaline electrolyzer. The current prototype has a rated capacity of 5 Ah, and to develop a larger, enhanced system, it is necessary to characterize the processes occurring within the battolyser and to optimize the individual components of the battolyser. Therefore, there is a need for a model that can provide a fast screening on how the properties of individual components influence the overall energy efficiency of the battolyser prototype. The model is validated using experimental results, and new configurations are compared, and the energy efficiency is optimized for the scale-up of this lab-scale device. Based on the modeling work, we find an optimum electrode thickness for the nickel electrode of 3 and 2.25 mm for the iron electrode with optimal electrode porosities in the range of void fraction of 0.15-0.35. Additionally, electrolyte conductivity and the gap thickness are found to have a small effect on the overall efficiency of the device.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111303757&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c00990
DO - 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c00990
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85111303757
VL - 60
SP - 10988
EP - 10996
JO - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
JF - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
SN - 0888-5885
IS - 30
ER -