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Vanadium is a soft, silvery gray, ductile transition metal and is the 22nd
most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Vanadium in not found by itself,
instead it’s most often found in chemically combined forms occurring in about
65 different minerals and has been historically mined as a by-product of
other mining operations.
 Vanadium is primarily obtained from the minerals
vanadinite (Pb5(VO)3Cl) and carnotite (K2(UO2)2VO4·1-3H2O). It is found in
magnetite (iron oxide) deposits that are also very rich in the element
titanium. It is also found in aluminum ore, rocks with high
concentrations of phosphorous-containing minerals, and sandstones that have
high uranium content. Vanadium is also recovered from carbon-rich
deposits such as coal, oil shale, crude oil, and tar sands.
Vanadium can be recycled from mining slag, oil field sludge, fly ash and
other waste products.
 Vanadium’s symbol, a V, is based on an 8th-century
figurine of the Scandinavian goddess of beauty Freyja. The symbol is set
against text from a 13th century Icelandic saga. Norsemen called Freyja by
another name, Vanadis, which is where vanadium got its name.
 Vanadium may be the most beautiful metal of all - once
extracted and dissolved in water, various forms of vanadium turn into bright,
bold colors.
A sword of Damascus steel was said to be so sharp that it could split a
hair dropped on the blade, cut a floating feather in half or split wide open
a steel helmet with equal ease. The blades were said to be so flexible they
could bend through 90 degrees without breaking.
Most Damascus steel was derived from blocks of ''wootz,'' a form of steel
produced from the vanadium-rich iron deposits in South India.
A big mystery down thru the ages is what were the properties of wootz that
produced such blades - malleable when heated, extraordinarily tough when
cooled and able to take on a razors edge and hold it thru the thick of
battle.
The answer has come fairly recently - it takes high carbon content,
vanadium and low metal working temperature to produce the much superior
Damascus steel.
The Arabs took the steel to Damascus where it was used for many centuries.
 
The first time vanadium was discovered was in 1801 by Andrés Manuel del
Rio, a Professor of Mineralogy in Mexico City. Rio sent samples, and a brief
letter describing his discovery, to the Institute de France in Paris, France,
for confirmation and credit. His letter was lost in a shipwreck and the
Institute only received his samples which Rio had named erythronium.
In 1830, while analyzing samples of iron from a mine in Sweden, a Swedish
chemist, Nils Gabriel Sefstrôm rediscovered vanadium.
 In 1867, Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe, an English chemist,
isolated vanadium by combining vanadium trichloride (VCl3) with hydrogen gas
(H2).
In 1869, pure vanadium was produced by Henry Roscoe at Manchester,
England.
Henry Ford was the first to use it on an industrial scale, in the 1908 Model
T car chassis.
Uses
Vanadium has remarkable characteristics which give it the ability to make
things stronger, lighter, more efficient and more powerful. Adding small
percentages of it to steel and aluminium creates exceptionally ultra
high-strength, super-light and more resilient alloys.
Nearly 80% of the vanadium produced is used to make ferrovanadium or as an
additive to steel.
Vanadium-steel and Ferrovanadium (a strong, shock resistant and corrosion
resistant alloy of iron containing between 1% and 6% vanadium) alloys are
used to make such things as axles, crankshafts and gears for cars, parts of
jet engines, springs and cutting tools.
Although other metals can also have similar effects on steel only a small
amount of Vanadium is required to dramatically increase its tensile strength,
making Vanadium one of the most cost-effective additives in steel alloys.
Less than 1% of vanadium, and as little chromium, makes steel shock
resistant and vibration resistant.
Vanadium-titanium alloys have the best strength-to-weight ratio of any
engineered material on earth.
Vanadium, being corrosion resistant, is used to make special tubes and
pipes for the chemical industry.
Since vanadium does not easily absorb neutrons it has
important applications in the nuclear power industry.
A thin layer of vanadium is used to bond titanium to steel.
Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is used as a mordant, a material which
permanently fixes dyes to fabrics. V2O5 is also used as a catalyst in certain
chemical reactions and in the manufacture of ceramics. It can also be mixed
with gallium to form superconductive magnets.
