Flow Batteries

A flow battery is an electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy in the electro-active materials directly to electrical energy, similar to a conventional battery and fuel cells. The electro-active materials in a flow battery are stored mostly externally in an electrolyte and are introduced into the device only during operation. True flow batteries have all the reactants and products of the electro-active chemicals stored external to the power conversion device. Systems in which all the electro-active materials are dissolved in a liquid electrolyte are called redox flow batteries (RFBs). Rechargeable fuel cells, such as H2-Br2 and H 2-Cl2 can also be considered as true flow batteries. Systems in which one or more electro-active components are stored internally are called hybrid flow batteries.