Rongke Power has collaborated with Aramco to deliver an iron-vanadium (Fe/V) flow battery that can deliver back-up power at gas-well operations in Saudi Arabia.
Integrated energy and chemicals company Aramco commissioned the 1MWh flow battery which will support up to five wells in western Saudi Arabia during the system’s projected 25-year lifespan.
The system was engineered to enhance electrolyte utilisation and reduce vanadium consumption while also being able to cope with the variable power demands associated with renewable energy generation.
The flow battery can operate between -8°C and 60°C without the need for thermal management systems, says Aramco.
Aramco has previously chosen lead-acid battery energy storage systems to power its remote gas wells.
The decision to use use flow batteries was made because of the company’s ‘focus on renewables investment and energy efficiency’. The company aims to achieve net-zero and greenhouse gas emissions across its wholly-owned operated assets by 2050.
The firm hopes the use of flow batteries will pave the way for further integration of the technology at isolated and unmanned oil and gas sites.
Aramco was awarded two patents for flow batteries in 2021. The first was, ‘Ion Exchange Membrane for a Redox Flow Battery Granted Patent’, U.S. Patent 11,183,70; the second was ‘Method and System to Modify the Performance of a Redox Flow Battery’, U.S. Patent 11,081,712.
Flow batteries use positively and negatively charged liquid electrolytes separated by an ion-selective membrane. This membrane allows selected ions to pass and complete chemical reactions during cycling. The storage capacity of the technology can be changed by using larger or smaller storage tanks for the electrolytes.
A flow battery has a typical lifespan of around 12,000 cycles.
Read more about flow batteries here.
Pic: Rongke Power
