Realising large areal capacities in liquid metal batteries: A battery design concept for mass transfer enhancement

Liquid metal batteries (LMBs) are a promising grid-scale storage device however, the scalability of this technology and its electrochemical performance is limited by mass transport overpotentials. In this work, an alternative design concept for the battery aimed at reducing mass transport overpotentials, increasing cell capacity, and improving electrochemical cell performance was implemented and evaluated. The design consisted of a coil implanted in the cathode, which induced mixing in the layer. Four cases were compared: three in a 241 Ah LMB at 0.3, 0.5 and 1 A/cm2, and one in a larger 481 Ah LMB at 0.5 A/cm2. LMB performance was determined by comparison against baseline diffusion cases and a change in molar fraction of 0.1. The modified LMB exhibited dramatic performance increases with a 78% and 85% reduction in mass-transport overpotentials at 0.3 A/cm2 and 0.5 A/cm2, respectively. The improved performance of the battery was directly attributed to the flow generated in the cathode. It was found that the coil substantially increased the poloidal volumetric average velocity. Periodically, vortices formed that removed concentration gradients from the cathode–electrolyte interface, minimising concentration polarisation. The viability of the design was tested in a lab-scale prototype using Galinstan as the working fluid. The velocity of the induced flow was determined using particle image velocimetry (PIV), and the results compared to the numerical model. There was a close match between the experimental and numerical results, validating the numerical model and the viability of the design. Implementation of this design concept in future LMBs could lead to the realisation of extended discharge capacities and improved voltages. Future work is planned to test the coil in a working battery.