Roadmap, FAQ, and a forum!

flow batteries
kit
Check out our development timeline and help start the community discussion
Authors
Affiliation

Kirk Pollard Smith, PhD

Flow Battery Research Collective

Daniel Fernandez Pinto, PhD

Flow Battery Research Collective

Published

September 24, 2024

Roadmap

We are back with an update on how we plan to progress!

Here is our development plan for the cell and stack hardware:

  1. Benchtop development kit, cell area 1-10 cm², target release end of 2024
    1. Purpose is testing materials and electrolytes on a small scale: different graphite felts, separators, formulations, etc. Purpose is not storing energy on a practical scale.
    2. Measure intrinsic properties: efficiencies, achievable states-of-charge, current and power densities, etc.
  2. Large-format single cell, area ≥600 cm², target release mid-2025
    1. Purpose is testing established electrolytes from the benchtop kit with a practical cell area, and refining large-scale cell design. Purpose is not storing energy on a practical scale.
    2. Measure and maintain achieved performance levels from benchtop kit
    3. Tackle scale-up and integration challenges: balance-of-plant, centrifugal pump control, high-current power electronics, current and flow distribution, etc.
  3. Stack, built from large-format single cells, target release end of 2025
    1. Purpose is storing energy on a practical scale. Enough cells for a 48 V stack connection to residential-scale inverters (depends on chemistry). Power and energy metrics targeted for residential use.
    2. Measure full-system performance with parasitic loads and full balance-of-plant
    3. Tackle stack and system design challengs: shunt currents, thermal management, transient operation, system control.

Here is a visual overview of this same plan:

A visual roadmap depicting the above described plan with blue cells and stacks of increasing sizes, communicating the same information as just given in text

Roadmap of cell and stack hardware

All outputs of this development, including cell and stack designs, electrolyte formulations, etc. will be released as open-source hardware as defined by OSHWA.

This plan will not be carried out in a strictly linear manner; insights gathered in each step will go back and forth to inform and improve the preceding and following scales.

Development of flow battery electrolyte formulations will happen in parallel, with the majority of the electrolyte development and proving happening with the benchtop cell to conserve resources. Right now we are working on both traditional all-liquid and hybrid electrolyte formulations, the cell and stacks will be designed to accommodate either type.

FAQ

Many people have reached out to us and we have received a lot of similar questions, so we have begun compiling a FAQ which can be found here.

Forum

A key part of the success of any open-source project is the community. FBRC has received a lot of messages so far from keen contributors across the globe and we want to funnel the digital community into the same place to foster discussion. We also were able to secure free forum hosting from Discourse (thank you!).

You can now sign up for our forum here. Join in and help us determine what an open-source flow battery should look like and how to get there!

This post is also the first test of using the forum to act as a comments section for our blog posts and announcements.

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