Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance

Title: Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance

Abstract

Loss of flow battery electrode catalyst layers during self-discharge or charge reversal may be prevented by establishing and maintaining a negative electrolyte imbalance during at least parts of a flow battery's operation. Negative imbalance may be established and/or maintained actively, passively or both. Actively establishing a negative imbalance may involve detecting an imbalance that is less negative than a desired threshold, and processing one or both electrolytes until the imbalance reaches a desired negative level. Negative imbalance may be effectively established and maintained passively within a cell by constructing a cell with a negative electrode chamber that is larger than the cell's positive electrode chamber, thereby providing a larger quantity of negative electrolyte for reaction with positive electrolyte.

Inventors:: Pham, Quoc; Chang, On; Durairaj, Sumitha

Issue Date:: 2015-03-31

Research Org.:: EnerVault Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1177112

Patent Number(s):: 8993183

Application Number:: 14/095,362

Assignee:: EnerVault Corporation (Sunnyvale, CA)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):: H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01M - PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

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H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01M - PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
H01M8/04955 - Shut-off or shut-down of fuel cells
H01M8/04303 - applied during shut-down
H01M8/04186 - of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants
H01M8/188 - {by recharging of redox couples containing fluids
H01M8/04223 - during start-up or shut-down
H01M8/20 - Indirect fuel cells, e.g. fuel cells with redox couple being irreversible
H01M8/04228 - during shut-down
H01M8/04455 - {of cathode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell}
H01M8/04447 - {of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell}

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
Y02E60/50 - Fuel cells

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01M - PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
H01M8/04798 - {of fuel cell reactants}

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DOE Contract Number:: OE0000225

Resource Type:: Patent

Resource Relation:: Patent File Date: 2013 Dec 03

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 25 ENERGY STORAGE; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Citation Formats


                    Pham, Quoc, Chang, On, and Durairaj, Sumitha. Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance.  United States: N. p., 2015. 
        Web.

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                    Pham, Quoc, Chang, On, & Durairaj, Sumitha. Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance.  United States.

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                    Pham, Quoc, Chang, On, and Durairaj, Sumitha. Tue .  
        "Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1177112.

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@article{osti_1177112,

  title        = {Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance},

  author       = {Pham, Quoc and Chang, On and Durairaj, Sumitha},

  abstractNote = {Loss of flow battery electrode catalyst layers during self-discharge or charge reversal may be prevented by establishing and maintaining a negative electrolyte imbalance during at least parts of a flow battery's operation. Negative imbalance may be established and/or maintained actively, passively or both. Actively establishing a negative imbalance may involve detecting an imbalance that is less negative than a desired threshold, and processing one or both electrolytes until the imbalance reaches a desired negative level. Negative imbalance may be effectively established and maintained passively within a cell by constructing a cell with a negative electrode chamber that is larger than the cell's positive electrode chamber, thereby providing a larger quantity of negative electrolyte for reaction with positive electrolyte.},

  doi          = {},

  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2015},

  month        = {3}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Potentiostatic Electrodeposition of Pt Nanoparticles on Carbon Black
journal, January 2011

Miyake, Masao; Ueda, Takeshi; Hirato, Tetsuji
Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 158, Issue 9
https://doi.org/10.1149/1.3614409

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Title: Operating a redox flow battery with a negative electrolyte imbalance

Abstract

Citation Formats

Potentiostatic Electrodeposition of Pt Nanoparticles on Carbon Black journal, January 2011

Potentiostatic Electrodeposition of Pt Nanoparticles on Carbon Black
journal, January 2011