Metal-air battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10008754-B2
Application number	US-201515307807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2015
Priority date	Apr 29, 2014
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A metal-air battery may include a housing, at least one cathode disposed in the housing between an air space and an electrolyte space, and at least one metal anode disposed in the electrolyte space. The battery may also include an air path leading through the housing from an air inlet to an air outlet of the housing, both of which may be fluidically connected to the air space, and an air supply device for generating an air flow which may follow the air path and act upon the cathode. The battery may further include an electrolyte path leading through the housing from an electrolyte inlet to an electrolyte outlet of the housing, both of which may be fluidically connected to the electrolyte space, and an electrolyte supply device for producing an electrolyte flow which may follow the electrolyte path and act upon the anode and the cathode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A metal-air battery comprising:
a housing;
at least one cathode disposed in the housing between an air space and an electrolyte space;
at least one metal anode disposed in the electrolyte space;
an air path leading through the housing from an air inlet of the housing, which is fluidically connected to the air space, to an air outlet of the housing, which is fluidically connected to the air space;
an air supply device for generating an air flow which follows the air path and acts upon the at least one cathode;
an electrolyte path leading through the housing from an electrolyte inlet of the housing, which is fluidically connected to the electrolyte space, to an electrolyte outlet of the housing, which is fluidically connected to the electrolyte space; and
an electrolyte supply device for producing an electrolyte flow which follows the electrolyte path and acts upon the at least one metal anode and the at least one cathode.

2. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cathode separates the air space from the electrolyte space so that the at least one cathode is acted upon by air located in the air space and electrolyte located in the electrolyte space.

3. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cathode is a hollow body.

4. The battery according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one cathode is one of a cylindrical hollow body or a rectangular hollow body having one of a round cross-section or a polygonal cross-section.

5. The battery according to claim 3 , wherein:
the at least one cathode encloses the electrolyte space and is enclosed by the air space;
the at least one metal anode is located in the interior of the at least one cathode; and
the housing surrounds the air space.

6. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal anode is arranged relative to the at least one cathode so that a longitudinal central axis of the at least one cathode and a longitudinal central axis of the at least one metal anode run parallel to one another.

7. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal anode is configured as a solid.

8. The battery according to claim 1 , further comprising a control device for operating the metal-air battery, the control device being electrically connected to the air supply device and to the electrolyte supply device, wherein the control device is at least one of configured and programmed so that, depending on a current electrical power requirement at the metal-air battery, the control device actuates at least one of the air supply device for producing an air flow adapted to the power requirement and the electrolyte supply device for producing an electrolyte flow adapted to the power requirement.

9. The battery according to claim 8 , wherein the control device is at least one of configured and programmed so that, depending on the current electrical power requirement, the control device actuates the electrolyte supply device to produce an electrolyte flow adapted to the power requirement and actuates the air supply device to produce an air flow adapted to the adapted electrolyte flow.

10. The battery according to claim 8 , wherein the control device is at least one of configured and programmed so that, for shutting down the metal-air battery, the control device actuates the electrolyte supply device for emptying the electrolyte path of electrolyte.

11. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal anode is mounted rotatably about its longitudinal central axis on the housing.

12. The battery according to claim 11 , further comprising a rotary drive for rotatingly driving the at least one metal anode.

13. The battery according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one metal anode is configured so that a rotation of the at least one metal anode drives the electrolyte in the electrolyte path.

14. The battery according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one metal anode has flow-guiding structures on its outer side exposed to the electrolyte space which drive the electrolyte when the at least one metal anode is rotating.

15. The battery according to claim 14 , wherein the electrolyte path is guided past the at least one metal anode so that the electrolyte flow rotatingly drives the at least one metal anode.

16. The battery according to claim 15 , wherein the electrolyte inlet is arranged tangentially to the electrolyte space at a first end region of the electrolyte space, and the electrolyte outlet is arranged at a second end region of the electrolyte space.

17. The battery according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one metal anode has flow-guiding structures on its outer side exposed to the electrolyte space, the flow-guiding structures transmitting a torque to the at least one metal anode when the at least one metal anode is exposed to the electrolyte flow.

18. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one metal anode is configured to be cylindrical and is connected mechanically and electrically to a metal supporting plate.

19. The battery according to claim 18 , wherein the metal supporting plate is mounted rotatably about a longitudinal central axis of the at least one metal anode via an axial bearing on the housing.

20. The battery according to claim 19 , further comprising an anode-side power formed on the axial bearing.

21. The battery according to claim 19 , wherein the axial bearing comprises a sliding metal ring which lies in a housing-side annular bearing shell and on which the supporting plate rests and slides when the at least one metal anode is rotating.

22. The battery according to claim 21 , wherein the sliding metal ring comprises an annular body composed of a sliding metal alloy and at least one heating conductor arranged in the annular body and configured to heat the annular body.

23. The battery according to claim 22 , wherein a power supply of the heating conductor is configured so that the heating conductor heats the annular body to a predetermined operating temperature which lies below a melting point of the sliding metal alloy but allows a surface melting to occur on the annular body.

24. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the air supply device has a concentrating device upstream of the air inlet which increases an oxygen fraction in the air flow.

25. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte supply device comprises an electrolyte circuit which includes a flow leading from an electrolyte tank to the electrolyte inlet, and a return leading from the electrolyte outlet to the electrolyte tank.

26. The battery according to claim 25 , wherein a flow pump for driving the electrolyte is located in the flow.

27. The battery according to claim 25 , wherein a return pump for driving the electrolyte is located in the return.

28. The battery according to claim 25 , wherein an electrolyte cleaning device for removing reaction products from the electrolyte is located in the return.

29. The battery according to claim 25 , wherein a gas separating device for removing gases from the electrolyte is located in the return.

30. The battery according to claim 29 , wherein the gas separating device is fluidically connected via a gas line to a conversion device for converting chemical energy of the separated gas into at least one of electrical and therm

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Englert Peter

Classifications

• H01M6/5022 Primary

  Arrangements for moving electrodes or separating elements · CPC title

• H01M4/381

  Alkaline or alkaline earth metals elements (H01M4/40 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M6/5077

  Regeneration of reactants or electrolyte · CPC title

• H01M2300/0014

  Alkaline electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M12/06 Primary

  with one metallic and one gaseous electrode · CPC title