High-temperature storage battery

• US 4,865,929 A
• Filed: 10/24/1988
• Issued: 09/12/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Eck, Gismar
• Primary Examiner(s): Skapars, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US07/261,744
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 429/120, 429/26, 429/72, 429/34, 429/38, 429/39, 429/88, 429/71
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/39 working at high temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/643 Cylindrical cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6566 Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers H01M10/6565 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/658 by thermal insulation or shielding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In order to uniformly distribute a coolant, e.g. air, over gaps between electrochemical cells in high-temperature storage batteries, it has already been proposed to place an open chamber above the groups of cells from which the coolant is preferably conveyed to the cells through holes in a distributor panel. The object of the invention is to even further improve the distribution of the coolant. In order to achieve a uniform, quasi-flat incident flow profile for the coolant over the distributor panel, an antechamber is provided for receiving the coolant from at least one inlet opening and for passing the coolant through several throttle locations into an open chamber and then through holes in the distributor panel to the cells. The invention can be applied to sodium/sulphur batteries, for example.

Claims

1. High-temperature storage battery, comprising a housing formed of thermal insulation with at least one inlet opening formed therein for coolant, an antechamber downstream of said at least one inlet opening in coolant flow direction, a plurality of throttle locations downstream of said antechamber, an open chamber downstream of said throttle locations, a distributor panel having openings formed therein downstream of said open chamber, and a multiplicity of electrochemical cells mutually spaced apart in said housing defining gaps therebetween downstream of said openings in said distributor panel.

2. High-temperature storage battery according to claim 1, wherein said antechamber has a wall adjacent said open chamber in the form of a sheet metal orifice plate having perforations formed therein defining said throttle locations.

3. High-temperature storage battery according to claim 1, wherein said antechamber includes a plurality of interconnected subsystems.

4. High-temperature storage battery according to claim 3, wherein said subsystems are interconnected in parallel.

5. High-temperature storage battery according to claim 3, wherein said subsystems are interconnected in series.

6. High-temperature storage battery according to claim 3, wherein said subsystems are interconnected in parallel and in series.