High Specific Energy Aqueous Flow Battery

A discharge system comprising:

• a neutral oxidant fluid comprising one or more forms of an aqueous multi-electron oxidant;
• one or more forms of a reducer fluid comprising one or more forms of a reducer;
• and
• a discharge unit comprising an electrolytic cell stack, said electrolytic cell stack comprising a plurality of electrolytic cells, wherein each of said electrolytic cells comprises an electrolyte-electrode assembly, said discharge unit configured to produce electric power from said neutral oxidant fluid and from said reducer fluid by:
• simultaneously transferring acidic protons from said reducer fluid at a negative electrode of said electrolyte-electrode assembly to said neutral oxidant fluid at a positive electrode of said electrolyte-electrode assembly through an electrolyte of said electrode-electrolyte assembly;
• and
• simultaneously transferring electrons from said negative electrode to said positive electrode of said electrolyte-electrode assembly through an external electric circuit operably connected to terminals of said discharge unit to produce said electric power in said external electric circuit and to generate one or more forms of said discharge fluid on consumption of said neutral oxidant fluid and said one or more forms of said reducer fluid.

A method for producing electric power and regenerating an aqueous multi-electron oxidant and a reducer in an energy storage cycle, said method comprising:

• providing a discharge system comprising one or more forms of a reducer fluid, a neutral oxidant fluid, and a discharge unit, said discharge unit comprising an electrolytic cell stack, said electrolytic cell stack comprising a plurality of electrolytic cells, wherein each of said electrolytic cells comprises an electrolyte-electrode assembly;
• facilitating discharge in said discharge unit for producing said electric power from said neutral oxidant fluid comprising one or more forms of said aqueous multi-electron oxidant, and from said reducer fluid comprising one or more forms of said reducer, said facilitation of said discharge comprising:
• simultaneously transferring acidic protons from said reducer fluid at a negative electrode of said electrolyte-electrode assembly to said neutral oxidant fluid at a positive electrode of said electrolyte-electrode assembly through an electrolyte of said electrode-electrolyte assembly;
• and
• simultaneously transferring electrons from said negative electrode to said positive electrode of said electrolyte-electrode assembly through an external electric circuit operably connected to terminals of said discharge unit to produce said electric power in said external electric circuit and to generate one or more forms of said discharge fluid on consumption of said neutral oxidant fluid and said one or more forms of said reducer fluid;
• regenerating one or more forms of an oxidant fluid comprising one or more forms of said aqueous multi-electron oxidant and said reducer fluid comprising one or more forms of said reducer in stoichiometric amounts from said one or more forms of said discharge fluid in a regeneration system using external power, said regeneration comprising:
• converting said one or more forms of said discharge fluid into an alkaline discharge fluid by using one or more of an externally supplied base and a base produced at one or more negative electrodes of a splitting-disproportionation reactor configured for one of a no-aqueous multi-electron oxidant-on-negative electrode approach and an aqueous multi-electron oxidant-on-negative electrode approach;
• splitting said alkaline discharge fluid into a reducer and an intermediate oxidant in said splitting-disproportionation reactor, wherein said splitting releases a stoichiometric amount of said reducer and said base in said splitting-disproportionation reactor;
• converting said intermediate oxidant into one or more forms of said aqueous multi-electron oxidant in said splitting-disproportionation reactor via disproportionation of said intermediate oxidant with said base;
• and
• continuing said splitting and said disproportionation in said splitting-disproportionation reactor in one of a batch mode of operation, a cyclic flow mode of operation, a cascade flow mode of operation, and any combination thereof, until a desired degree of conversion of a discharge product of said aqueous multi-electron oxidant into said one or more forms of said aqueous multi-electron oxidant in said one or more forms of said oxidant fluid is achieved;
• and
• supplying said regenerated one or more forms of said oxidant fluid comprising said aqueous multi-electron oxidant and said regenerated reducer fluid comprising said reducer to said discharge system for said facilitation of said discharge in said discharge unit.