FLOW BATTERY, PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE, AND USE THEREOF

Abstract

State-of-the-art flow batteries suffer from drawbacks such as congestion of their electrodes, defects in liquid tightness, or shunt currents, all of which may lead to efficiency drop. Solution The problem is solved by a flow battery comprising multi-chambered ducts (100) mutually plugged together, each duct containing an integrated air electrode (111) and partition walls being partly ion-permeably perforated and partly impermeable, and nonconducting joining elements with integrated passages, the joining elements plugged bilaterally onto the ducts (100).

Claims

1. Flow battery (400) having multi-chambered ducts (100, 300, 401) mutually plugged together, each duct containing an integrated air electrode (111), characterized in partition walls being partly ion-permeably perforated and partly impermeable, and nonconducting joining elements (402) with integrated passages, the joining elements (402) plugged bilaterally onto the ducts (100, 300, 401).

2. Battery (400) as in claim 1, characterized in that each duct comprises an insulating and lye-proof outer frame (102), preferably of polypropylene, and a conducting inner frame (101) encased in the outer frame (102).

3. Battery (400) as in claim 2, characterized in that the inner frame (101) forms a first chamber (105) containing the air electrode (111), a second chamber (103), a third chamber (104), a fourth chamber (106), a partly perforated first partition wall (107) between the first chamber (105) and the second chamber (103), an impermeable second partition wall (108) between the second chamber (103) and the third chamber (104), and a partly perforated third partition wall (109) between the third chamber (104) and the fourth chamber (106).

4. Battery (400) as in claim 3, characterized in that the outer frame (102) forms a perforated outer wall (110) delimiting the fourth chamber (106) opposite the third partition wall (109).

5. Battery (400) as in claim 3 or claim 4, characterized in that the third chamber (104) or fourth chamber (106) comprises energizing elements (201) for guiding or impairing a fluid flow.

6. Battery (400) as in any of claim 3 to claim 5, characterized in that the second chamber (103) contains oxygen, preferably air (403), or ionic fluid (405).

7. Battery (400) as in any of claim 3 to claim 6, characterized in that the third chamber (104) contains metal slurry (404) preferably based on zinc, lithium, or vanadium.

8. Battery (400) as in any of claim 3 to claim 7, characterized in that the fourth chamber (106) contains electrolyte.

9. Battery (400) as in any of claim 3 to claim 8, characterized in that the first wall (107) and third wall (109) exhibit pores, preferably ranging from 50 nm to 5 m in diameter.

10. Battery (400) as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each duct exhibits a longitudinally uniform cross section.

11. Battery (400) as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer frame (102) exhibits complementarily formed regions (112, 113) for plugging the ducts (100, 300, 401) together.

12. Process for the manufacture of a battery (400) as in claim 1 characterized in extruding a conductor into stock such that the stock forms a first chamber (105) for integrating an air electrode (111), a second chamber (103), a third chamber (104), a fourth chamber (106), a first partition wall (107) between the first chamber (105) and the second chamber (103), a second partition wall (108) between the second chamber (103) and the third chamber (104), and a third partition wall (109) between the third chamber (104) and the fourth chamber (106), perforating the first wall (107) and third wall (109), integrating the air electrode (111) into the first chamber (105), encasing the stock in a lye-proof insulator, breaking the stock down into ducts (100, 300, 401), mutually plugging the ducts (100, 300, 401) together, and plugging joining elements (402) bilaterally onto the ducts (100, 300, 401).

13. Process as in claim 12, characterized in that the first wall (107) and third wall (109) are laser-perforated.

14. Process as in claim 12 or claim 13, characterized in that the air electrode (111) is integrated by wet-laying a gas diffusion layer into the first chamber (105), wet-laying a catalysis layer onto the gas diffusion layer, compressing the gas diffusion layer with the catalysis layer under a given pressure into the air electrode (111), curing the air electrode (111), and pyrolyzing the air electrode (111).

15. Use of a battery (400) as in claim 1 as a structural element of an electric vehicle, preferably a floor panel of a car.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a transversal section of a battery duct.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of a chamber of the duct.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the duct.

