RFBniCS: An open-source simulation framework for redox flow batteries
Abstract
We present RFBniCS, an open-source finite-element framework implemented in FEniCSx for simulating redox-flow-battery (RFB) half-cells. RFBniCS solves an established macro-homogeneous porous-electrode model accounting for strongly coupled electrolyte flow, multicomponent species transport, ionic and electronic charge conservation, and interfacial Faradaic charge transfer. Different from other open-access tools, RFBniCS can perform transient RFB half-cell simulations in one-, two-, and three-dimensional geometries while explicitly resolving the transport of both redox-active and supporting-electrolyte species. It also describes electrolyte flow through porous electrodes and, in the three-dimensional formulation, through adjacent flow channels. To verify the implementation, RFBniCS's predictions in parameter-limiting regimes are compared against other published implementations, with RFBniCS generally showing superior accuracy and speed. We further demonstrate RFBniCS's capabilities by a simulation of the transient response of the negative half-cell of a vanadium redox flow battery, with a moderately concentrated supporting electrolyte. In the current implementation, RFBniCS provides the computational basis for studying redox-flow-battery half-cells and can be extended to complex flow-field designs, alternative chemistries, full-cell coupling, detailed membrane transport, and additional multiphysics effects.
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BibTeX
@misc{aghabarari2026rfbnics,
title = {{RFBniCS: An open-source simulation framework for redox flow batteries}},
author = {Amirhossein Aghabarari and Jørgen S. Dokken and Martin T. Horsch and Eirik Valseth and Mathijs Janssen},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.01840},
eprint = {2610.01840},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.01840},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - RFBniCS: An open-source simulation framework for redox flow batteries
AU - Amirhossein Aghabarari
AU - Jørgen S. Dokken
AU - Martin T. Horsch
AU - Eirik Valseth
AU - Mathijs Janssen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.01840
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.01840
AB - We present RFBniCS, an open-source finite-element framework implemented in FEniCSx for simulating redox-flow-battery (RFB) half-cells. RFBniCS solves an established macro-homogeneous porous-electrode model accounting for strongly coupled electrolyte flow, multicomponent species transport, ionic and electronic charge conservation, and interfacial Faradaic charge transfer. Different from other open-access tools, RFBniCS can perform transient RFB half-cell simulations in one-, two-, and three-dimensional geometries while explicitly resolving the transport of both redox-active and supporting-electrolyte species. It also describes electrolyte flow through porous electrodes and, in the three-dimensional formulation, through adjacent flow channels. To verify the implementation, RFBniCS's predictions in parameter-limiting regimes are compared against other published implementations, with RFBniCS generally showing superior accuracy and speed. We further demonstrate RFBniCS's capabilities by a simulation of the transient response of the negative half-cell of a vanadium redox flow battery, with a moderately concentrated supporting electrolyte. In the current implementation, RFBniCS provides the computational basis for studying redox-flow-battery half-cells and can be extended to complex flow-field designs, alternative chemistries, full-cell coupling, detailed membrane transport, and additional multiphysics effects.
ER -