Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Hollow or container type article – Polymer or resin containing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-14
2004-07-13
Nolan, Sandra M. (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Hollow or container type article
Polymer or resin containing
C206S524500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06761945
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrolyte tank and, more specifically, to an electrolyte tank used for an electrolyte circulating type battery in which an electrolyte is caused to flow and circulate between electrodes for charging/discharging on the electrodes. The present invention further relates to a method of manufacturing such an electrolyte tank.
2. Description of the Background Art
Various new types of batteries have been developed as batteries for storing power to substitute for pumped storage power generation. Among such new types of batteries, a redox flow battery has been particularly attracting attention.
FIG. 8
is a schematic diagram of a redox flow battery as a representative example of the conventionally proposed electrolyte circulating type battery.
Referring to
FIG. 8
, a redox flow battery
1
includes a reaction cell
6
, a positive electrolyte tank
2
and a negative electrolyte tank
3
. Reaction cell
6
is partitioned by a diaphragm
4
formed of an ion exchange membrane or the like into two portions, one serving as a positive electrode cell
6
a
and the other serving as a negative electrode cell
6
b.
Positive electrode cell
6
a
accommodates a positive electrode
7
and negative electrode cell
6
b
accommodates a negative electrode
8
.
Positive electrode cell
6
a
and positive electrolyte tank
2
are coupled by a positive electrolyte feeding tube
9
feeding the positive electrolyte to positive electrode cell
6
a,
and a positive electrolyte recovering tube
10
recovering the positive electrolyte from positive electrode cell
6
a
to positive electrolyte tank
2
.
In positive electrolyte feeding tube
9
, a pump
11
as positive electrolyte feeding and circulating means is provided, so as to allow circulation of the positive electrolyte between positive electrode cell
6
a
and positive electrolyte tank
2
.
Negative electrode cell
6
a
and negative electrolyte tank
3
are coupled by a negative electrolyte feeding tube
12
feeding the negative electrolyte from negative electrolyte tank
3
to negative electrode cell
6
b
and a negative electrolyte recovering tube recovering the negative electrolyte from negative electrode cell
6
b
to negative electrolyte tank
3
.
Further, in negative electrolyte feeding tube
12
, a pump
14
as negative electrolyte feeding and circulating means is provided, allowing circulation of the negative electrolyte between negative electrode cell
6
b
and negative electrolyte tank
3
.
In positive electrolyte tank
2
, positive electrolyte as reactive liquid is stored, and in negative electrolyte tank
3
, negative electrolyte as reactive liquid is stored.
As the positive electrolyte, aqueous solution of ions such as Fe ions of variable valence is used, and as the negative electrolyte, aqueous solution of ions such as chromium ions with variable valence is used.
A hydrochloric acid aqueous solution containing positive active substance Fe
3+
/Fe
2+
may be used as the positive electrolyte, and a hydrochloric acid aqueous solution containing negative active substance Cr
2+
/Cr
3+
may be used as the negative electrolyte, for example.
In redox flow battery
1
using such electrolytes, at the time of charging, the hydrochloric acid aqueous solution containing Cr
3+
ions stored in negative electrolyte tank
3
is fed to negative electrode cell
6
b
by means of pump
14
, electrons are received at negative electrode
8
so that ions are reduced to Cr
2+
ions, and recovered to negative electrolyte tank
3
.
The hydrochloric acid aqueous solution containing Fe
2+
ions stored in positive electrolyte tank
2
is fed to positive electrode cell
6
a
by means of pump
11
, electrons are emitted to an external circuitry at positive electrode
7
, so that ions are oxidized to Fe
3+
ions, and recovered to positive electrolyte tank
2
.
At the time of discharging, the hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution containing Cr
2+
ions stored in negative electrolyte tank
3
is fed to negative electrode cell
6
b
by means of pump
14
, electrons are emitted to the external circuitry at negative electrode
8
, so that ions are oxidized to Cr
3+
ions and recovered to negative electrolyte tank
3
.
The hydrochloric acid aqueous solution containing Fe
3+
ions stored in positive electrolyte tank
2
is fed to positive electrode cell
6
a
by means of pump
11
, electrons are received from the external circuitry so that ions are reduced to Fe
2+
ions, and recovered to positive electrolyte tank
2
.
In such a redox flow battery, the charging/discharging reactions at positive electrode
7
and negative electrode
8
are as follows.
positive
electrode
:
Fe
3
+
+
e
⇄
discharge
charge
Fe
2
+
negative
electrode
:
Cr
2
+
+
⇄
discharge
charge
Cr
3
+
+
e
Electromotive force of about 1V can be obtained by the above described charging/discharging reactions.
In the conventional electrolyte circulating type battery having the above described structure, electrolyte tanks
2
and
3
are formed as a box-shaped or cylindrical shaped container of metal or FRP with a chemical resistant resin layer provided inside the container. Accordingly, installation requires considerable labor comparable to a general construction work. Further, it has been necessary to secure a place for installation. Further, reliability has been low because of leakage of the electrolyte at a connecting portion of the material. Further, when there is a stress distorted slightly, the battery is prone to cracks, resulting in leakage of the electrolyte. Further, it has been difficult to make use of existing space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte tank of which moving is easy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte tank which allows free use of existing space.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte tank of which installation is simple.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte tank having extremely high reliability at the connecting portion.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte tank free of any influence of a distortion to some extent.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing such an electrolyte tank.
The electrolyte tank in accordance with the present invention is formed as a bag-shaped flexible container in which membrane having one, or two or more laminated layers of coated fabric provided by coating woven fabric of organic fiber with rubber or plastic, is connected to a shape of the bag.
In the electrolyte tank in accordance with the present invention, even when the woven fabric is not very strong, it is unnecessary to separately prepare extra reinforcing member or the like, if the container is filled with the electrolyte so that the container is brought into tight contact with the whole space of a reservoir of a building for example, to generate load of internal pressure.
It may be effective to manufacture a tank of such a three-dimensional shape that confirms to the accommodating space in advance. Considering reliability at the connecting portion of the membrane, however, it may be preferable that the tank is manufactured as an envelope-like bag body, the tank is bent to a prescribed shape and thereafter the liquid is poured into the bag, to enable effective use of the space, as in the case where the tank is formed in a shape corresponding to the accommodating space. If the space is wide and open, the tank stands by itself if the woven fabric is adapted to have sufficient strength to withstand the internal pressure. Therefore, the tank may be installed at any place without special reinforcing member.
Further, it is possible to provide a manhole allowing passage
Adachi Toshihisa
Itou Takefumi
Takiguchi Toshihiko
Tokuda Nobuyuki
McDermott & Will & Emery
Nolan Sandra M.
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