REDFLOW ZINC-BROMIDE MODULE (ZBM )FOR DC APPLICATIONS Energy - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

REDFLOW ZINC-BROMIDE MODULE (ZBM )FOR DC APPLICATIONS

Energy Storage for Communities, Mining and Telecommunications – Case studies

Mike Giulianini, PhD CTO, Redflow Limited

Redflow Product

Redox Flow Battery replacement for existing lead acid systems

• 48V and 170Ah, 200Ah or 200Ah (@53V)
• 100% DoD
• Up to 50°C with no ageing effect
• Water based and inherently safe
• BMS integrated
• CE approved

Source: Google search ‘Flow Batteries’ Option: Photo

Recent Timeline (related to DC applications)

01/2014 New electrode shows unprecedented life estimation in advanced degradation test 03/2014 First ZBMs built with the new electrode for characterisation in the long time test facility 04/2014 First ‘full-DC’ ZBM equipped with Module Management System assembled 06/2014 ZBM production successfully outsourced to Flextronics 12/2014 DC ZBM CE compliant and declared inherently safe by independent body. Results available for the Hibernation Mode 04/2014 ZBM2, ZBM3 products launched with 2,000 cycles 100% DoD warranty All the ZBMs in test since 3/2014 are cycling daily with no sign of degradation (several MWh processed per ZBM)

Test of the Module @48V not the single cell!

ZBM Key aspects

• 3/5 kW, up to 11kWh energy out;
• Long shelf life either charged or

discharged;

• Designed for long life applications;
• At the end of life the battery can be

100% regenerated at a fraction of the price;

• Almost entirely made of plastic;
• Large-scale production is expected to

drive the price reduction constantly

• ver the coming years;

Redflow in the World

Base Telecommunication Station Site

• Telco site, approximately 1.8kW load;
• Frequent grid blackouts 3-5h;
• Backup needed 4h;
• Existing LA capacity 400Ah Nom (20kWh Nom);
• Replacement period 1 or 2 years;

Results

• A total of 29 blackout events were recorded in the last 143 days (one every 5 days approximately);
• The ZBMs provided a total of 2807Ah or more than 140kWh (and 100Ah or 5kWh per event on

average);

• 6 events were longer than 4h 30m or 270m which accounts for more than 160Ah per event
• Several events featured temperatures above 40 degrees and ended with the ZBM fully discharged.

The same events with the existing batteries would have resulted in a fast aging processes;

Results

Projecting the experimental data back to the beginning of the trial brings the following:

• A total of 37 blackout events would have happened in the last 183 days

(one every 5 days);

• The ZBMs would have provided a total of 3592Ah or 180kWh;
• The total usage of the ZBM up to date is 37 cycles which corresponds to 74

cycles per year;

• Therefore the ZBM life expectancy in this application is well over 20 years.

Added value

The ZBM solution eliminates the following costs related to the existing solution (LA):

• Elimination of the existing cost to replace lead acid batteries every year

which includes:

• Battery costs;
• Installation costs;
• Disposal costs;
• Eliminates service down costs and loss of revenues;
• Payback period expected to be very short;
• Creates an advantage over the competitors;
• Customer service and perception is improved as communications are

available during blackouts and possible emergency situations;

• Potential marketing opportunity.

110V DC system in Power plant

The customer contacted Redflow about a backup application with the following specification:

• DC bus nominal voltage

110V DC;

• Normally floating voltage

125V DC;

• Load current

12A;

• Backup time

5 hours;

• Needed backup time

12 hours;

• Available space

8.5 m2; Redflow solution:

• Deployment of 3 ZBM for a total of 510 Ah;
• Resulting footprint of less than 3 m2;
• Resulting backup time of more than 12 hours;

Results

The system @48V guarantees same performance as in the lab

Hibernation Mode

• Designed for UPS and backup applications targeting extremely long

life;

• Charge (up to 120%) – Prepare – Stop (pumps off);
• When a loss of power occurs the battery wakes up and perform a full

cycle (in the worst case scenario);

• The main advantage is that the battery is OFF most of the time

without any degradation (pumps or electrodes);

• If the site experiences 100 blackouts a year, the battery projected life

exceeds 20 years (2,000 cycles)

Hibernation Mode

• The hibernation consumption is a few mA;
• The ZBM charge is inhibited but the battery is able to

supply instantaneously up to 10Ah (@50V and available for months);

• To improve reliability and response

time we coupled the ZBM with a Supercapacitor (120F / 64V);

Hibernation Mode Test

• Even if the ZBM is at 0V it

restarts in 20/25s;

• The Supercap can supply

1.5kW for over a minute (3kW for 30s);

• The system will be always able

to tackle a blackout and backup the site for over 6h per ZBM;

• There is no limit to the

number of ZBMs that can be connected in parallel;

Hibernation Mode Business Case

• Valid alternative tho the existing system (LA + DG) considering:

– DG restart issues; – DG maintenance; – LA maintenance (assessment, replacement, disposal); – Non-modular solution; – Non ideal for intermediate duration blackouts;

• Supercaps have certified 1M cycles and guaranteed no-loss of

Capacitance over 10 years @VR;

• Both devices (ZBM and Supercaps) are tolerant to high temperatures

up to 50°C so no need for environment conditioning.

Other ZBM applications

• Large scale and microgrids;
• AC application: Residential and Industrial;
• Integration with Renewables;

Please Enquire Us!

Thank you!