The Soluble Lead Acid Flow Battery: Development From Fundamental Chemistry to Pilot Scale
Note location of seminar in 4309 Jacobs Hall 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Richard Wills, Ph.D.
University of Southampton, UK
Abstract: Redox flow batteries have been suggested as a possible solution to energy storage
requirements for applications such as the integration of renewable energy technologies, stand-by
power and as a tool for improving power transmission/distribution in electricity networks. A large
number of chemistries are known to operate satisfactorily at a laboratory scale, however, the largescale
operation and commercialization of flow batteries is still in its infancy. There are many
challenges (chemical, engineering, financial and socio-political) needing to be overcome to
successfully deliver operational systems.
A brief overview of the principals of operation of redox flow batteries will be presented.
Following this, the practical development of such systems will be addressed using the soluble lead
acid chemistry as an exemplar. Factors such as electrode reactions, electrolyte composition, active
material phase changes, Pb/PbO2 deposit morphology and cell design will be discussed and
demonstrated with experimental data. Key performance metrics will be highlighted including state
of charge and battery efficiency (voltage, charge, energy and system).
Bio: Richard is a Senior Research Fellow and Consulting Engineer in the Research Institute for
Industry (RIfI) within the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment at the University of
Southampton, UK. He obtained a BSc in chemistry at Durham University and a Masters of
Research (MRes) in Bio-inorganic chemistry at Nottingham University before studying for his
PhD at the University of Southampton on the soluble lead-acid flow battery. He then worked as a
consulting engineer on a range of chemical, electrochemical and energy storage projects. He
joined Atraverda in 2007 as a battery specialist working on ceramic and composite electrode
materials before returning to RIfI in 2008 to further research the areas of flow batteries and
electrochemical devices. His research interests are centered on electrochemical energy storage and
integration of renewable energy technologies. Specific research areas include redox flow batteries,
lead acid batteries, fuel cells and electrode materials. He was presented with the Dave Rice award
in 2007 for the advancement of lead acid batteries and has published several influential papers and
chapters on redox flow batteries and electrode materials.