Vanadium oxide is used as a pigment for ceramics and glass, as a catalyst
and in producing superconducting magnets.
 Vanadium is mined mostly (85% of global production) from
vanadium-bearing titaniferous magnetite found in ultramafic
gabbro bodies in South Africa, north-western China, and eastern Russia.
Purification processes ultimately produce vanadium pentoxide (V2O5).
Unlike other commodities, there is no market quote for vanadium.
Vanadium is traded by contract, directly between the producers and consumers
- global market prices are set by whatever steel industry customers are
willing to pay.
Vanadium or V flow batteries
Every sunny afternoon there’s a remarkable amount of the sun’s energy, in
the form of solar power, fed into the electricity grid. The problem is that
all this new electricity is coming at the wrong time of day. Between noon and
4pm is a trough in power demand. It’s during peak hours of demand in the
evening when all this excess energy can be utilized.
An emerging market opportunity is rapidly developing for vanadium
pentoxide (V2O5) to be used as the main ingredient, the electrolyte, in the
vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) aka the Vanadium Flow Battery (VFB) or V
flow battery. Other vanadium redox battery technologies, such as
lithium-vanadium phosphate batteries are also being advanced.
Vanadium Flow Battery’s can store large amounts of energy almost
indefinitely, which makes them perfect for wind/solar farms, industrial and
utility scale applications, to supply remote areas, or to provide backup
power.
Vanadium is going to become a crucial part of the renewable energy
revolution.
“Electrical distribution grids must operate within one simple
principle, that energy consumption must be met by energy production
instantaneously. Therein lies the problem; solar energy is intermittent,
meaning it has variable energy output and is extremely uncertain due to
natural conditions. The output can vary on daily, hourly, weekly, and
possibly even monthly bases depending on where depending on where the solar
panels are set up. This is a serious limitation when integrating solar plants
to major grids. Energy storage would be able to solve this problem of energy
reliability and security, and it could also be utilized to control to demand and
reduce the load on base load plants that traditionally use fossil
fuels. The objective of integrating enery storage technologies is to generate
an electricity reserve, which would stabilize the energy market, reduce the
need on reserve fossil fuel plants, smooth out short term power quality
applications, reduce the requirements of the spinning reserve, provided black
start capacity, reduce the vulnerability of renewable, provide greater access
to electricity, and finally make the energy produced more affordable for the
masses.” Nathaniel Ahlers, Review of Grid-Level Energy Storage
Technologies
Energy Storage Roles on the
Electric Grid
According to the U.S. Energy Storage Monitor, energy storage demand,
especially at the business and utility scales, will increase ten times in
just the next five years.
The Energy Storage Association states that corporate investments in energy
storage reached $660 million in the third quarter of 2016.
Fact - A lack of energy storage is the main factor limiting the spread of
renewable energy.
Fact - When we can create, and easily access as required huge stores of
energy, we will be free from much of our dependence on fossil fuels.
New battery technology, efficient, easily accessible stored energy, is
essential to our renewable energy future.
How VFB’s work
Batteries store energy and generate electricity by a reaction between two
different materials, usually zinc and manganese.
In VFB batteries, these materials are liquid and have different electric
charges. Both liquids (V2+/V3+ and VO2+/VO2+) are pumped into a tank. A thin
membrane separates the two liquids but the liquids are able to react and an
electric current is generated.
Vanadium is used because it can convert back and forth from its various
different states which carry different positive charges. The risk of cross
contamination is eliminated as only one material is used. They are also
safer, as the two liquids don’t mix causing a sudden release of energy.
The liquids have an indefinite life, so the replacement costs are low and
there are no waste disposal problems. Also, battery life is extended
potentially infinitely. By using larger electrolyte storage tanks VFB’s can
offer almost unlimited energy capacity and they can be left completely
discharged for long periods with no ill effects.
