Consumable replaceable anodes for batteries
First Claim
1. A battery comprising an inert container, housing a plurality of hollow, box-like cathode elements and consumable metal anode elements in spaced relationship, each of said box-like cathode elements having at least one gas-permeable, porous cathode in at least one wall and at least one consumable metal anode separate from and removably supported opposite said gas-permeable, porous cathode, and cathode and anode of adjacent elements being disposed in spaced facing relationship;
- means to maintain an electrolyte in the spaces between the cathodes and anodes;
means to feed a depolarizing gas through the interior of said box-like cathode elements to the porous cathodes;
means for collecting precipitated material below said anode and cathode elements, and means to electrically connect said cathode and anode elements to an external load, said anode elements being removable and reinsertable in said container.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery comprising an inert container housing a plurality of corrosion resistant gas depolarized metal cathode elements in hollow box-like form and consumable anode elements in spaced relationship with said cathode elements. At least one wall of each cathode element has a gas-permeable porous cathode formed of sintered particles impregnated with a catalyst and, on the inside, with a hydrophobic resin. The consumable anode elements are mounted on non-consumable metal supports so as to be removable (with or without their supports) and replaceable in the container. In operation, depolarizing gas is fed inside the cathode elements and an electrolyte is maintained between the facing cathodes and anodes.
112 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A battery comprising an inert container, housing a plurality of hollow, box-like cathode elements and consumable metal anode elements in spaced relationship, each of said box-like cathode elements having at least one gas-permeable, porous cathode in at least one wall and at least one consumable metal anode separate from and removably supported opposite said gas-permeable, porous cathode, and cathode and anode of adjacent elements being disposed in spaced facing relationship;
- means to maintain an electrolyte in the spaces between the cathodes and anodes;
means to feed a depolarizing gas through the interior of said box-like cathode elements to the porous cathodes;
means for collecting precipitated material below said anode and cathode elements, and means to electrically connect said cathode and anode elements to an external load, said anode elements being removable and reinsertable in said container. - View Dependent Claims (3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- means to maintain an electrolyte in the spaces between the cathodes and anodes;
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2. A battery comprising an inert container, housing a plurality of hollow, box-like cathode elements and consumable metal anode elements in spaced relationship, each of said box-like cathode elements having at least one gas-permeable, porous cathode in at least one wall and at least one consumable metal anode separate from and removably supported opposite said gas-permeable, porous cathode, the cathode and anode of adjacent elements being disposed in spaced facing relationship;
- means to maintain an electrolyte in the spaces between the cathodes and anodes;
means to feed a depolarizing gas through the interior of said box-like cathode elements to the porous cathodes;
means for collecting precipitated material below said anode and cathode elements, and means to electrically connect said cathode and anode elements to an external load, said anode elements being removable and reinsertable in said container, said gas-permeable, porous cathodes form a substantial part of one wall of said hollow box-like cathode elements, the opposite wall being impervious and having means for removably supporting a generally flat consumable metal anode on said impervious cathode element wall. - View Dependent Claims (4)
- means to maintain an electrolyte in the spaces between the cathodes and anodes;
- 10. A battery comprising a plurality of hollow, box-like bipolar elements operatively located between two terminal elements and housed in a slotted, inert container, each of said bipolar elements having a gas-permeable, porous, gas-depolarized cathode in one wall and a consumable metal anode supported, in electrical conducting relationship with the box-like element on the external surface of the other wall of said box-like element, means to maintain an electrolyte in the space between the gas-depolarized cathode of one of said elements and the consumable metal anode of the adjacent element, means to feed a depolarizing gas into the interior of said box-like bipolar elements and into the interior of the terminal cathodic element, and means to connect said terminal elements to an external load.
- 15. A battery comprising an inert container having a plurality of hollow, box-like cathode elements therein, porous, sintered, gas-permeable, depolarized cathodes on both the front and back faces of said box-like cathode elements, a plurality of anode elements each comprising consumable metal anodes mounted on each side of a non-consumable support plate, means for removably mounting the anode elements and support plates in the container whereby the cathodes and anodes of adjacent elements are disposed in facing relationship, means to circulate an electrolyte in the spaces between the cathodes and anodes, means to feed a depolarizing gas through the interior of said box-like cathode elements to the porous cathodes, means to connect said box-like cathode elements together and to a terminal connected to a load, and means to connect said anode support plates together and to a terminal connected to a load.
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19. A battery comprising an insulating casing, a plurality of hollow, box-like corrosion resistant metal cathode elements having pervious cathode walls therein and a plurality of consumable anodes mounted in spaced relationship in said casing, an electrolyte between the anodes and cathodes, non-consumable support plates on which the consumable anodes are mounted, and means whereby said support plates may be removed from said casing when the anodes are substantially consumed, the consumable metal replaced on said anode support plates, and the recoated support plates reinserted in said casing.
- 20. A gas-depolarized electrochemical cell comprising an insulating cell container, a plurality of cell units in said container, each full cell unit comprising a hollow element for receiving a depolarizing gas, means to introduce and remove gas from said elements, electrolyte chambers between said elements, hollow, porous fingers of controlled porosity extending from a first wall of each element into said electrolyte chambers, said hollow, porous fingers forming the cathodes of said cell units, consumable metal anodes in said electrolyte chambers forming an electrode gap with adjacent hollow, porous cathode fingers, insulating guides on said first walls of said hollow elements between said hollow cathode fingers into which one edge of said consumable metal anodes is inserted, clips of a conducting metal on the opposite walls of the hollow elements making electrical contact with the edges of said consumable anodes opposite said insulating guides, an electrolyte in said electrolyte chambers, and means to pass a depolarizing gas through said hollow elements into said hollow, porous cathode fingers.
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23. The method of operating an electrochemical cell comprising a slotted container having hollow, box-like, metal cathode elements carrying porous, oxygen-reducing cathodes on at least one side of said box-like elements and consumable anodes removably mounted on non-consumable supports opposite said oxygen-reducing cathodes, an electrolyte in the spaces between said anodes and said oxygen-reducing cathodes;
- means to circulate a depolarizing gas through said cathode elements and means to supply an electrolyte to said cell, which comprises discharging current from said cell until one or more of said anodes are substantially consumed, draining said electrolyte and consumed anode material from said container, removing the remaining parts of the consumable anodes from said container, replacing the consumed anodes with new anodes and reintroducing an electrolyte into said container.
- View Dependent Claims (24)
- 25. As a product of manufacture, a bipolar element for a battery, comprising a hollow metal box-like structure carrying a porous, oxygen-reducing cathode on one side of said box-like element and a consumable anode removably mounted on the other side of said box-like bipolar element and means to circulate an oxygen-containing gas through said box-like structure.
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27. A battery comprising an inert container, housing a plurality of hollow box-like cathode elements and consumable metal anode elements in spaced relationship between a terminal consumable metal anode element and a terminal hollow cathode element, each of said box-like cathode elements having at least one gas-permeable, porous cathode in at least one wall, and each anode element comprising at least one consumable metal anode mounted on a non-consumable metal support;
- means to removably mount at least said consumable metal anodes of the anode elements in the container to permit removal and insertion of the consumable metal anodes in the container;
means to maintain an electrolyte in the spaces between the cathodes and anodes;
means to feed a depolarizing gas through the interior of said hollow cathode elements to the porous cathodes; and
means to connect said terminal elements to an external load.
- means to removably mount at least said consumable metal anodes of the anode elements in the container to permit removal and insertion of the consumable metal anodes in the container;
Specification