Sunday, December 22, 2013

New Lithium Ion Cells Offer Greater Energy Density


Flow_cell_batter


According to Green Car Congress a new Lithium Ion Semi-Solid flow cell battery could make current technology obsolete as well as offering reduced cost and energy density an order of magnitude beyond current flow type batteries. This Technology is being developed by MIT Researcher Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang. 


Dr. Chiang believes that this new architecture for Flow Type Lithium cells could offer energy densities of 300-500 Wh L^-1 which would equate to $250 kWh for transportation grid and $100 kWh for excess power storage grid. This would dramatically reduce the cost of maintaining emergency power grids as well as for quick charge stations for new EV Vehicles hitting the market.


Not delving too deep into the technical details these systems are based on using an electrolytic solution that is held in storage tanks that then pass through an ion exchanger that is comprised of millions of nano-scale conductors that draw energy from the solutions through a process know as "intercalation" that releases energy more efficiently than current flow cells.


Liquid Solution flow cells are of great interest because of their scaleability when applied to infrastructure. The main interest of a flow cell that offers energy densities of 300-500 Wh L^-1 is that this would allow for a grid that could handle thousands of electric cars charging day in and day out which is exciting news for a future of vehicles that exist on the grid instead of going from fuel station to fuel station.


For more technical information as well as the electrolyte chemistry read the article from Green Car Congress 


 


 





  • Duduta, M., Ho, B., Wood, V. C., Limthongkul, P., Brunini, V. E., Craig Carter, W. and Chiang, Y.-M. (2011), Semi-Solid Lithium Rechargeable Flow Battery. Advanced Energy Materials, 1: n/a doi: 10.1002/aenm.201100152 


    Via Green Car Congress






 


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