High-throughput manufacturing processes for making electrochemical unit cells and electrochemical unit cells produced using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017294672-A1
Application number	US-201615093598-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 7, 2016
Priority date	Apr 7, 2016
Publication date	Oct 12, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Flow batteries can be constructed by combining multiple electrochemical unit cells together with one another in a cell stack. High-throughput processes for fabricating electrochemical unit cells can include providing materials from rolled sources for forming a soft goods assembly and a hard goods assembly, supplying the materials to a production line, and forming an electrochemical unit cell having a bipolar plate disposed on opposite sides of a separator. The electrochemical unit cells can have configurations such that bipolar plates are shared between adjacent electrochemical unit cells in a cell stack, or such that bipolar plates between adjacent electrochemical unit cells are abutted together with one another in a cell stack.

First claim

What is claimed is the following:

1 . An electrochemical unit cell comprising:
a separator disposed between a first electrode and a second electrode;
wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are sized and positioned such that first and second perimeter regions that are not in contact with the first and second electrodes exist on opposing sides of the separator;
a first bipolar plate in contact with the first electrode; a second bipolar plate in contact with the second electrode; a first compressible seal disposed on the separator in the first perimeter region; a second compressible seal disposed on the separator in the second perimeter region; a first frame layer and a second frame layer defined about an outer perimeter of the first compressible seal and the second compressible seal; a third frame layer in contact with the first compressible seal and with the first frame layer; a fourth frame layer in contact with the second compressible seal and with the second frame layer; a fifth frame layer adjacent to the third frame layer; a sixth frame layer adjacent to the fourth frame layer; a seventh frame layer adjacent to the fifth frame layer;
wherein the first bipolar plate is adhered to the seventh frame layer and occludes a window therein; and
an eighth frame layer adjacent to the sixth frame layer;
wherein the second bipolar plate is adhered to the eighth frame layer and occludes a window therein; and
wherein each of the frame layers comprises a non-conductive material.

2 . The electrochemical unit cell of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fifth frame layer and the sixth frame layer has a flow distribution channel defined therein.

3 . The electrochemical unit cell of claim 1 , wherein the fifth frame layer is in contact with the third frame layer, the sixth frame layer is in contact with the fourth frame layer, the seventh frame layer is in contact with the fifth frame layer, and the eighth frame layer is in contact with the sixth frame layer.

4 . The electrochemical unit cell of claim 1 , wherein the separator, the first electrode, the second electrode, the first bipolar plate, the second bipolar plate, the first compressible seal, the second compressible seal, and each of the frame layers are fabricated from a rolled source material.

5 . The electrochemical unit cell of claim 1 , wherein the first, third, fifth and seventh frame layers are collectively adhered to each other, and the second, fourth, sixth and eighth frame layers are collectively adhered to each other.

6 . An electrochemical stack comprising:
a plurality of the electrochemical unit cells of claim 1 abutted together with one another.

7 . The electrochemical stack of claim 6 , wherein adjacent electrochemical unit cells within the electrochemical stack share a common bipolar plate and a common frame layer adhered to the common bipolar plate.

8 . The electrochemical stack of claim 6 , wherein adjacent electrochemical unit cells within the electrochemical stack have a bipolar plate from a first electrochemical unit cell abutted together with a bipolar plate from a second electrochemical unit cell.

9 . An electrochemical unit cell comprising:
a separator disposed between a first electrode and a second electrode;
wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are sized and positioned such that first and second perimeter regions that are not in contact with the first and second electrodes exist on opposing sides of the separator;
a first bipolar plate in contact with the first electrode; a second bipolar plate in contact with the second electrode; a first frame layer laminated to the separator in the first perimeter region; a second frame layer laminated to the separator in the second perimeter region; a third frame layer adjacent to the first frame layer; a fourth frame layer adjacent to the second frame layer; a fifth frame layer adjacent to the third frame layer; a sixth frame layer adjacent to the fourth frame layer; a seventh frame layer adjacent to the fifth frame layer;
wherein the first bipolar plate is adhered to the seventh frame layer and occludes a window therein; and
an eighth frame layer adjacent to the sixth frame layer;
wherein the second bipolar plate is adhered to the eighth frame layer and occludes a window therein; and
wherein each of the frame layers comprises a non-conductive material.

10 . The electrochemical unit cell of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the fifth frame layer and the sixth frame layer has a flow distribution channel defined therein.

11 . The electrochemical unit cell of claim 9 , wherein the third frame layer is in contact with the first frame layer, the fourth frame layer is in contact with the second frame layer, the fifth frame layer is in contact with the third frame layer, the sixth frame layer is in contact with the fourth frame layer, the seventh frame layer is in contact with the fifth frame layer, and the eighth frame layer is in contact with the sixth frame layer.

12 . The electrochemical unit cell of claim 9 , wherein the separator, the first electrode, the second electrode, the first bipolar plate, the second bipolar plate, and each of the frame layers are fabricated from a rolled source.

13 . The electrochemical unit cell of claim 9 , wherein each of the frame layers are collectively adhered to one another.

14 . An electrochemical stack comprising:
a plurality of the electrochemical unit cells of claim 9 abutted together with one another.

15 . The electrochemical stack of claim 14 , wherein adjacent electrochemical unit cells within the electrochemical stack have a bipolar plate from a first electrochemical unit cell abutted together with a bipolar plate from a second electrochemical unit cell.

16 . The electrochemical stack of claim 14 , wherein adjacent electrochemical unit cells within the electrochemical stack share a common bipolar plate and a common frame layer adhered to the common bipolar plate.

17 . A method comprising:
supplying rolls of a separator material, a cathode material, and an anode material to a production line; adhering the cathode material and the anode material on opposing sides of the separator material at a first location in the production line, thereby forming a soft goods assembly; supplying rolls of a first insulator material and a second insulator material to the production line; defining windows within the first insulator material and the second insulator material in the production line, adhering first and second frame layers comprising the first insulator material on opposing sides of the soft goods assembly in the production line, and adhering a third frame layer onto the first frame layer and a fourth frame layer onto the second frame layer in the production line, the third frame layer and the fourth frame layer comprising the second insulator material; supplying rolls of a third insulator material to the production line; defining windows within the third insulator material in the production line, and adhering a fifth frame layer onto the third frame layer and a sixth frame layer onto the fourth frame layer in the production line, the fifth frame layer and the sixth frame layer comprising the third insulator material; supplying rolls of a fourth insulator material and a bipolar plate material to the production line; and defining windows within the fourth insulator material in the production line, adhering the bipolar plate material to the fourth insulator material in the production line such that the windows in the

Assignees

• Lockheed Martin Advanced Energy Storage Llc

Inventors

• Warrington Curtis
• Madden Thomas H
• Puranam Srivatsava

Classifications

• H01M8/242

  comprising framed electrodes or intermediary frame-like gaskets (H01M8/2425, H01M8/244 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/2455

  with liquid, solid or electrolyte-charged reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/188 Primary

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

• H01M8/0286

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• H01M2004/8694

  Bipolar electrodes · CPC title