Lithium air battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10797340-B2
Application number	US-201715832411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2017
Priority date	Sep 4, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A lithium air battery comprising a plurality of unit cells which have different diameters, each unit cell comprises: electrodes including: a disc-shaped positive electrode having a first air flow path passing through the positive electrode in a vertical direction of the lithium air battery and one or more electrolyte flow paths on the positive electrode in a horizontal or vertical direction of the lithium air battery; and an negative electrode having a second air flow path passing through the negative electrode in the vertical direction to coincide with the first air flow path; and a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The unit cells are stacked in the vertical direction within a stack cell tank such that a diffusion layer is disposed between the respective unit cells. A lowermost unit cell has the greatest diameter and diameters of the remaining unit cells, which are sequentially stacked on a lowermost unit cell, gradually decreases vertically in an upward direction so that the unit cells have a stepped structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lithium air battery comprising a plurality of unit cells which have different diameters, each unit cell comprises:
electrodes including: a disc-shaped positive electrode having a first air flow path passing through the positive electrode in a vertical direction of the lithium air battery and one or more electrolyte flow paths on the positive electrode in a horizontal or vertical direction of the lithium air battery; and an negative electrode having a second air flow path passing through the negative electrode in the vertical direction to coincide with the first air flow path; and
a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode,
wherein the unit cells are stacked in the vertical direction within a stack cell tank such that a diffusion layer is disposed between the respective unit cells, and
a lowermost unit cell has the greatest diameter and diameters of the remaining unit cells, which are sequentially stacked on the lowermost unit cell, gradually decreases vertically in an upward direction so that the unit cells have a stepped structure.

2. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein a subsidiary separator surrounding and protecting a perimeter of the negative electrode extends from an outer diameter part of the separator.

3. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein the first air flow path passes through a center of the positive electrode in the vertical direction and has a plurality of electrolyte flow paths on one surface of the positive electrode as grooves extending in the horizontal direction from the first air flow path to an edge of the positive electrode and arranged radially.

4. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode has an umbrella shape having the first air flow path passing through a center of the positive electrode in the vertical direction and an electrolyte flow path as a part of the positive electrode inclined downward from the first air flow path to an edge of the positive electrode at a reference angle.

5. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein the first air flow path passes through a center of the positive electrode in the vertical direction, and
a plurality of electrolyte flow paths pass through the positive electrode in the vertical direction throughout the entire positive electrode from the first air flow path to an edge of the positive electrode.

6. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode has a plurality of concentric discs having different diameters and having the first air flow path in the vertical direction formed through a center of a concentric disc located at a central region of the positive electrode and a plurality of electrolyte flow paths as separation spaces between the respective concentric discs in the vertical direction.

7. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein the second air flow path passes through a center of the negative electrode in the vertical direction.

8. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein an oxygen supply line connected to a separate oxygen supply tank and an electrolyte supply line connected to a separate electrolyte tank are connected to an inlet of the stack cell tank.

9. The lithium air battery of claim 8 , wherein a nozzle connected to an end of the electrolyte supply line to uniformly spray the electrolyte throughout the overall surface of an electrode is installed at the stack cell tank.

10. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein an oxygen supply line connected to an oxygen supply tank is connected to an inlet of the stack cell tank, and an electrolyte tank is installed within an upper region of an inner space of the stack cell tank.

11. The lithium air battery of claim 10 , wherein nozzles to uniformly spray the electrolyte throughout the overall surface of an electrode are installed at outlets of the electrolyte tank which is disposed within the upper region of the inner space of the stack cell tank.

12. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein a re-circulation line to re-circulate the electrolyte is connected between a lower region of an inner space of the stack cell tank and an electrolyte tank, and a re-circulation pump is mounted at the re-circulation line.

13. The lithium air battery of claim 12 , wherein an electrolyte refilling line is connected to the re-circulation line.

14. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein ventilation valves to exhaust oxygen are installed at upper and lower parts of the stack cell tank.

15. The lithium air battery of claim 1 , wherein the stack cell tank has a bombe shape.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Lee Se Young
• Song In Woo
• Rhee Jun Ki
• Ryu Hee Yeon
• Lee Yoon Ji

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

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M50/449

  having a layered structure · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M12/08 Primary

  composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type · CPC title