Multiphase simulation of thermal convection in liquid metal batteries

Liquid metal batteries, built as a stable density stratification of two liquid metals separated by a liquid salt , promise to be a cheap means for stationary energy storage. The latter is highly needed for stabilizing highly fluctuating renewable energies in the electric grid. The high resistance of the electrolyte will lead to internal heating and thermal convection in the cell. This flow may be beneficial when enhancing mass transfer, but it must not be strong enough to wipe away the electrolyte layer. We present here a new multiphase solver for thermal convection and some results of such flow in liquid metal batteries.