[0019] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a battery.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0020] One way of carrying out the invention claimed is hereinafter described at detail.

EXAMPLE

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a multi-chambered duct (100) comprising an insulating and lye-proof outer frame (102) of polypropylene and a conducting inner frame (101) encased therein. The inner frame (101) forms a first chamber (105) containing an air electrode (111), the first chamber (105) separated by a first partition wall (107) from a second chamber (103) filled with aerial oxygen or ionic liquid (not depicted). An impermeable second partition wall (108) seals the second chamber (103) from a third chamber (104) charged with zinc slurry (not depicted), which chamber in turn is divided from a fourth chamber (106) by a third partition wall (109). The first wall (107) and third wall (109), both of which are partly perforated, exhibit pores ranging from 100 nm to 5 m in diameter. Opposite the third partition wall (109), the outer frame (102) forms a perforated outer wall (110) that delimits the fourth chamber (106) and encloses the electrolyte (not depicted) flowing therethrough. Also, the outer frame (102) exhibits complementarily formed regions (112, 113) that may be used for plugging the duct together with further ducts (100) of the same or similar shape and size.

[0022] As may be taken from FIG. 2, the third or fourth chamber (200) comprises energizing elements (201) for guiding the fluid flow passing through it. Herein, each duct (300) exhibits an essentially uniform cross section such as the one shown in FIG. 3.

[0023] An advantageous process for the manufacture of a flow battery (400) based on such ducts (100, 300, 401) is now described. To this end, a conductor may be extruded into stock that forms the chambers and walls therebetween, of which the first wall (107) and third wall (109) are laser-perforated. Next, a gas diffusion layer (GDL) and catalysis layer are wet-laid into the first chamber (105) and compressed with each other under a given pressure, these layers now jointly constituting the air electrode (111). Upon curing and pyrolyzing the latter, the stock is encased in a lye-proof insulator and broken down into ducts (100, 300, 401) such that the conductor forms the inner frame (101) and the insulator forms the outer frame (102) of each duct. The flow battery (400) may now be finalized by mutually plugging the ducts (100, 300, 401) together in a serial connection and plugging joining elements (402) bilaterally onto the ducts (100, 300, 401). The resulting panel can be welded between two thin shell elements (406, 407) for use as a support element in a car body. FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a battery based on the ducts of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0024] The invention is applicable throughout, inter alia, the electricity and manufacturingespecially automotiveindustries.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0025] 100 Duct [0026] 101 Inner frame [0027] 102 Outer frame [0028] 103 Second chamber [0029] 104 Third chamber [0030] 105 First chamber [0031] 106 Fourth chamber [0032] 107 First (partition) wall [0033] 108 Second (partition) wall [0034] 109 Third (partition) wall [0035] 110 Outer wall [0036] 111 Air electrode [0037] 112 Complementarily formed region [0038] 113 Complementarily formed region [0039] 200 Third or fourth chamber [0040] 201 Energizing element [0041] 300 Duct [0042] 400 Flow battery [0043] 401 Duct [0044] 402 Joining element [0045] 403 Air, ionic fluid, or electrolyte [0046] 404 Metal slurry [0047] 405 Ionic fluid or electrolyte [0048] 406 Shell element [0049] 407 Shell element

CITATION LIST

[0050] The following documents are cited throughout this document.

Patent Literature

[0051] U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,901 A (KORALL MENACHEM [IL] ET AL) 29.08.1995 [0052] US 2014255812 A (FISCH EL HALBERT [US]) 11.09.2014 [0053] U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,662 A (BENNETT WILLIAM R [US]) 22.12.1987 [0054] WO 2015009029 A (H2 INC [KR]) 22.01.2015

Non-Patent Literature

[0055] NOACK, Jens, et al. The Chemistry of Redox-Flow Batteries. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 26 Jun. 2015, vol. 54, no. 34, p. 9776-9809. [0056] DUNLAP, Richard A. Sustainable Energy. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2015. ISBN 1133108776. p. 495.