Battery cell and redox flow battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10566644-B2
Application number	US-201515524927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2015
Priority date	Nov 6, 2014
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

Provided are a battery cell that can be produced efficiently. A frame body of each cell frame of a battery cell includes an inner peripheral recessed portion formed by reducing a thickness of a peripheral portion that surrounds an entire perimeter of the penetrating window so that the peripheral portion has a smaller thickness than other portions of the frame body. A bipolar plate of the battery cell includes an outer peripheral engaging portion that engages with the inner peripheral recessed portion, the outer peripheral engaging portion being a portion having a particular width and extending throughout an entire outer periphery of the bipolar plate. The battery cell includes a disrupting structure that disrupts a leak channel that serves as an escape route for the electrolyte, the leak channel causing the inlet slit and the outlet slit to be in communication with each other and being formed between an outer periphery of the inner peripheral recessed portion and an outer periphery of the outer peripheral engaging portion when the cell frames are viewed from front.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery cell comprising:
a cell unit in which a membrane is sandwiched between a positive electrode and a negative electrode and the electrodes are sandwiched between a pair of cell frames,
the cell frames each including a frame body that has a penetrating window and a bipolar plate that contacts the electrode by filling the penetrating window,
the frame body including a liquid supplying manifold that penetrates through the frame body in a thickness direction thereof to serve as a supply channel of an electrolyte, a liquid discharging manifold that serves as a discharge channel of the electrolyte, an inlet slit through which the electrolyte is introduced from the liquid supplying manifold to the electrode, and an outlet slit through which the electrolyte is discharged from the electrode to the liquid discharging manifold,
wherein the frame body includes an inner peripheral recessed portion formed by reducing a thickness of a peripheral portion that surrounds an entire perimeter of the penetrating window so that the peripheral portion has a smaller thickness than other portions of the frame body,
the bipolar plate includes an outer peripheral engaging portion that engages with the inner peripheral recessed portion, the outer peripheral engaging portion being a portion having a particular width and extending throughout an entire outer periphery of the bipolar plate,
the battery cell includes a disrupting structure that disrupts a leak channel that serves as an escape route for the electrolyte, the leak channel causing the inlet slit and the outlet slit to be in communication with each other and being formed between an outer periphery of the inner peripheral recessed portion and an outer periphery of the outer peripheral engaging portion when the cell frames are viewed from front, and
the battery cell comprises a disrupting member that is inserted to the leak channel to disrupt the leak channel, the disrupting member is composed of an elastic material.

2. The battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the outer peripheral engaging portion is formed to have a smaller thickness than other portions of the bipolar plate.

3. The battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein, when the cell frames are viewed in plan, a portion of an outer rim portion of the bipolar plate protrudes toward the frame body and this protruding portion disrupts the leak channel.

4. The battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein, when the cell frames are viewed in plan, a portion of the frame body protrudes toward the bipolar plate and this protruding portion disrupts the leak channel.

5. The battery cell according to claim 1 , wherein the compression strain of the elastic material in accordance with JIS K 6400 is 30 kPa or more and 150 kPa or less.

6. A redox flow battery comprising:
a cell stack obtained by stacking a plurality of the battery cells according to claim 1 ;
a positive electrode circulation mechanism that causes a positive electrode electrolyte to circulate through the cell stack; and
a negative electrode circulation mechanism that causes a negative electrode electrolyte to circulate through the cell stack.

7. A battery cell comprising:
a cell unit in which a membrane is sandwiched between a positive electrode and a negative electrode and the electrodes are sandwiched between a pair of cell frames,
the cell frames each including a frame body that has a penetrating window and a bipolar plate that contacts the electrode by filling the penetrating window,
the frame body including a liquid supplying manifold that penetrates through the frame body in a thickness direction thereof to serve as a supply channel of an electrolyte, a liquid discharging manifold that serves as a discharge channel of the electrolyte, an inlet slit through which the electrolyte is introduced from the liquid supplying manifold to the electrode, and an outlet slit through which the electrolyte is discharged from the electrode to the liquid discharging manifold,
wherein the frame body includes an inner peripheral recessed portion formed by reducing a thickness of a peripheral portion that surrounds an entire perimeter of the penetrating window so that the peripheral portion has a smaller thickness than other portions of the frame body,
the bipolar plate includes an outer peripheral engaging portion that engages with the inner peripheral recessed portion, the outer peripheral engaging portion being a portion having a particular width and extending throughout an entire outer periphery of the bipolar plate, and
the battery cell includes a disrupting structure that disrupts a leak channel that serves as an escape route for the electrolyte, the leak channel causing the inlet slit and the outlet slit to be in communication with each other and being formed between an outer periphery of the inner peripheral recessed portion and an outer periphery of the outer peripheral engaging portion when the cell frames are viewed from front,
wherein, when the cell frames are viewed in plan, a portion of an outer rim portion of the bipolar plate protrudes toward the frame body and this protruding portion disrupts the leak channel.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Hideyuki
• Yamanishi Katsuya
• Kanno Takashi
• Ito Takefumi
• Kuwabara Masahiro
• Moriuchi Kiyoaki
• Hayashi Kiyoaki
• Fujita Hayato
• Shiraki Kousuke

Classifications

• H01M8/18

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

• H01M8/02

  Details (electrodes H01M4/86 - H01M4/98) · CPC title

• H01M8/0271

  Sealing or supporting means around electrodes, matrices or membranes · CPC title

• H01M8/0297

  Arrangements for joining electrodes, reservoir layers, heat exchange units or bipolar separators to each other (H01M8/0271 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/188 Primary

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