Electrode assembly for a redox flow battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12255370-B2
Application number	US-202318296170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2023
Priority date	May 15, 2020
Publication date	Mar 18, 2025
Grant date	Mar 18, 2025

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a redox flow battery system. In one example, the redox flow battery system includes a cell stack compressed between terminal structures defining ends of the redox flow battery. The cell stack may be formed of a plurality of cells where each cell includes a deformable positive electrode in contact with a first face of a membrane separator and a negative electrode configured to be less compressible than the positive electrode and arranged at a second face of the membrane separator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A redox flow battery, comprising:
a cell stack comprising a plurality of cells, each cell of the plurality of cells comprising:
a positive electrode and a negative electrode, wherein the positive electrode comprises a first set of zones with a first permeability and a second set of zones with a second permeability different than the first permeability, and wherein zones of the first set of zones alternate with zones of the second set of zones.

2. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the second permeability is less than the first permeability.

3. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein a compressibility of first set of zones is less than a compressibility of the second set of zones.

4. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein a size of each of the first set of zones is different than a size of each of the second set of zones.

5. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode is a positive felt electrode arranged between a bipolar plate and a membrane.

6. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode is deformable, the negative electrode is configured to be less compressible than the positive electrode, and wherein the positive electrode is in face-sharing contact with a first face of a membrane separator and the negative electrode is in face-sharing contact with a second face of the membrane separate, the second face opposite the first face.

7. The redox flow battery of claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode is formed from a mesh with ribs that directly contact a membrane separator in face-sharing contact with the positive electrode and wherein the ribs are spaced evenly apart along a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis parallel to a thickness of the redox flow battery, and each rib extends along the longitudinal axis between the membrane separator and a second bipolar plate.

8. The redox flow battery of claim 7 , wherein the positive electrode is more compressed in the first set of zones aligned with the ribs of the mesh of the negative electrode along the longitudinal axis and the positive electrode is less compressed in the second set of zones aligned with spaces between the ribs of the mesh of the negative electrode along the longitudinal axis, and wherein the first set of zones alternate with the second set of zones along a plane of the positive electrode, the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

9. An assembly for a redox flow battery, comprising:
a positive electrode comprising higher permeability regions and lower permeability regions;
a negative electrode configured to compress the lower permeability regions of the positive electrode; and
a bipolar plate arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, wherein the negative electrode comprises a plurality of ribs that align with the lower permeability regions of the positive electrode.

10. The assembly for the redox flow battery of claim 9 , wherein adjacent ribs of the plurality of ribs are separated by spaces of a plurality of spaces, and wherein the spaces align with the higher permeability regions of the positive electrode.

11. The assembly for the redox flow battery of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of spaces is larger than the plurality of ribs.

12. The assembly for the redox flow battery of claim 9 , wherein the negative electrode is formed by a mesh, and wherein a cross-bracing is connected to the plurality of ribs, each of the cross-bracing and the plurality of ribs arranged in a plane parallel to a plane of the positive electrode.

13. The assembly for a redox flow battery of claim 9 , wherein a compressive force exerted by the negative electrode on the positive electrode is transmitted through the membrane separator and resisted by the bipolar plate, and wherein the compressive force is applied only in regions where a plurality of ribs of the negative electrode contacts the membrane separator.

14. A system for a redox flow battery, comprising:
a compressible positive electrode having a first set of zones with a first permeability and a second set of zones with a second, lower permeability;
a negative electrode configured to compress the lower permeability regions of the positive electrode; and
a bipolar plate arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode,
wherein a compressive force exerted by the negative electrode on the positive electrode is transmitted through the membrane separator and resisted by the bipolar plate, and wherein the compressive force is applied only in regions where the plurality of ribs of the negative electrode contacts the membrane separator.

15. The system for the redox flow battery of claim 14 , further comprising a negative electrode formed of a mesh and configured to exert a compressive force on the second set of zones.

16. The system for the redox flow battery of claim 15 , wherein a membrane separates the compressible positive electrode from the negative electrode.

17. The system for the redox flow battery of claim 16 , wherein the negative electrode comprises a plurality of ribs connected to a cross-bracing, wherein the plurality of ribs and the cross-bracing are in face-sharing contact with the membrane, and wherein only the plurality of ribs is in face-sharing contact with a bipolar plate.

18. The system for the redox flow battery of claim 17 , wherein the bipolar plate is a first bipolar plate, further comprising a second bipolar plate in contact with the positive electrode.

Assignees

• Ess Technology Inc

Inventors

• Casey Sean
• Evans Craig
• Groberg Thiago
• Song Yang

Classifications

• H01M8/188 Primary

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

• H01M8/0247

  characterised by the form (characterised by a channel configuration H01M8/0258) · CPC title

• H01M4/8605

  Porous electrodes · CPC title

• H01M2004/8689

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title