APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS

Abstract

Apparatus for transporting used, damaged or defective electrochemical cells while preventing and controlling safety-critical states of the electrochemical cells, such as lithium ion-based cells and/or lithium ion polymer cells, having an outer surrounding wall, a base and a cover which can be closed, which surrounding wall, base and cover define a chamber between them. An intermediate chamber is filled with a fire-retardant material which is composed of only inert, non-conductive and non-combustible and absorbent hollow glass granules as bulk material, and a basket which is permeable to the fire-retardant material is arranged in the chamber for receiving an electrochemical cell.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transporting used, damaged or defective galvanic cells while preventing and controlling safety critical conditions of the galvanic cells, said apparatus comprising a container, which defines a space, wherein the space is filled with a flame retardant of only inert, non-conductive and non-combustible and absorbent hollow glass granulate in the form of a loose filling, and wherein arranged in the space there is a basket, which is permeable for the flame retardant for receiving at least one galvanic cell.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the basket is a wire basket.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the basket consists of powder coated wire.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the basket is provided with spacers.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the spacers are constituted by a bracket construction.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spacers are arranged on the base and/or on the side walls of the basket.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hollow glass granulate is a hollow round granulate or a round granulate provided with hollow regions, which is resistant to a temperature up to at least 1000 C. and has a mean diameter between 0.1 mm and 10 mm.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the apparatus further comprises an outer peripheral wall, and wherein the outer peripheral wall comprises a conventional hazardous goods container.

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the basket is provided with spacers.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the spacers are constituted by a bracket construction.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the spacers are arranged on the base and/or on the side walls of the basket.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises an outer peripheral wall, and wherein the outer peripheral wall comprises a conventional hazardous goods container.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow glass granulate is a hollow round granulate or a round granulate provided with hollow regions.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the hollow glass granulate has a mean diameter between 0.1 mm and 10 mm.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the hollow glass granulate has a mean diameter between 0.1 mm and 5 mm.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the hollow glass granulate is resistant to a temperature up to at least 1000 C.

19. A method of storing and transporting used, damaged or defective galvanic cells for preventing safety critical conditions, said method comprising: directly embedding one or more used, damaged or defective galvanic cells in a flame retardant contained in an apparatus, wherein the flame retardant comprises only inert, non-conductive and non-combustible and absorbent hollow glass granulate in the form of a loose filling, wherein the apparatus comprises a container, which defines a space, and wherein the space is filled with the hollow glass granulate, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a permeable basket arranged in the space with the basket being permeable for the hollow glass granulate; and storing and/or transporting the galvanic cell in the apparatus/

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of directly embedding the galvanic cell comprises directly and individually embedding a plurality of galvanic cells in the flame retardant.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of storing and/or transporting is performed in a hazardous goods container of appropriate classification, in which the galvanic cells are embedded at a distance from one another as regards height, breadth and depth.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the galvanic cells comprise lithium ion-based cells.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] FIG. 1 shows a schematic lateral sectional view of a container in accordance with the invention for collecting, storing and transporting lithium ion batteries, and

[0059] FIG. 2 shows the container of FIG. 1 in a plan view in the section taken along line A-A.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0060] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a closable container consisting of fireproof material and designated in its entirety by the reference sign 1. For improved clarity, the lid provided has been left out of FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0061] The container 1 defines by means of an outer wall 2 and a base 3 (and the lid which is not illustrated) in the interior a space 4 which is filled with a filling of hollow glass granulate 5.

[0062] The hollow glass granulate 5 is inert, non-conductive and non-combustible and absorbent and only melts at a temperature above at least 1000 C. It has a mean diameter between 0.1 and 5 mm (as per screen analysis).

[0063] Inserted into the space 4 is a basket 6 consisting of powder coated wire mesh, of which the mesh width is configured such that the hollow glass granulate 5 can penetrate or flow unhindered through the mesh.

[0064] A defective battery B is placed in the basket 6.

[0065] Since the hollow glass granulate 5 can flow freely through the mesh of the basket, the battery B is surrounded on all sides by hollow glass granulate 5 or is embedded therein and the risk of uncontrolled occurrence of a critical condition is minimised or prevented.

[0066] In order to ensure that the basket 6 can be introduced into and removed from the container 1, it has in each case two bracket handles 7 which protrude inwardly from the upper edge 6B of the basket 6.

[0067] Furthermore, the basket is provided on the underside with two spacers 8 which each consist of a wire bracket and are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the basket.

[0068] The brackets 8 extend initially with a limb 8A from the basket base 6C downwards to the base 3 of the container and thus determine the distance of the basket 6 or the battery B arranged therein from the base.

[0069] Then, the brackets 8 extend laterally outwards to the side wall 6A of the container 1, for which reason a further limb 8B bends. Therefore, the basket 6 is also positioned laterally in the container 1 and cannot slip, and so the distance from the side wall 6A is likewise fixed.

[0070] The distance of the basket 6 in the remaining container dimension (viewing direction of FIG. 1) is similarly fixed either by the basket 6 itself or further brackets 9 (see FIG. 2, illustrated by broken lines).

[0071] The battery B can thus be placed into the basket 6 and the basket can then be introduced into the container 1, wherein already partially introduced hollow glass granulate 5 flows through the mesh of the basket and thus surrounds the battery B. Subsequently, further hollow glass granulate 5 can be added, in order to fill the space 4 in the container 1 completely or up to the desired fill level and cover the battery B.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0072] 1 hazardous goods container [0073] 2 wall [0074] 3 base [0075] 4 space [0076] 5 hollow glass granulate [0077] 6 basket [0078] 6A side wall of the basket [0079] 6B edge of the basket [0080] 6C basket base [0081] 7 bracket handle [0082] 8 bracket [0083] 8A limb [0084] 8B limb [0085] 9 bracket [0086] B lithium ion polymer battery module