Large format electrochemical energy storage device housing and module

• US 8,652,672 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aquion Energy, Inc. (Juline-Titans Holdings Group Co. LLC)
• Original Assignee: Aquion Energy, Inc. (Juline-Titans Holdings Group Co. LLC)
• Inventors: Whitacre, Jay, Blackwood, David, Weber, Eric, Sheen, Eric, Campbell, William, Humphreys, Don, Lynch-Bell, Edward, Yang, Wenzhou
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quraishi, Kiran
• Application Number:
  US13/666,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20130059185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 429163-187, 429/99, 429149-160, 429129-147, 429247-255, 180/68.5, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 221/282, 206/703
• US Class Current: 429/99
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/06 with one of the electrodes allowing ions to be reversibly doped thereinto, e.g. lithium ion capacitors [LIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/12 Stacked hybrid or EDL capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/32 Carbon-based
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/46 Metal oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/82 Fixing or assembling a capacitive element in a housing, e.g. mounting electrodes, current collectors or terminals in containers or encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/10 Batteries in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/227 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/271 Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49114 including adhesively bonding

Abstract

An assembly includes non-load bearing housings, each housing including several cavities. Each cavity includes a stack of freely stacked electrochemical storage cells in the housings. Each electrochemical storage cell includes an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and a separator located between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The assembly is configured such that pressure applied to the assembly is born by the freely stacked electrochemical storage cells.

Claims

1. assembly, comprising:

a plurality of non-load bearing housings, each housing comprising a plurality of cavities;

each cavity comprising a stack of freely stacked electrochemical storage cells in the housings, each electrochemical storage cell comprising;

An anode electrode;

A cathode electrode; and

A separator located between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode,

Wherein the assembly is configured such that a pressure applied to the assembly is borne by the freely stacked electrochemical storage cells wherein the anode and cathode electrodes of the stacks of electrochemical cells bear at least 90 percent of the loads applied to the assembly.

2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a tie rod, cable or spring and at least one pressure plate, wherein the tie rod, cable or spring and the pressure plate are configured to apply the pressure to the assembly.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the pressure is applied by putting the tie rod, cable or spring in tension.

4. The assembly of claim 2, further comprising one or more compliant elements located between the at least one pressure plate and the housings.

5. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cathode and anode current collectors alternately located between adjacent electrochemical cells in the stack.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each stack comprises cells electrically connected in parallel and configured in a prismatic configuration.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the stacks in each of the cavities are electrically connected in series to positive and negative electrical terminals exposed outside of the housing.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein each stack has a maximum voltage of approximately 2 V.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrochemical storage cells comprise hybrid devices.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the cathode comprises an alkali ion intercalation material and the anode comprises a pseudocapacitive or electrochemical double layer capacitive material.

11. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the anode electrode comprises a mixture of materials one of which intercalates ions in a faradaic reaction and the other one of which is a pseudocapacitive or electrochemical double layer capacitive material.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrochemical storage cell comprises battery cells in which the anode electrode and the cathode electrode intercalate ions.

13. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a hole in a central portion of each housing, the hole configured to receive a binding member; and

a compressible seal located between a base portion of the housing and a lid portion of the housing.

14. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the plurality of housings are stacked on top of each other such that they nest into each other.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the stacks are the load-bearing structure of stacked assemblies in a module of stacked assemblies.

16. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the housings comprise a hole in a central portion of the housing and the tie rod, cable or spring is located in the holes.

17. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a pallet supporting the assembly, wherein the pallet comprises members that stabilize the assembly and provides electrical interconnection between the assembly and one or more additional assemblies located on the pallet.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the pallet further comprises charge control/power electronics.

19. The assembly of claim 14, wherein each housing comprises a lid and each housing and each lid comprises a flexible material such that the housings do not bear the pressure applied to the assembly by the tie rod, cable or spring and the at least one pressure plate and each housing and each lid bear 0-10 percent of the loads applied to the assembly.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein each housing comprises a polymer and each housing comprises four cavities and the cavities are square.

21. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is configured such that pressure applied to the assembly is born by the anode and cathode electrodes of the freely stacked electrochemical storage cells.

22. The assembly of claim 5, wherein:

the stacks of freely stacked electrochemical storage cells comprise flexible conductive tabs connecting a stack in a first cavity with a stack in an adjacent cavity in the same housing; and

the electrodes, the current collectors and the separator are not laminated to each other.

23. The assembly of claim 22, wherein the flexible conductive tabs comprise metal strips draped over walls separating adjacent cavities.

24. The assembly of claim 22, wherein the cathode and anode current collectors comprise graphite and the flexible conductive tabs are affixed to the cathode and anode current collectors.

25. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly comprises one or more of:

(A) each cavity is fluidly connected with its neighboring cavity above a level of electrolyte in the cavities;

(B) each cavity is partially filled with at least one of a gelled or liquid electrolyte;

or

(C) the housing comprises a single pressure relief valve configured to vent any gasses that may build up inside any of the plurality of cavities.

26. The assembly of claim 25, wherein each housing further comprises a shared gas space between the cavities and holes in walls separating adjacent cavities are configured to allow gas to be shared by adjacent cavities.

27. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the cathode and anode current collectors when viewed from above have an area greater than a plurality of cathode and anode electrodes when viewed from above.

28. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the separators comprise one or more cavities configured to receive an anode electrode.

29. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the anode electrode is 2 to 3 times thicker than the cathode electrode.