Performance Prediction of a Vanadium Redox Battery for use in Portable, Scalable Microgrids

Abstract

Vanadium redox batteries (VRBs) have proven to be a viable energy storage technology for portable microgrids due to their rechargeability and high energy density. VRBs exhibit parasitic load loss during operation due to pumping of electrolyte across the membrane during charging and discharging cycles, as well as required temperature control in the form of heating, ventilation and air conditioning. This paper focuses on empirically characterizing VRB efficiency based on known climatic operating conditions and load requirements. A model is created to determine system performance based on known climatic and load data collected and analyzed over an extended time period. A case study is performed using known data for a week time period to characterize system performance, which was compared to actual system performance observed during this same time period. This model allows for appropriate sizing of the PV array and discretionary loads based on required energy density of the system.

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Second Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Batteries; energy management; energy storage; load management; load modeling; performance evaluation; predictive modeling; statistical analysis; Actual system; Energy density; High energy densities; Load data; Micro grid; Operating condition; Parasitic loads; Performance based; Performance evaluation; Performance prediction; PV arrays; Rechargeability; Storage technology; Time-periods; Vanadium redox batteries

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1949-3053

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2012 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Dec 2012

Link to Full Text

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