PERFORMANCE MAPPING STUDIES ON REDOX FLOW CELLS.

PUMPING POWER REQUIREMENTS IN ANY FLOW BATTERY SYSTEM CONSTITUTE A DIRECT PARASITIC ENERGY LOSS. IT IS THEREFORE USEFULTO DETERMINE THE PRACTICAL LOWER LIMIT FOR REACTANT FLOW RATES. THROUGH THE USE OF A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK BASED ON ELECTROCHEMICAL FIRST PRINCIPLES, TWO DIFFERENT EXPERIMENTAL ″ FLOW MAPPING ″ TECHNIQUES ARE DEVELOPED TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE ELECTRODES AS A FUNCTION OF FLOW RATE. FOR THE CARBON FELT ELECTRODES PRESENTLY USED IN NASA-LEWIS REDOX CELLS, A FLOW RATE 1. 5 TIMES GREATER THAN THE STOICHIOMETRIC RATE SEEMS TO BE THE REQUIRED MINIMUM.