Metal air battery system and method of operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10608306-B2
Application number	US-201615196274-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 8, 2015
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A metal air battery system includes an oxygen supplying unit configured to discharge oxygen; a metal air battery module configured to receive the oxygen from the oxygen supplying unit and perform a discharge reaction; and an auxiliary power source configured to charge the metal air battery module during an operational stop of the metal air battery module so that at least some of a discharge product is discharged from the metal air battery module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A metal air battery system comprising:
an oxygen supplying unit configured to discharge oxygen, wherein the oxygen supplying unit comprises a separator configured to separate oxygen and nitrogen from externally supplied air;
a metal air battery module connected to the oxygen supplying unit and configured to receive the oxygen from the oxygen supplying unit and perform a discharge reaction which creates a discharge product; and
an auxiliary power source electrically connected to the metal air battery module and configured to charge the metal air battery module so that at least some of the discharge product is discharged from the metal air battery module when the discharge reaction of the metal air battery module is stopped,
wherein the oxygen supplying unit is further configured to discharge the nitrogen separated from the externally supplied air to an inside of the metal air battery module so as to remove at least some oxygen from the metal air battery module when the discharge reaction of the metal air battery module is stopped,
wherein the auxiliary power source is electrically connected to the oxygen supplying unit and is configured to drive the oxygen supplying unit to supply nitrogen separated and discharged by the separator of the oxygen supplying unit to the inside of the metal air battery module so as to remove at least some oxygen from the metal air battery module when the discharge reaction of the metal air battery module is stopped.

2. The metal air battery system of claim 1 , wherein the oxygen supplying unit further comprises
a purifier configured to provide purified externally supplied air.

3. The metal air battery system of claim 2 , wherein the auxiliary power source is further configured to drive the oxygen supplying unit during the operational stop of the metal air battery module to supply air purified by the purifier of the oxygen supplying unit to an inside of the metal air battery module so as to remove at least oxygen from the metal air battery module.

4. The metal air battery system of claim 1 , further comprising another auxiliary power source configured to drive the oxygen supplying unit during the operational stop of the metal air battery module.

5. The metal air battery system of claim 2 , further comprising a nitrogen reservoir configured to store nitrogen separated and discharged by the oxygen supplying unit and supply nitrogen to an inside of the metal air battery module during the operational stop of the metal air battery module so as to remove at least some of the oxygen from the metal air battery module.

6. The metal air battery system of claim 5 , wherein the auxiliary power source is further configured to drive the oxygen supplying unit during the operational stop of the metal air battery module to supply nitrogen separated and discharged by the separator of the oxygen supplying unit inside the metal air battery module so as to additionally remove oxygen from the metal air battery module.

7. The metal air battery system of claim 5 , wherein the auxiliary power source is further configured to drive the oxygen supplying unit during the operational stop of the metal air battery module to supply air purified by the purifier of the oxygen supplying unit to the inside of the metal air battery module so as to additionally remove oxygen from the metal air battery module.

8. The metal air battery system of claim 2 , further comprising an inert gas supplying unit configured to supply inert gas to an inside of the metal air battery module during an operational stop of the metal air battery module so as to remove at least some of oxygen from the metal air battery module.

9. The metal air battery system of claim 8 , wherein the inert gas comprises argon, helium, nitrogen, or a combination thereof.

10. The metal air battery system of claim 8 , wherein the inert gas supplying unit is further configured to supply an electrolyte containing the inert gas to the inside of the metal air battery module.

11. The metal air battery system of claim 8 , wherein the auxiliary power source is further configured to drive the oxygen supplying unit during the operational stop of the metal air battery module to supply nitrogen separated and discharged by the separator of the oxygen supplying unit to the inside of the metal air battery module so as to additionally remove oxygen from the metal air battery module.

12. The metal air battery system of claim 8 , wherein the auxiliary power source is further configured to drive the oxygen supplying unit during the operational stop of the metal air battery module to supply air purified by the purifier of the oxygen supplying unit to the inside of the metal air battery module so as to additionally remove oxygen in the metal air battery module.

13. The metal air battery system of claim 1 , wherein the discharge product comprises Li 2 O 2 , LiOH, Li 2 CO 3 , or a combination thereof.

14. The metal air battery system of claim 1 , wherein the discharge product comprises Li 2 O 2 .

15. The metal air battery system of claim 1 , wherein the metal air battery module comprises at least one battery cell, and the at least one battery cell comprises a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte.

16. The metal air battery system of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary power source comprises at least one electrical energy generation and/or storage apparatus.

17. A method of operating the metal air battery system of claim 1 , the method comprising:
stopping the discharge reaction of the metal air battery module;
charging the metal air battery module from the auxiliary power source to thereby remove at least some of the discharge product from the metal air battery module; and
removing at least some of oxygen from the metal air battery module.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the removing of the oxygen from the metal air battery module comprises removing the at least some of the oxygen from the metal air battery module by supplying nitrogen separated and discharged by a separator of the oxygen supplying unit to an inside of the metal air battery module while the auxiliary power source drives the oxygen supplying unit.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the removing of the at least some of oxygen from the metal air battery module comprises removing the at least some of the oxygen from the metal air battery module by supplying air purified by a purifier of the oxygen supplying unit to an inside of the metal air battery module while the auxiliary power source drives the oxygen supplying unit.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the removing of the at least some of oxygen from the metal air battery module comprises removing the at least some oxygen from the metal air battery module while another auxiliary power source drives the oxygen supplying unit.

21. The method of claim 17 , further comprising storing, in a nitrogen reservoir, nitrogen separated and discharged by the oxygen supplying unit during an operation of the metal air battery module.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the removing of the at least some oxygen from the metal air battery module comprises removing the at least some oxygen from the metal air battery module by supplying nitrogen stored in the nitrogen reservoir.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising additionally removing the at least some of oxygen from the metal air battery module by supplying nitrogen separated and discharged by a separator of the oxygen supplying unit to the inside

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Heungchan
• Park Eunha
• Lee Dongjoon
• Im Dongmin
• Ko Jeongsik
• Kwon Hyukjae

Classifications

• H01M12/06 Primary

  with one metallic and one gaseous electrode · CPC title

• H01M12/02 Primary

  Details (of electrodes H01M4/00; of non-active parts H01M50/00) · CPC title

• H01M8/04089

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04201

  Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes · CPC title

• H01M8/0662

  Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning · CPC title