Module for regenerating electrolyte of flow battery and method for regenerating electrolyte of flow battery by using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10355296-B2
Application number	US-201515531885-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a module for regenerating an electrolyte capable of being used in a flow battery, and a method for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery using the same, and in particular, to a module for regenerating an electrolyte introducing any one of anode and cathode electrolytes each stored in anode and cathode electrolyte storage units to a counter electrolyte storage unit, and circulating any one of the anode and cathode electrolytes in a direction opposite to the direction of electrolyte introduction to uniformly mix the anode and cathode electrolytes, and as a result, capable of recovering battery capacity reduced by a membrane permeation phenomenon between the anode and cathode electrolytes when driving a flow battery for a long period of time, and a method for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery using the same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery comprising:
anode and cathode electrolyte storage units each storing anode and cathode electrolytes;
a pump introducing any one of the anode and cathode electrolytes each stored in the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units to a counter electrolyte storage unit; and
a three-way valve connected to side surfaces of the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units, and circulating any one of the anode and cathode electrolytes in a direction opposite to the direction of electrolyte introduction made by the pump,
wherein the three-way valve circulates any one of the anode and cathode electrolytes in a direction opposite to the direction of electrolyte introduction made by the pump, controls gas pressures of the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units, and discharges gases produced by a side reaction of the anode and cathode electrolytes to the outside by opening the three-way valve.

2. The module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 1 , further comprising a control unit,
wherein the control unit controls beginning of operation of the pump, and opening and closing of the three-way valve.

3. The module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the three-way valve is connected to side surfaces higher than the height of the anode and cathode electrolytes each stored in the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units when halves of the total amount of the anode and cathode electrolytes stored in the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units are each stored in the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units.

4. The module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units are each provided with a marked measuring unit so as to measure volumes of the stored anode and cathode electrolytes.

5. The module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 1 , further comprising pumps each having one side connected to the anode electrolyte storage unit and the other side connected to the anode electrolyte inlet, and one side connected to the cathode electrolyte storage unit and the other side connected to the cathode electrolyte inlet.

6. The module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 1 , comprising:
an anode introducing the anode electrolyte from the anode electrolyte storage unit and discharging the anode electrolyte to the anode electrolyte storage unit;
a cathode introducing the cathode electrolyte from the cathode electrolyte storage unit and discharging the cathode electrolyte to the cathode electrolyte storage unit; and
a separator between the anode and the cathode.

7. The module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 1 , further comprising stirring apparatuses each stirring the anode and cathode electrolytes stored in the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units.

8. The module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 7 , wherein the stirring apparatus is any one of an impeller, an agitator and a magnetic stirrer.

9. The module for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the flow battery is a vanadium redox flow battery.

10. A method for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery comprising:
(a) introducing any one of anode and cathode electrolytes each stored in anode and cathode electrolyte storage units to a counter electrolyte storage unit, and mixing the anode and cathode electrolytes in the counter electrolyte storage unit using a pump;
(b) circulating the mixed anode and cathode electrolytes in a direction opposite to the direction of electrolyte introduction using a three-way valve connected to side surfaces of the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units when a volume of the counter electrolyte storage unit storing the mixed anode and cathode electrolytes increases; and
(c) adjusting the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units storing the mixed anode and cathode electrolytes to have equal volumes after carrying out the (a) and (b) steps one or more times,
wherein the step (b) further comprises at least one of controlling gas pressures of the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units using the three-way valve; and discharging gases produced by a side reaction of the anode and cathode electrolytes to the outside by opening the three-way valve.

11. The method for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 10 , further comprising (d) introducing the mixed anode and cathode electrolytes stored in the anode electrolyte storage unit to an anode, and introducing the mixed anode and cathode electrolytes stored in the cathode electrolyte storage unit to a cathode.

12. The method for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 10 , wherein the step (a) comprises introducing any one of anode and cathode electrolytes each stored in anode and cathode electrolyte storage units to a counter electrolyte storage unit, and mixing the anode and cathode electrolytes in the counter electrolyte storage unit; and stirring each of the anode and cathode electrolytes stored in the anode and cathode electrolyte storage units.

13. The method for regenerating an electrolyte of a flow battery of claim 10 , wherein the flow battery is a vanadium redox flow battery.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Jeong Bong Hyun
• Lee Jeongbae
• Noh Tae Geun
• Moon Sikwon

Classifications

• H01M8/20

  Indirect fuel cells, e.g. fuel cells with redox couple being irreversible (H01M8/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/18 Primary

  Regenerative fuel cells, e.g. redox flow batteries or secondary fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04276 Primary

  Arrangements for managing the electrolyte stream, e.g. heat exchange · CPC title

• H01M8/04

  Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids · CPC title

• H01M8/188

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