Electrolyte-circulating battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10044059-B2
Application number	US-201515314376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2015
Priority date	May 29, 2014
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

An electrolyte-circulating battery in which the electrolyte temperature is easily controlled is provided. An electrolyte-circulating battery includes a battery cell and a circulation channel that circulates an electrolyte to the battery cell. The electrolyte-circulating battery comprises a heat exchanger installed in the circulation channel and configured to cool the electrolyte; a bypass flow channel that connects an electrolyte inflow side and an electrolyte outflow side of the heat exchanger to each other so as to bypass the heat exchanger; and a flow rate variable mechanism capable of varying a flow rate of the electrolyte flowing through the heat exchanger and a flow rate of the electrolyte flowing through the bypass flow channel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrolyte-circulating battery comprising a battery cell, a tank which stores an electrolyte and a circulation channel that circulates an electrolyte to the battery cell, wherein the electrolyte-circulating battery comprises:
a heat exchanger installed in the circulation channel and configured to cool the electrolyte;
an upstream outflow channel that connects the battery cell and the heat exchanger in the circulation channel;
a downstream outflow channel that connects the tank and the heat exchanger in the circulation channel;
a bypass flow channel that connects the upstream outflow channel and the downstream outflow channel so as to bypass the heat exchanger; and
a flow rate variable mechanism capable of varying a flow rate of the electrolyte flowing through the heat exchanger and a flow rate of the electrolyte flowing through the bypass flow channel.

2. The electrolyte-circulating battery according to claim 1 , comprising a measurement sensor that measures a physical quantity related to a temperature of the electrolyte; and
a flow rate controller that controls a flow rate of the electrolyte that flows into the heat exchanger and a flow rate of the electrolyte that flows into the bypass flow channel by using the flow rate variable mechanism on a basis of a measurement result obtained from the measurement sensor.

3. The electrolyte-circulating battery according to claim 2 , wherein the measurement sensor comprises at least one selected from a liquid temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the electrolyte and an air temperature sensor that measures an ambient temperature.

4. The electrolyte-circulating battery according to claim 2 , comprising:
a cooling mechanism that cools the heat exchanger; and
a cooling controller that controls operation of the cooling mechanism on a basis of a measurement result obtained from the measurement sensor.

5. The electrolyte-circulating battery according to claim 2 , comprising:
a pump that circulates the electrolyte; and
a pump controller that controls output of the pump on a basis of a measurement result obtained from the measurement sensor.

6. The electrolyte-circulating battery according to claim 1 , wherein the flow rate variable mechanism comprises a valve that is disposed in the bypass flow channel and configured to open and close the flow channel.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• Yano Keiji

Classifications

• H01M8/188 Primary

  by recharging of redox couples containing fluids; Redox flow type batteries · CPC title

• H01M8/0432

  Temperature; Ambient temperature · CPC title

• H01M8/04753

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04067

  Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins · CPC title

• H01M8/04708

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title