Internally manifolded flow cell for an all-iron hybrid flow battery

• US 10,439,197 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ESS Tech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ESS Tech, Inc.
• Inventors: Evans, Craig, Song, Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Gatewood, Daniel S
• Application Number:
  US15/476,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20170200936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04186 of liquid-charged or electrolyte-charged reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/188 by recharging of redox couples containing fluids; Redox flow type batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/20 Indirect fuel cells, e.g. fuel cells with redox couple being irreversible H01M8/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/4757 Battery or electrolytic cell replenishment

Abstract

In one example, a system for a flow cell for a flow battery, comprising: a first flow field; and a polymeric frame, comprising: a top face; a bottom face, opposite the top face; a first side; a second side, opposite the first side; a first electrolyte inlet located on the top face and the first side of the polymeric frame; a first electrolyte outlet located on the top face and the second side of the polymeric frame; a first electrolyte inlet flow path located within the polymeric frame and coupled to the first electrolyte inlet; and a first electrolyte outlet flow path located within the polymeric frame and coupled to the first electrolyte outlet. In this way, shunt currents may be minimized by increasing the length and/or reducing the cross-sectional area of the electrolyte inlet and electrolyte outlet flow paths.

Claims

1. A system for a flow battery flow cell stack, comprising:

an internally manifolded flow battery cell stack, the internally manifolded flow battery cell stack including,

a first flow field positioned at a first face of an internally manifolded frame, the first flow field comprising one of a redox electrode plate and a plating electrode plate,

a plurality of inlet ports positioned at the first face less interiorly than the first flow field from a perimeter of the internally manifolded frame, a first of the plurality of inlet ports fluidly coupled to the first flow field by way of a first inlet flow path and each successive inlet port coupled to a different, sequentially arranged flow field, and

a plurality of outlet ports positioned less interiorly than the first flow field from the perimeter of the internally manifolded frame, a first of the plurality of outlet ports fluidly coupled to the first flow field by way of a first outlet flow path and each successive outlet port coupled to a different, sequentially arranged flow field,

wherein electrolytes from one of a redox electrolyte tank and a plating electrolyte tank flow to each of the plurality of inlet ports and electrolytes from each of the plurality of outlet ports flow to one of the redox and plating electrolyte tanks.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second flow field positioned at a second face of the internally manifolded frame opposite to the first face, the second flow field comprising the other of the redox electrode plate and the plating electrode plate,

a second of the plurality of inlet ports fluidly coupled to the second flow field by way of a second inlet flow path, and

a second of the plurality of outlet ports fluidly coupled to the second flow field by way of a second outlet flow path,

wherein a combined length of the first inlet flow path and the first outlet flow path equals a combined length of the second inlet flow path and the second outlet flow path.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein

a second inlet port position is offset from a first inlet port position by an offset amount so that a portion of the first inlet flow path length coincident with the first face is greater than a portion of the second inlet flow path length coincident with the first face by the offset amount, and

a second outlet port position is offset from a first outlet port position by the offset amount so that the portion of the first outlet flow path length coincident with the first face is less than the portion of the second outlet flow path length coincident with the first face by the offset amount.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein

a number of bends in the first inlet flow path is the same as a number of bends in the first outlet flow paths.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first inlet flow path extends interiorly from the first inlet port to the first flow field, and the first outlet flow path extends exteriorly from the first flow field to the first outlet port.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first inlet flow path includes a first set and a second set of flow channels and an flow distribution manifold, wherein

the first set of flow channels is fluidly coupled between the plurality of inlet ports and the flow distribution manifold, and the second set of flow channels is fluidly coupled between the flow distribution manifold and the first flow field, and

the second set of flow channels is greater than the first set of flow channels.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second set of flow channels corresponds to a number of inlet flow channels of the first flow field.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first and second inlet flow paths and the first and second outlet flow paths are positioned:

more interiorly from the perimeter of the internally manifolded frame than the plurality of inlet ports and the plurality of outlet ports, and

less interiorly from the perimeter of the internally manifolded frame than the first and second flow fields.