“V-flow batteries are fully containerized, nonflammable, compact,
reusable over semi-infinite cycles, discharge 100% of the stored energy and
do not degrade for more than 20 years. Unlike solid batteries, like
lithium-ion or lead-acid, that begin degrading after a couple of years,
V-flow batteries are fully reusable over semi-infinite cycles and do not
degrade, giving them a very, very long life.” James Conca, The Energy
Storage Breakthrough We've Needed
Introducing hydrochloric acid into the electrolyte solution almost doubles
the storage capacity and enables the system to work over a far greater range
of temperatures, from -40°C to +50°C.
Presently, the largest installed V-flow battery in the U.S. is in Washington
State at the Snohomish County Public Utility District’s Everett Substation.
This vanadium battery can keep the lights on in 1,000 homes for eight hours.
V-flow batteries offer the best deployable large battery storage
technology developed so far.
Vanadium has also begun to play a role in applications for electric
and hybrid vehicles. Vanadium acts as a supercharger to batteries by
increasing the energy density and voltage of the battery. This is important
for electric and hybrid vehicle performance since energy density equates to
distance/range, while voltage equates to torque.
Demand Outlook
“VRFBs have emerged as a promising solution for grid services because
of their long lifecycle potential and high energy capacity, which can provide
extended discharge times. Additionally, given the ability to scale power and
energy of a system independently, VRFB technology may be a long-term solution
for off-grid power systems and micro-grids. In particular, these systems
could be used to support residential, community, military, and commercial
end-users, and to fulfill remote-energy-access needs of rural areas in
developing countries.
Approximately 90% of today’s vanadium consumption occurs in the steel
industry. About 10% is used for non-ferrous alloys (titanium alloys, super
alloys, magnetic alloys) and chemical applications (catalysts, dyes,
phosphors). VRFB energy storage applications, in which V2O5 quality
requirements are usually more rigorous, accounted for about 1 kt V demand in
2014, compared to global production of 94.3 kt V that year.
Estimates on vanadium requirements for VRFB vary among producers, with
an average of approximately 8 Kg of high purity V2O5 per KWh. Currently,
there are few vanadium producers able to produce high purity V2O5 and products
show significant differences in purity and trace element levels…
Considering the potential size of the grid energy storage market, even
a slight increase in VRFB demand would mean significant growth in V2O5
consumption for this end-user product. For example, it is estimated that the
vanadium consumption in the battery energy storage industry could rise 3100%
by 2025, to 31 kt V.
Currently, 55% of global V2O5 production occurs in China, followed by
17% in South Africa, 8% in Russia, and 4% each in the USA and Austria.”
Canadian Nation Research Council (CNRC) report
There is no primary vanadium production in Canada or the U.S.
Conclusion
Currently traditional clean, green, renewable energy sources are
unreliable sources of electricity production. Vanadium’s unique properties
make it ideal for a new type of batteries that will revolutionize our energy
storage systems.
The Vanadium Flow Battery (VFB), given its unlimited storage capacity,
long battery life, low maintenance requirements, adaptability and almost
non-existent environmental footprint is today’s answer to efficiently storing
and accessing energy. The stored electricity will reduce our reliance on
fossil fuels cutting pollution and CO2 emissions.
Vanadium, and the fact VFB’s are the basis for a more efficient, reliable,
and cleaner electrical energy market, needs to be on your radar screen.
aheadoftheherd.com
Richard lives with his family on a 160 acre ranch in northern British
Columbia. He invests in the resource and biotechnology/pharmaceutical sectors
and is the owner of aheadoftheherd.com.
***
Legal Notice / Disclaimer
This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or
the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment.
Richard Mills has based this document on information obtained from sources
he believes to be reliable but which has not been independently verified.
Richard Mills makes no guarantee, representation or warranty and accepts
no responsibility or liability as to its accuracy or completeness.
Expressions of opinion are those of Richard Mills only and are subject to
change without notice.
Richard Mills assumes no warranty, liability or guarantee for the current
relevance, correctness or completeness of any information provided within this
Report and will not be held liable for the consequence of reliance upon any
opinion or statement contained herein or any omission.
Furthermore, I, Richard Mills, assume no liability for any direct or
indirect loss or damage or, in particular, for lost profit, which you may
incur as a result of the use and existence of the information provided within
this Report.
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