Power storage apparatus and method of operating power storage apparatus

• US 9,859,592 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: Tamakoshi, Tomio, Hatta, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Rena D
• Application Number:
  US14/316,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20140308545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/3909 Sodium-sulfur cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/627 Stationary installations, e.g. power plant buffering or backup power supplies
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/655 Solid structures for heat exchange or heat conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/658 by thermal insulation or shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/253 adapted for specific cells, e.g. electrochemical cells operating at high temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery chamber is formed inside a sealed container. A module battery and a charging/discharging path outside a battery are housed in the battery chamber. In the module battery, an electric cell chamber and an air chamber are formed inside a heat-insulating container. The electric cell chamber and the air chamber are divided by a heat transfer wall. An electric cell of a sodium-sulfur battery, and a charging/discharging path inside a battery are housed in the electric cell chamber. An intake path starts from outside of the sealed container and leads to the air chamber. An exhaust path starts from the air chamber and leads to the sealed container. The blower generates an air flow that sequentially flows through the intake path, the air chamber and the exhaust path. In a case where the cooling of the electric cell chamber is required, the air flow is generated.

Claims

1. A power storage apparatus comprising:

a battery that includes a container, an electric cell of a sodium-sulfur battery, and a charging/discharging path inside the battery, said container including an outer wall and a heat transfer wall, an electric cell chamber and an air chamber being formed inside said container, said heat transfer wall dividing said electric cell chamber and said air chamber, and said electric cell and said charging/discharging path inside the battery being housed in said electric cell chamber;

a charging/discharging path outside the battery that is electrically connected to said charging/discharging path inside the battery;

a sealed container, which is a separate container from the container that houses said battery and said charging/discharging path outside the battery, a battery chamber and an accessory chamber being formed inside said sealed container, and said battery being housed in said battery chamber, wherein said sealed container includes a partition wall that divides said battery chamber and said accessory chamber, hinders the circulation of air between said battery chamber and said accessory chamber, and suppresses heat transfer from said battery chamber to the accessory chamber;

an intake path formation that is formed with an intake path which starts from outside of said sealed container and leads to said air chamber;

an exhaust path formation that is formed with an exhaust path which starts from said air chamber and leads to outside of said sealed container;

a generation mechanism that generates an air flow which sequentially flows through said intake path, said air chamber, and said exhaust path;

a determination unit that determines whether or not cooling of said electric cell chamber is required;

a generation control unit that controls said generation mechanism such that said air flow is generated in a case where said determination unit determines that the cooling of said electric cell chamber is required, and said air flow is not generated in a case where said determination unit determines that the cooling of said electric cell chamber is not required; and

an accessory that is housed in said accessory chamber.

2. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said battery further includes a first temperature sensor that is housed in said electric cell chamber, and

said determination unit determines that the cooling of said electric cell chamber is required, in a case where rising of a temperature measured by said first temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a reference.

3. The power storage apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a second temperature sensor that is arranged outside said sealed container; and

a flow rate control unit that controls said generation mechanism such that a flow rate of said air flow is increased as a temperature measured by said second temperature sensor rises.

4. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a heat insulator external to said air chamber with said outer wall interposed therebetween.

5. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said exhaust path does not pass through said accessory chamber.

6. The power storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said battery includes two or more electric cells including said electric cell, wherein said two or more electric cells are housed in said electric cell chamber and are arranged in a direction parallel to said air chamber.

7. A method of operating a power storage apparatus comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing a power storage apparatus including a battery, a charging/discharging path outside the battery, a sealed container, an intake path formation, an exhaust path formation, a generation mechanism and an accessory, said battery including a container, an electric cell of a sodium-sulfur battery, and a charging/discharging path inside the battery, said container including an outer wall and a heat transfer wall, an electric cell chamber and an air chamber being formed inside said container, said heat transfer wall dividing said electric cell chamber and said air chamber, and said electric cell and said charging/discharging path inside the battery being housed in said electric cell chamber, said charging/discharging path outside the battery and said charging/discharging path inside the battery being electrically connected to each other;

said sealed container, which is a separate container from the container housing said battery and said charging/discharging path outside the battery;

a battery chamber and an accessory chamber being formed inside said sealed container, said battery being housed in said battery chamber, and said accessory being housed in said accessory chamber, an intake path which starts from outside of said sealed container and leads to said air chamber being formed in said intake path formation;

an exhaust path which starts from said air chamber and leads to outside of said sealed container being formed in said exhaust path formation; and

said generation mechanism generating an air flow which sequentially flows through said intake path, said air chamber, and said exhaust path, wherein said sealed container includes a partition wall that divides said battery chamber and said accessory chamber, hinders the circulation of air between said battery chamber and said accessory chamber, and suppresses heat transfer from said battery chamber to the accessory chamber;

(b) determining whether or not cooling of said electric cell chamber is required; and

(c) controlling said generation mechanism such that said air flow is generated in a case where it is determined that the cooling of said electric cell chamber is required, and said air flow is not generated in a case where it is determined that the cooling of said electric cell chamber is not required.