CAVERN BATTERY BANK

Abstract

A battery bank for a redox flow battery having a cavity in which electrolyte is stored, wherein the electrolyte is provided for supply to one or more redox flow cells, wherein the cavity is a cavern.

Claims

1. A battery bank for a redox flow battery, comprising: a cavity in which electrolyte is stored, wherein the electrolyte is provided for supply to one or more redox flow cells, wherein the cavity is a salt dome cavern.

2. (canceled)

3. The battery bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrolyte comprises brine and polymer.

4. The battery bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cavity has a volume in an inclusive range from 70,000 m.sup.3 to 500,000 m.sup.3, or 500,000 m.sup.3 to 800,000 m.sup.3.

5. A redox flow battery comprising: one or more redox flow cells; and at least two battery banks for supplying the one or more redox flow cells with electrolyte, wherein at least one of the at least two battery banks comprises a cavity in which the electrolyte is stored, wherein the cavity is a salt dome cavern.

6. The redox flow battery as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least two of the at least two battery banks a each comprises a cavity in which a respective electrolyte is stored, wherein each cavity is a salt dome cavern.

7. The redox flow battery as claimed in claim 5, wherein a first pipe string and a second pipe string for supplying and withdrawing electrolyte open into the salt dome cavern, wherein the first and the second pipe strings are nested in one another, wherein one end of the first pipe string is associated with a cavern floor of the salt dome cavern and one end of the second pipe string is associated with a cavern roof of the salt dome cavern.

8. The redox flow battery as claimed in claim 5, wherein a plurality of redox flow cells are provided, wherein the redox flow cells are arranged in a cascade system, and/or the redox flow battery has a capacity in an inclusive range from 12.5 to 25 gigawatt hours (GWh).

9. A method for producing at least one battery bank for a redox flow battery, comprising: disposing a first electrolyte in a first cavity for storing electrolyte, wherein the first cavity is a first salt dome cavern.

10. Use of a cavern as a battery bank for accommodating electrolyte for a redox flow battery, wherein the cavern is a salt dome cavern.

11. (canceled)

12. The battery bank as claimed in claim 3, wherein the polymer is a liquid polymer.

13. The redox flow battery as claimed in claim 5, wherein the at least two battery banks for supplying the one or more redox flow cells with electrolyte consists of two battery banks for supplying the one or more redox flow cells with electrolyte, wherein the two battery banks each comprise a cavity in which a respective electrolyte is stored, wherein each cavity is a salt dome cavern.

14. The battery bank as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cavity has a volume in an inclusive range from 100,000 m.sup.3 to 1,000,000 m.sup.3.

15. The battery as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cavity has a volume in an inclusive range from 100,000 m.sup.3 to 1,000,000 m.sup.3.

16. The battery as claimed in claim 5, wherein the electrolyte comprises brine and polymer.

17. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first cavity has a volume in an inclusive range from 100,000 m.sup.3 to 1,000,000 m.sup.3.

18. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first electrolyte comprises brine and polymer.

19. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising: disposing a second electrolyte in a second cavity for storing electrolyte, wherein the second cavity is a second salt dome cavern.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second cavity has a volume in an inclusive range from 100,000 m.sup.3 to 1,000,000 m.sup.3 and/or the second electrolyte comprises brine and polymer.

21. The use of a cavern as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cavern has a volume in an inclusive range from 100,000 m.sup.3 to 1,000,000 m.sup.3.

22. The use of a cavern as claimed in claim 10, wherein the electrolyte comprises brine and polymer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] The invention is described in greater detail below on the basis of drawings which diagrammatically illustrate exemplary embodiments, in which:

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a redox flow battery according to the invention with a battery bank according to the invention.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a battery bank according to the invention for a redox flow battery.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a redox flow battery 2. The redox flow battery 2 has a first battery bank 4 and a second battery bank 6. The first battery bank 4 has a cavity 8 in which electrolyte 10 is stored. The cavity 8 is a cavern 8.

[0047] The second battery bank 6 has a cavity 12 in which electrolyte 14 is stored. The cavity 12 is a cavern 12.

[0048] The electrolyte 10 comprises brine and liquid polymer. The electrolyte 14 likewise comprises brine and liquid polymer. In the present case, electrolyte 10 forms the anolyte. Electrolyte 14 forms the catholyte.

[0049] The cavern 8 has a cavity volume for accommodating electrolyte 10 of 600,000 m.sup.3. The cavern 12 has a cavity volume for accommodating electrolyte 14 of 600,000 m.sup.3.

[0050] The redox flow battery 2 has a redox flow cell 16. The redox flow cell 16 is subdivided by a membrane 18 into a first half-cell 20 and a second half-cell 22. A first electrode 24 is associated with the first half-cell 20. A second electrode 26 is associated with the second half-cell 22. Electrical energy can be withdrawn from and supplied to the redox flow cell 16 via the electrodes 24, 26.

[0051] The first half-cell 20 is connected via pipework 28 to the first battery bank 4. The second half-cell 22 is connected via pipework 30 to the second battery bank 6. The electrolyte 10 is conveyed through the first half-cell 20 with the assistance of a pump 31. The electrolyte 12 is conveyed through the second half-cell 22 with the assistance of a pump 32. Two separate electrolyte circuits are formed in this manner.

[0052] The redox flow battery 2 may have a plurality of redox flow cells 16 which are interconnected in a cascade system. The present redox flow battery 2 has a capacity of 15 gigawatt hours (GWh).

[0053] FIG. 2 shows a battery bank 34 which can serve as a battery bank 4 or 6 of the redox flow battery 2 shown in FIG. 1. Battery bank 34 accommodates electrolyte 36. Electrolyte 36 can be withdrawn from or supplied to the battery bank 34 via a conveying system 38.

[0054] In the present case, the battery bank 34 has a salt dome cavern 35, which has been introduced into a salt dome 40 by solution mining, and a cavity 35 for accommodating electrolyte 36.

[0055] The conveying system 38 comprises a riser 42, an anchor pipe string 44, a lining pipe string 46, a protective run 48, an electrolyte withdrawal run 50 and an electrolyte return run 52.

[0056] The electrolyte return run 52 is a first pipe string 52 which opens into the salt dome cavern 35. A first end 51 of the first pipe string 52 is here associated with a cavern floor 54.

[0057] The electrolyte withdrawal run 50 is a second pipe string 50 which opens into the salt dome cavern 35. A first end 53 of the second pipe string 50 is here associated with a cavern roof 56.

[0058] During discharge of a redox flow battery, which can for example be designed as a redox flow battery 2 according to FIG. 1, charged electrolyte 36 is withdrawn from the region of the cavern roof 56 via the second pipe string 50 and supplied to one or more redox flow cells.

[0059] Discharged electrolyte 36 can be returned via the first pipe string 52 to the cavern floor 54 of the salt dome cavern 35, once the chemical energy of the electrolyte 36 has been converted into electrical energy in one or more redox flow cells. This thus gives rise to stratification within the salt dome cavern 35, wherein charged electrolyte 36 is associated with or concentrated at the cavern roof 56 and discharged electrolyte 36 is associated with or concentrated at the cavern floor 54.

[0060] The pumps 31, 32 can be operated in two directions, such that the electrolyte circuits can also be operated in two directions. In this case, the second pipe string 50 is an electrolyte return run and the first pipe string 52 the electrolyte withdrawal run. The pumps 31, 32 can be arranged within or outside the cavities 8, 10.

[0061] In the present case, a salt dome cavern 35 is therefore used as a battery bank 34, by an electrolyte 36, which is provided for supply to a redox flow battery, being stored in the salt dome cavern 35.

[0062] The battery bank 34 can on the one hand be produced by repurposing a pre-existing gas cavern, which has been created in a salt dome by solution mining, into a battery bank for storing electrolyte. The battery bank 34 may for example be an already flooded, brine-filled gas cavern. Polymer can then gradually be supplied to the brine in a cycle process in order to provide an electrolyte for a redox flow battery in the cavern.

[0063] Alternatively, a cavern can be incorporated into a salt dome specifically for use as a battery bank for a redox flow battery.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0064] 2 Redox flow battery [0065] 4 First battery bank [0066] 6 Second battery bank [0067] 8 Cavity/cavern [0068] 10 Electrolyte/anolyte [0069] 12 Cavity/cavern [0070] 14 Electrolyte/catholyte [0071] 16 Redox flow cell [0072] 18 Membrane [0073] 20 First half-cell [0074] 22 Second half-cell [0075] 24 First electrode [0076] 26 Second electrode [0077] 28 Pipework [0078] 30 Pipework [0079] 31 Pump [0080] 32 Pump [0081] 34 Battery bank [0082] 35 Salt dome cavern/cavity [0083] 36 Electrolyte [0084] 38 Conveying system [0085] 40 Salt dome [0086] 42 Riser [0087] 44 Anchor pipe string [0088] 46 Lining pipe string [0089] 48 Protective run [0090] 50 Electrolyte withdrawal run/second pipe string [0091] 51 First end of the first pipe string [0092] 52 Electrolyte return run/first pipe string [0093] 53 First end of the second pipe string [0094] 54 Cavern floor [0095] 56 Cavern roof