Numerical Examination of Different Flow Channel Fractions Effects in a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery with Serpentine Flow Field

The effects of channel fractions in a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) are investigated for two-dimensional and steady-state. The numerical model is analyzed with conservation mass, charge, momentum, and species equations using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.5. In numerical models, the channel height is kept constant for all channel fractions. For this purpose, the effects of channel fractions on electrode and electrolyte potential, velocity, and pressure distribution are investigated in the serpentine flow field. In the positive electrode, the highest electrode potential occurred in the high channel fractions, while in the negative electrode, the highest electrode potential occurred in the low channel fractions. The highest electrolyte potential occurred in the channel fractions of 0.8, 0.6, 0.4, and 0.2 for both electrodes, respectively. In addition, in cases where the electrode mostly consists of ribs, the velocity values is decreased, while the pressure drop from the inlet channel to the outlet channel is increased.