Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Sealed cell having gas prevention or elimation means – Prevention or elimination means is one of the cell...
Patent
1988-07-11
1990-03-13
Kalafut, Stephen J.
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Sealed cell having gas prevention or elimation means
Prevention or elimination means is one of the cell...
429 73, 429251, 429252, 296231, H01M 216
Patent
active
049082825
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention is a recombinant battery wherein oxygen formed electrolytically at the positive plates inside the battery is able to migrate to the negative plates for electrolytic recombination, a plate separator for such a battery, and a method for producing such a battery. Briefly, the plate separator is made from fibers having different capabilities for holding electrolyte; the fibers are used in such proportions that the separator, even in the presence of excess electrolyte, is capable of holding only the amount of electrolyte desired in the battery. The fibers having different capabilities for holding electrolyte can be, for example, coarse glass fibers and fine glass fibers or a mixture of glass fibers and polypropylene fibers.
Definitions
Subsequently herein, the term "percent v/v" means percent by volume; the term "percent w/w" means percent by weight; all temperatures are in .degree.C.; and the following abbreviations have the meanings indicated: .mu.m means micrometer or micrometers (numerically equal to micron or microns); mg=milligram or milligrams; g=gram or grams; kg=kilogram or kilograms; l=liter or liters; ml=milliliter or milliliters; and cm=centimeter or centimeters.
The Prior Art
Recombinant batteries have been known for a number of years, being disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,861, McClelland et al. This patent also discloses such batteries having vent valves through which gases which form in service can escape to prevent the build-up of an excessive internal pressure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,159,508, Chreitzberg, discloses a battery including a container designed to prevent an undue build-up of hydrogen pressure. According to the patent, the container is made from a material which exhibits substantially increased permeability to hydrogen without a corresponding increase in permeability to oxygen.
Recombinant battery plate separators made from glass fibers of a plurality of diameters and made from mixtures of glass fibers and polypropylene fibers are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,748, Harris, discloses glass fiber sheet material for use as a separator in an electrochemical cell, e.g., in such a battery, and made from 5 to 35 percent by weight of glass fibers less than 1 .mu.m in diameter; the patent also discloses a glass fiber sheet for such use wherein there are fibers of a continuous range of fiber diameters and lengths, and most of the fibers are not over 5 mm in length. U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,280, Kono et al., discloses glass fiber sheet material for use as a plate separator in such a battery, and made from 50 to 95 percent by weight of glass fibers less than 1 .mu.m in diameter and 50 to 5 percent by weight of coarser glass fibers. The coarser glass fibers, the reference says, have a fiber diameter larger than 5 .mu. m, preferably larger than 10 .mu.m, and it is advantageous for some of the coarser fibers to have diameters of 10 .mu.m to 30 .mu.m. U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,015, Peters et al., discloses sheet material for use as a separator in such a battery, and "comprising organic polymeric fibers"; both of the examples of the reference describe the sheet material as "short staple fiber polyester matting about 0.3 mm thick", and indicate that the polyester fibers range from about 1 .mu.m to about 6 .mu.m in diameter. Finally, sheet separators for use in conventional (non-recombinant) batteries and comprising both glass fibers and organic fibers are disclosed in all of the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,529,677, Bodendorf; 4,363,856, Waterhouse; and 4,359,511, Strzempko. U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,271, Hasegawa, discloses storage battery separators composed of acrylic fibrils in an amount of up to about 10 percent by weight, balance glass fibers. Japanese patent document No. 55/146872 discloses a separator material comprising glass fibers (50-85 percent by weight) and organic fibers (50-15 percent by weight). U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,013, Clegg et al., discloses a separator made by overlaying a first sheet of fibrous materia
REFERENCES:
patent: 3532557 (1970-10-01), Sasagawa
patent: 3862861 (1975-01-01), McClelland et al.
patent: 4216280 (1980-08-01), Kono et al.
patent: 4245013 (1981-01-01), Clegg et al.
patent: 4359511 (1982-11-01), Strzempko
patent: 4367271 (1983-01-01), Hasegawa et al.
patent: 4526677 (1985-07-01), Bodendorf
Hollingsworth and Vose Company
Kalafut Stephen J.
Purdue David C.
Purdue John C.
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