Effect of flow-field structure on discharging and charging behavior of hydrogen/bromine redox flow batteries

•Hydrogen bromine RFB model is applied to 10 cm2 scale cell.•The model is experimentally validated in the current density range up to 1.0A cm−2.•Two different flow modes are numerically examined.•The flow-through mode assures more uniform reactant profile than the flow-by mode.

Designing and optimizing the flow-field structure for the liquid phase Br2/HBr electrolyte solution of H2/Br2 redox flow batteries (RFBs) is important for improving cell performance. In this study, two electrolyte flow modes, i.e. the flow-by and flow-through modes, are simulated by using a three-dimensional H2/Br2 RFB model. The model is first applied to real-scale H2/Br2 cell geometries and then validated against the experimental polarization curves acquired using the two different flow modes. The model predictions compare well with the experimental data and further highlight the advantages of using the flow-through mode relative to the flow-by mode. Detailed multi-dimensional contours of the electrolyte flow velocity and key species distributions reveal that more uniform diffusion and stronger convective transport are achieved by using the flow-through mode, which alleviates the ohmic loss associated with charge transport in the Br2 electrode.