Apparatus for electricity measurement of flow battery and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11327117-B2
Application number	US-202017014056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2020
Priority date	Sep 8, 2020
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for measuring the power of electrolytes at different positions of a flow battery by switching six-way valves without reconnecting channels. With the measurements at the positions, weighting is processed to obtain power corresponding to charging statuses for determining accurate power. The charging and discharging of voltage and current of the battery are controlled for constant operations with high efficiency. Consequently, the efficiency of power conversion is improved; energy consumption is reduced; and the battery is always run within a safe power-range for avoiding accidents or damages to the battery. In addition, the present invention is further applicable to a device monitoring the features of a battery unit. The six-way valves online monitor the power at center positions by switching. The values measured at different positions are aimed at the abnormality of the battery unit for processing adjustment or offline replacement to maintain best operation performance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus of electricity measurement for flow battery, comprising
at least one battery unit,
wherein said battery unit has at least two feeding outlets and two material inlets to process electrochemical reactions to generate and/or discharge direct current based on electrolytes supplied and to output said electrolytes obtained after said electrochemical reactions; and said feeding outlets are located at outer positions and center positions;

at least two six-way valves,
wherein said six-way valves separately connect to said feeding outlets of said battery unit; and
wherein each of said six-way valves comprises six channels, being a first channel, a second channel, a third channel, a fourth channel, a fifth channel, and a sixth channel; said six channels are 3-input/3-output channels with each neighboring two channels interconnected and are fixed on corresponding one of said six-way valves to rotate around a circle center of said corresponding one of said six-way valves as following said corresponding one of said six-way valves; and said first channel, said third channel, and said fifth channel are electrolyte inlets and said second channel, said fourth channel, and said sixth channel are electrolyte outlets;

two circulating pumps,
wherein said circulating pumps separately connect to said material inlets of said battery unit and connect to corresponding ones of said electrolyte inlets of corresponding ones of said six-way valves;

two electrolyte tanks,
wherein said electrolyte tanks separately connect to said circulating pumps to pump said electrolytes stored in corresponding ones of said electrolyte tanks to said battery unit through corresponding ones of said circulating pumps;

a power-measuring single cell,
wherein said power-measuring single cell is connected between said second channel and said fifth channel of each of said six-way valves; and
wherein, during the charging and discharging of a flow battery, power of said electrolyte tanks and power at positions of said feeding outlets of said battery unit are measured online and said positions of said feeding outlets are selected from a group consisting of said outer positions and said center positions; power at different positions are measured online by separately switching said six-way valves; values measured at different positions are weighted to be corresponding to a system power; said six-way valves are separately switched to online monitor power at different positions of said battery unit; and said values measured at different positions are obtained to process handling in advance to said battery unit having an abnormal state to maintain best system performance and said handling is selected from a group consisting of adjusting and online replacing; and

two electrolyte collectors,
wherein said electrolyte collectors separately connect to said electrolyte outlets of said six-way valves and connect to said electrolyte tanks to collect corresponding ones of said electrolytes being shunted and having a state selected from a group consisting of an unmeasured state and a measured state to be further flown into corresponding ones of said electrolyte tanks to be reused after being mixed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of said six-way valves has a first mode and a second mode; on switching said six-way valves to said first mode, said electrolytes flow along a direction that said electrolytes flow from corresponding ones of said electrolyte tanks to corresponding ones of said circulating pumps and, then, flow to corresponding ones of said six-way valves and, then, flow to said power-measuring single cell; and, on switching said six-way valves to said second mode, said electrolytes flow along a direction that said electrolytes flow from corresponding ones of said electrolyte tanks to corresponding ones of said circulating pumps and, then, flow to said battery unit and, then, flow to corresponding ones of said six-way valves and, then, flow to said power-measuring single cell.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein, on switching said six-way valves to said second mode, said electrolytes flow along a direction that said electrolytes flow from corresponding ones of said electrolyte tanks to corresponding ones of said circulating pumps and, then, flow to corresponding ones of said feeding outlets of said battery unit at corresponding ones of said outer positions and, then, flow to corresponding ones of said six-way valves and, then, flow to said power-measuring single cell.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein, on switching a part of said six-way valves to said first mode and switching the other part of said six-way valves to said second mode, said electrolytes flow along a direction that said electrolytes flow from corresponding ones of said electrolyte tanks to corresponding ones of said circulating pumps and, then, flow to corresponding ones of said feeding outlets of said battery unit at corresponding ones of said center positions and, then, flow to corresponding ones of said six-way valves and, then, flow to said power-measuring single cell.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein flows of said electrolytes are controlled by switching said six-way valves to separately enter said power-measuring single cell in a way selected from a group consisting of a forwarding way and a reversing way.

Assignees

• Iner Aec Executive Yuan

Inventors

• Ku Hung-Hsien
• Hsu Ning-Yih
• Hsieh Chin-Lung
• Hu Yi-Hsin
• Chen Qiao-Ya

Classifications

• G01R31/3644 Primary

  Constructional arrangements · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04619

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/04186

  of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/188 Primary

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