JOHNSON AMBIENT HEAT ENGINE

• US 20180013178A1
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Published: 01/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JTEC Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Johnson Ip Holding Llc
• Inventors: JOHNSON, Lonnie G.
• Granted Patent: US 10,553,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/36 Accumulators not provided for in groups H01M10/05-H01M10/34
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/38 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/383 Hydrogen absorbing alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An ambient heat engine that is thermally coupled to its environment is provided. The ambient heat engine includes two complementary electrochemical cells. One cell has a positive voltage temperature coefficient and the other cell has a negative voltage temperature coefficient. The ambient heat engine further includes a controller and an electrical energy storage device. When the ambient temperature increases or decreases, the temperature variation creates a voltage differential between the two cells, and the controller discharges the higher voltage cell and uses a portion of the discharged energy to charge the lower voltage cell. The difference in energy is extracted by the controller and supplied to the electrical energy storage device. The controller includes circuitry for coupling energy from the energy storage device to the cells in order to compensate for self-discharge of the cells which may occur due to electronic leakage and diffusion phenomenon over extended periods of time.

Claims

1. An electrochemical conversion system comprising:

first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells, the first rechargeable electrochemical cell having a positive voltage temperature coefficient and the second rechargeable electrochemical cell having a negative voltage temperature coefficient; and

a controller,

wherein a voltage differential is created between the first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells upon a variation in a temperature of the system, and

wherein the controller operates to extract power from the first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells under the voltage differential created by the temperature variation.

2. The electrochemical conversion system according to claim 1, wherein the two complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells are connected in reverse polarity with the controller connected between negative terminals thereof.

3. The electrochemical conversion system according to claim 1, wherein each rechargeable electrochemical cell comprises:

a housing defining an interior;

a substantially gas-impermeable barrier dividing said interior into a high-pressure hydrogen storage chamber and a low-pressure hydrogen storage chamber, at least a portion of the substantially gas-impermeable barrier comprising a proton conductive membrane electrode assembly, the proton conductive membrane electrode assembly comprising at least one pair of opposing electrodes and an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between the opposing electrodes; and

a first metal hydride storage material disposed within the high-pressure hydrogen storage chamber and a second metal hydride storage material disposed within the low-pressure hydrogen storage chamber.

4. The electrochemical conversion system according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a substantially thermally-conductive material.

5. The electrochemical conversion system according to claim 1, wherein the first metal hydride storage material and the second metal hydride storage material of each rechargeable electrochemical cell each comprises at least one of TiCo, TiFe_0.5Ni_0.25V_0.05, MmNi_4.5 Nm_0.5 and MmNi₃Co₂.

6. The electrochemical conversion system according to claim 1, wherein the first metal hydride storage material of each rechargeable electrochemical cell comprises at least one of MnNi₃Co₂ and TiFe_0.5Ni_0.25 V_0.05 and the second metal hydride storage material of each rechargeable electrochemical cell comprises at least one of TiCo and TiFe_0.5Ni_0.25 V_0.05.

7. The electrochemical conversion system according to claim 1, wherein for each rechargeable electrochemical cell, at any given temperature, the first metal-hydride storage material stores hydrogen at a first average storage pressure that is higher than a second average storage pressure at which the second metal hydride storage material stores hydrogen.

8. The electrochemical conversion system according to claim 1, further comprising an energy storage device supplied with the extracted power and recharge circuitry for coupling energy from the energy storage device to each of the rechargeable electrochemical cells in order to periodically recharge the cells.

9. An electrochemical conversion system comprising:

first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells, the first rechargeable electrochemical cell having a first voltage temperature coefficient and the second rechargeable electrochemical cell having a second voltage temperature coefficient which is different from the first voltage temperature coefficient; and

an energy extraction circuit,

wherein a voltage differential is created between the first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells upon a variation in a temperature of the system, and

wherein the energy extraction circuit operates to extract power from the first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells under the voltage differential created by the temperature variation.

10. An electrochemical conversion system comprising:

first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells, the first rechargeable electrochemical cell having a first voltage temperature coefficient and the second rechargeable electrochemical cell having a second voltage temperature coefficient which is different from the first voltage temperature coefficient;

an energy extraction circuit; and

an energy storage device,

wherein a voltage differential is created between the first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells upon a variation in a temperature of the system,

wherein the energy extraction circuit operates to extract power from the first and second complementary rechargeable electrochemical cells under the voltage differential created by the temperature variation and supply the extracted power to the energy storage device, and.

wherein the energy extraction circuit periodically recharges each of the rechargeable electrochemical cells using energy from the energy storage device.