Method of and system for determining the remaining energy in a metal fuel cell

• US 6,873,157 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zinc8 Energy Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Metallic Power, Inc.
• Inventors: Holmes, Charles M., Smedley, Stuart I., Vail, Kenneth D.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIBBITS, PIA FLORENCE
• Application Number:
  US10/117,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20030190500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 324/434, 324426-432, 429/22, 137/14, 204/404
• US Class Current: 324/432
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 12/065 with plate-like electrodes or stacks of plate-like electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0396 Involving pressure control

Abstract

A system for measuring available energy in a metal fuel cell is provided. The system comprises first componentry for measuring an electrical property of a mixture formed from one or more reaction products dissolved in a reaction medium. The electrical property may be such as to bear a known relationship with the concentration of the one or more reaction products. Using this known relationship, second componentry estimates the concentration of the one or more reaction products, and, responsive thereto, determines the available energy in the fuel cell.

Claims

1. A method of measuring available energy in a metal fuel cell in which one or more reaction products of an electrochemical reaction occurring in the cell is dissolved in a reaction medium to form a mixture having at least one electrical property, the method comprising:

measuring at least one of the electrical property(ies) of the mixture; and

deriving an indication of the available energy of the fuel cell from the measured electrical property(ies).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the fuel cell comprises a zinc fuel cell.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the reaction medium comprises potassium hydroxide.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the reaction product comprises zincate ion.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one electrical property(ies) comprises resistance.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the resistance of the mixture is measured with a probe.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of measuring the resistance of the mixture comprises immersing the probe in the reaction medium to measure the probe resistance.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of deriving an indication of the available energy of the fuel cell comprises estimating the concentration of the reaction product in the reaction solution from the measured resistance, and deriving the available energy of the fuel cell from the estimated concentration.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of deriving an indication of the available energy of the fuel cell comprises determining the conductivity of the reaction product in the reaction solution from the measured resistance, estimating the concentration of the reaction product in the reaction solution from the conductivity as determined from the measured resistance, and deriving the available energy of the fuel cell from the estimated concentration.