(777b) A Mathematical Model of a Regenerative H2-Br2 Fuel Cell

The regenerative hydrogen-bromine (H₂-Br₂) fuel cell is an attractive system for electrical energy storage because it has high energy conversion efficiency and high-power density capability and uses low cost active materials. Due to the fast reaction kinetics of the hydrogen and bromine reactions, the system is often limited by transport. To identify the transport processes that limit the performance of this system and component and cell designs that will minimize the effect of transport, a mathematical model of a H₂-Br₂ cell is developed. The model region consists of a porous bromine electrode filled with HBr-Br2 solution, a proton-conducting membrane and a porous hydrogen electrode. This presentation will discuss the model equations, solution technique, and results obtained from this theoretical study. Also discussed is how the model results have been used to guide the development of electrode components and cell design for this system.

Acknowledgement

This work was funded by NSF through grant number EFRI-1038234.