Vincent Bai, 2014, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Vincent Bai ’14

I worked with the Benziger Reaction Engineering Group to study flow regimes through electrodes of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRBs). VRBs are being researched as potential energy storage systems that can reduce the negative effects of surges in consumption and/or production when variable energy resources such as solar and wind are used. The goal of my project was to modify the standard diffusive flow regime used in most VRB designs to allow for convection of the electrolyte within the reaction chamber. We wanted to see if the modified design would increase battery efficiency and power output. Since this project was new to my research group, I was able to experience firsthand the amount of work necessary to start up a project. I spent part of my summer designing and constructing the batteries and gained valuable insight into the process of selecting and acquiring materials. By the end of the summer, we had promising data that demonstrated that the modified convective flow regime was more efficient. This internship solidified my desire to work in the energy industry, and I plan to continue working on this project during the school year.