A Balance-of-Plant Vanadium Redox Battery System Model

The vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) is well suited for renewable energy applications. It has many attributes, which make it an excellent choice for bulk power applications. However, as with all energy storage systems, the energy storage device must consider the balance of plant in computing performance efficiencies. This paper studies VRB use within a microgrid system from a practical perspective. A reduced order circuit model of the VRB is introduced that includes the losses from the balance of system including system and environmental controls. Experimental field data are collected to estimate the key parameters of the VRB system. The proposed models include the circulation pumps and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that regulates the environment of the VRB enclosure. In this paper, the VRB model is extended to include the energy storage system environmental controls to provide a model that provides a more realistic efficiency profile.