Applications of porous electrodes to metal-ion removal and the design of battery systems
This dissertation treats the use of porous electrodes as electrochemical reactors for the removal of dilute metal ions. A methodology for the scale-up of porous electrodes used in battery applications is given. Removal of 4 ..mu..g Pb/cc in 1 M sulfuric acid was investigated in atmospheric and high-pressure, flow-through porous reactors. The atmospheric reactor used a reticulated vitreous carbon porous bed coated in situ with a mercury film. Best results show 98% removal of lead from the feed stream. Results are summarized in a dimensionless plot of Sherwood number vs Peclet number. High-pressure, porous-electrode experiments were performed to investigate the effect of pressure on the current efficiency. Pressures were varied up to 120 bar on electrode beds of copper or lead-coated spheres. The copper spheres showed high hydrogen evolution rates which inhibited lead deposition, even at high cathodic overpotentials. Use of lead spheres inhibited hydrogen evolution but often resulted in the formation of lead sulfate layers; these layers were difficult to reduce back to lead. Experimental data of one-dimensional porous battery electrodes are combined with a model for the current collector and cell connectors to predict ultimate specific energy and maximum specific power for complete battery systems. Discharge behavior of the plate as a whole is first presented as a function of depth of discharge. These results are combined with the voltage and weight penalties of the interconnecting bus and post, positive and negative active material, cell container, etc. to give specific results for the lithium-aluminum/iron sulfide high-temperature battery. Subject to variation is the number of positive electrodes, grid conductivity, minimum current-collector weight, and total delivered capacity. The battery can be optimized for maximum energy or power, or a compromise design may be selected.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 5334349
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-16852; ON: DE84006636
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Low-current field-assisted assembly of copper nanoparticles for current collectors
Durable, Impermeable Brazes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (Final Report)
Related Subjects
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
25 ENERGY STORAGE
LEAD
REMOVAL
LITHIUM-SULFUR BATTERIES
DESIGN
ELECTRODES
CATIONS
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
PLATES
POROUS MATERIALS
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
SULFURIC ACID
CHARGED PARTICLES
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
IONS
MATERIALS
METAL-NONMETAL BATTERIES
METALS
400400* - Electrochemistry
250901 - Energy Storage- Batteries- Design & Development