Rechargeable battery system and method and metal-air electrochemical cell for use therein
First Claim
1. A rechargeable battery system having an electrolyte slurry containing active metal particles, a portion of the active metal particles having an outer layer of reacted metal oxide, comprising:
- a plurality of plates forming an anode and a cathode;
a cell case housing said plates and having an output and an input conduit;
divester means in communication with said cell case for at least partially divesting the outer layer of reacted metal oxide from the active metal particles in the electrolyte slurry;
and pump means for recirculating the electrolyte slurry from the output conduit to the input conduit through said divester means.
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Abstract
Rechargeable metal-air battery systems comprise a plurality of plate groups (40) disposed within a battery cell (12) and have input and output conduits (13, 14). A fluid electrolyte is circulated through the battery cell by a pump (22) and regenerated by a divester (20) for recirculation through the battery cell (12). The divester (20) divests the particles of active material suspended within the electrolyte of their oxide layer resulting from passivation caused by the electrolyte solution being saturated with oxide. The divester (20) performs its function by bringing the particles of active material into frictional contact with one another. The battery system (10) constructed in accordance with the present invention may be chemically recharged by removing the spent active material suspended within the electrolyte and replacing it with new active material.
87 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A rechargeable battery system having an electrolyte slurry containing active metal particles, a portion of the active metal particles having an outer layer of reacted metal oxide, comprising:
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a plurality of plates forming an anode and a cathode; a cell case housing said plates and having an output and an input conduit; divester means in communication with said cell case for at least partially divesting the outer layer of reacted metal oxide from the active metal particles in the electrolyte slurry; and pump means for recirculating the electrolyte slurry from the output conduit to the input conduit through said divester means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16)
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10. A method for sustaining operation of a metal-air battery having a battery case, comprising the steps of:
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retrieving from said battery case electrolyte substantially saturated with reactant metal particles and oxide; divesting the reactant metal particles in the saturated electrolyte of an oxide layer so as to expose a portion of an active metal of said metal particles; suspending said divested metal particles and oxide particles in the electrolyte; recirculating said suspended metal particles in the electrolyte into said battery case. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 15, 17)
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14. A rechargeable battery system comprising:
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a battery having a cell case with an input port and an output port, said cell case for holding a liquid electrolyte solution comprised of a suspension of active metal particles having an outer layer of reacted metal oxide; divester means for receiving said electrolyte solution and for removing at least a portion of said outer layer of said reacted metal oxide on said active metal particles; and means for pumping said electrolyte solution from said output port of said cell case to said divester means and then from said divester means to said input port of said cell case. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification