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Thermal convection in a liquid metal battery

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Abstract

Generation of thermal convection flow in the liquid metal battery, a device recently proposed as a promising solution for the problem of the short-term energy storage, is analyzed using a numerical model. It is found that convection caused by Joule heating of electrolyte during charging or discharging is virtually unavoidable. It exists in laboratory prototypes larger than a few centimeters in size and should become much stronger in larger-scale batteries. The phenomenon needs further investigation in view of its positive (enhanced mixing of reactants) and negative (loss of efficiency and possible disruption of operation due to the flow-induced deformation of the electrolyte layer) effects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan - Dearborn, Dearborn, MI, 48128, USA

    Yuxin Shen & Oleg Zikanov

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  1. Yuxin Shen
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  2. Oleg Zikanov
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Correspondence to Oleg Zikanov.

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Communicated by Patrick Jenny.

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Shen, Y., Zikanov, O. Thermal convection in a liquid metal battery. Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 30, 275–294 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00162-015-0378-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00162-015-0378-1

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