Energy storage device and method

• US 7,632,604 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Vallance, Michael Alan, Gourishankar, Karthick Vilapakkam, Seshadri, Hari Nadathur, Sundararajan, Guruprasad, Tysoe, Steven Alfred, Iacovangelo, Charles Dominic, Bogdan, David Charles Jr., Zappi, Guillermo Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuan; Dah-Wei D
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAN, KWANG S
• Application Number:
  US11/769,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20080145755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 429/9, 429/218.1, 204/243.1
• US Class Current: 429/218.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/399 Cells with molten salts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/364 as mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/38 of elements or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An article of electrochemical energy conversion is provided that includes a separator. The separator has a first surface that defines at least a portion of a first chamber, and a second surface that defines a second chamber, and the first chamber is in ionic communication with the second chamber through the separator. The energy storage device further includes a plurality of cathodic materials. The plurality includes at least a first cathodic material and a second cathodic material. Both of the cathodic materials are in electrical communication with the separator and both are capable of forming a metal halide. A proviso is that if either of the first cathodic material or the second cathodic material is a transition metal, then the other cathodic material is not iron, arsenic, or tin.

Claims

1. An energy storage device, comprising:

a separator having a first surface that defines at least a portion of a first chamber, and a second surface that defines a second chamber, and the first chamber is in ionic communication with the second chamber though the separator; and

a plurality of cathodic materials comprising at least a first cathodic material and a second cathodic material, both cathodic materials being in electrical communication with the separator and both cathodic materials having a reduced state and an unreduced state, the unreduced state comprising a metal halide, wherein the first cathodic material has a first electric potential that differs from a second electric potential of the second cathodic material, the energy storage device configured such that upon the first cathodic material being fully in the reduced state, the energy storage device electric potential changes from the first electric potential to the second electric potential,

with the proviso that if either of the first cathodic material or the second cathodic material is a transition metal, then the other of the first cathodic material and the second cathodic material is not iron, arsenic, or tin.

2. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises zinc, and the second cathodic material comprises copper.

3. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises nickel, and the second cathodic material comprises copper.

4. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises nickel, and the second cathodic material comprises zinc.

5. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises nickel, and the second cathodic material comprises zinc, and the plurality of cathodic materials further comprises a third cathodic material that comprises copper.

6. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises nickel, and the second cathodic material comprises zinc or copper, and the plurality of cathodic materials further comprises a third cathodic material that comprises molybdenum or tungsten.

7. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises nickel, and the second cathodic material comprises zinc or copper, and the plurality of cathodic materials further comprises a third cathodic material that comprises tin or arsenic.

8. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises zinc, and the second cathodic material comprises copper, and the plurality of cathodic materials further comprises a third cathodic material that comprises molybdenum or tungsten.

9. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises zinc, and the second cathodic material comprises copper, and the plurality of cathodic materials further comprises a third cathodic material that comprises nickel, and a fourth cathodic material that comprises tin or arsenic.

10. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cathodic materials, subject to the proviso, comprises two or more metals selected from the group consisting of nickel, zinc, copper, chromium, and iron.

11. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises nickel and the second cathodic material comprises aluminum or chromium.

12. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material comprises copper and the second cathodic material comprises aluminum or chromium.

13. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cathodic materials comprises three or more metals selected from the group consisting of nickel, zinc, copper, chromium, and iron.

14. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cathodic materials comprises nickel, zinc, copper, chromium, and iron.

15. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cathodic materials, subject to the proviso, consist essentially of two metals selected from the group consisting of nickel, zinc, copper, chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, and iron.

16. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cathodic materials, subject to the proviso, consist essentially of three metals selected from the group consisting of aluminum, nickel, zinc, copper, chromium, tin, arsenic, tungsten, molybdenum, and iron.

17. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material is present relative to the second cathodic material an amount in a range of from about 1:

1 to about 5;

1.

18. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material is present relative to the second cathodic material an amount in a range of from about 5:

1 to about 20;

1.

19. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first cathodic material is present relative to the second cathodic material an amount in a range of from about 20:

1 to about 50;

1.

20. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cathodic materials comprises one or more halides selected from the group consisting of chlorine, fluorine, bromine, and iodine.

21. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of cathodic materials comprise a supporting electrolyte that is molten at an operating temperature that is in a range greater than about 150 degrees Celsius.

22. The energy storage device as defined in claim 21, wherein the molten supporting electrolyte comprises a ternary melt.

23. The energy storage device as defined in claim 21, wherein the molten supporting electrolyte comprises a binary melt.

24. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the molten supporting electrolyte comprises sulfur or phosphorous.

25. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, further comprising an anodic material comprising sodium.

26. The energy storage device as defined in claim 25, wherein the anodic material further comprises aluminum or titanium.

27. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the separator comprises beta-alumina and at least one stabilizer that is an alkali metal oxide, an alkaline metal oxide, a transition metal oxide, or a rare earth oxide.

28. The energy storage device as defined in claim 27, wherein the stabilizer comprises an oxygen transporting doped metal oxide or an oxygen transporting mixed metal oxide.

29. The energy storage device as defined in claim 1, wherein the separator comprises at least one of zirconia, yttria, hafnia, ceria, or thoria.

30. An energy storage system comprising the energy storage device as defined in claim 1.

31. The energy storage system as defined in claim 30, wherein the energy storage system can store an amount of energy that is greater than 10 kilowatt-hours.

32. The energy storage system as defined in claim 30, wherein the energy storage device has an energy-by-weight rating of greater than 100 Watt-hours/kilogram, and an energy-by-volume rating of greater than 160 Watt-hours per liter.

33. The energy storage system as defined in claim 30, wherein the energy storage device has specific power rating of greater than 150 Watts per kilogram.

34. The energy storage system as defined in claim 30, wherein the energy storage device has a Power-to-Energy ratio in a range of from about 1 (hour-1) to about 10 (hour-1).