Liquid battery ready downhole power system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10199659-B2
Application number	US-201315022460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2013
Priority date	Nov 21, 2013
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A battery cell housing and control system enables the use of liquid battery power systems in various applications, including downhole environments. The cell housing includes a plurality of conductive terminals spaced there-around to provide conductivity between the electrochemical solution and the load. Sensors provide orientation data to the control system to thereby determine which terminals should be activated to provide power to a load.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A downhole power system, comprising:
a liquid battery cell comprising:
a spherical or polyhedron-shaped cell housing having a surface with a plurality of conductive terminals positioned there-around; and
an electrochemical solution positioned inside the cell housing, wherein the electrochemical solution is in contact with two or more of the conductive terminals;
a sensor to determine an orientation of the liquid battery cell; and
a control system operationally coupled to the sensor to receive data corresponding to the orientation of the liquid battery cell, to thereby selectively activate two or more of the conductive terminals based upon the orientation of the liquid battery cell.

2. A downhole power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical solution is a liquid-metal solution.

3. A downhole power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein: the polyhedron shaped housing has a plurality of vertices; and the conductive terminals are positioned at the vertices.

4. A downhole power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the cell housing further comprises:
a hollow compartment in which the electrochemical solution is located, wherein the conductive terminals have a first end extending into the hollow compartment and a second end extending outside the cell housing; and
a heating element positioned inside the hollow compartment to heat the electrochemical solution.

5. A downhole power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a centrifugal force sensor or a positional sensor.

6. A downhole power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the conductive terminals are equally or substantially equally spaced about the cell housing.

7. A downhole power system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a secondary battery cell operationally coupled to the control system.

8. A downhole power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the downhole power system is housed within a tool assembly positioned along a downhole string, the tool assembly comprising:
a pressure balanced compartment to house the battery cell such that battery cell is not concentric with an axis of the tool assembly; and
a bore to divert fluid around the pressure balanced housing.

9. A power system, comprising:
a liquid battery cell comprising:
a spherical or polyhedron-shaped cell housing having a surface with a plurality of conductive terminals positioned there-around; and
an electrochemical solution positioned inside the cell housing, wherein the electrochemical solution is in contact with two or more of the conductive terminals; and

a sensor to determine an orientation of the liquid battery cell; and
a control system operationally coupled to the sensor to receive data corresponding to the orientation of the liquid battery cell, to thereby selectively activate two or more of the conductive terminals based upon the orientation of the liquid battery cell.

10. A power system as defined in claim 9 , wherein the electrochemical solution is a liquid-metal solution.

11. A power system as defined in claim 9 , wherein the sensor is at least one of a centrifugal sensor or positional sensor.

12. A power system as defined in claim 9 , wherein the power system is connected along a downhole string positioned along a wellbore.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Navarro Rex Dael
• Perez Philbert Pasco
• Khresna Wihaga Satya

Classifications

• H01M10/48

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• H01M50/107

  having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/103, H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/548

  on opposite sides of the cell · CPC title

• H01M50/559

  Terminals adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round, elliptic or button cells (H01M50/553 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/103

  prismatic or rectangular (H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence) · CPC title