Arrangement and method for operating an electrochemical storage device

• US 4,616,170 A
• Filed: 07/25/1984
• Issued: 10/07/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rupert Urstoger The Federal Republic of Germany
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Urstoger, Rupert
• Primary Examiner(s): HICKEY, ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US06/634,649
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 320/5, 320/6, 320/13, 320/14, 320/15-18
• US Class Current: 320/119
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In an electrochemical storage device such as a zinc-bromine or zinc-chlorine accumulator containing groups of electrochemical cells connected in series to a load, nonuniformly distributed deposits of the active electrochemical material on the electrodes are removed by a complete discharge of the cells. While the storage device energizes a principal load, the cell groups of the storage device are discharged in a cyclic sequence via an auxiliary load and disconnected from the series circuit of the cell groups no later than the time at which the respective cell group has attained its operational use limit. The disconnected discharging cell group is further discharged via the auxiliary load until the nonuniformly distributed deposits on the electrodes of the cell group are totally removed. The cell group is then recharged and reinserted into the series circuit of the cell groups or, alternatively, reconnected to the series circuit and then recharged. The method of operation enables the energization of a load by the storage device while the device is being regenerated.

Claims

1. A method for operating an electrochemical storage device in which electrochemically active material enters into solution during a discharging process and is redeposited on electrodes of the storage device during a charging process, said storage device having a multiplicity of groups of electrochemical cells connected in series to a load, discharging means being operatively couplable to said storage device for breaking up nonuniformly distributed deposits at the electrodes of the storage device by completely discharging the cells of the storage device via a resistor, energizing means being operatively connectable to the storage device for recharging the cells thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) preliminarily discharging via the resistor one of the cell groups of the storage device while maintaining said one of said cell groups in a series-connected circuit including the other cell groups of said storage device and the load;

(b) monitoring the operating condition of said one of said cell groups;

(c) disconnecting said one of said cell groups from said series-connected circuit upon detecting a predetermined state of discharge of said one of said cell groups, the others of said cell groups and said load being maintained in a series-connected circuit with each other;

(d) upon the disconnecting of said one of said cell groups in step (c), further discharging said one of said cell groups so that deposits on the electrodes of said one of said cell groups are removed;

(e) recharging said one of said cell groups and reconnecting same in a series-connected circuit with the others of said cell groups and said load; and

(f) repeating steps (a) through (e) for each of said cell groups in a cyclic sequence.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the disconnecting of step (c) is executed upon the attainment by said one of said cell groups of its operational use limit.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein steps (a) through (e) are performed automatically under the control of a programmer unit.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the recharging of step (e) occurs prior to the reconnecting of said one of said cell groups to said load and to others of said cell groups.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the reconnecting of step (e) occurs prior to the recharging of said one of said cell groups.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said resistor is realized by the resistance of an operating component requiring electrical power to perform its intended function.