Rechargeable electrical energy storage device

• US 4,072,540 A
• Filed: 02/14/1974
• Issued: 02/07/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Energy Development Associates, Inc. (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Energy Development Associates, Inc. (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: Symons, Philip C., Amato, Carmelo J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mack, John H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Feeley, H. A.
• Application Number:
  US05/441,733
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 136/86 A
• US Class Current: 429/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 12/08 composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An electrical energy storage device comprising at least one cell containing a normally positive electrode at which a halogen is reduced and a normally negative electrode at which a metal is oxidized during an electrical discharge of the storage device. The halogen and oxidizable metal components consumed during the electrical discharge of the device are regenerated during an electrical recharging of the storage device and the halogen component is recovered and converted to a halogen hydrate for storage in the system.

Claims

1. In an electrically rechargeable electric energy storage system having (a) an electrode compartment means having an inlet means and an outlet means, said electrode compartment means having at least one cell having a positive halogen electrode and a negative metal electrode, wherein during the charge metal ions from an aqueous metal halide electrolyte are deposited onto the metal electrode and halogen is generated at the halogen electrode from the halide ions in the electrolyte, and during discharge the metal and halogen are converted back to the respective ions;

(b) a storage compartment means having an inlet means and an outlet means and adapted to contain a halogen hydrate formed during the charging of the system;

(c) a conduit means connecting the electrode compartment means and the storage compartment means, whereby electrolyte circulates between the electrode compartment means and the storage compartment means, the improvement which comprises valve controlled bypass means for said conduit means, said by-pass means having heat transfer means and halogen hydrate formation means serially included therein so as to cool the electrolyte which is circulating between the electrode compartment means and the storage compartment means through said conduit means, the halogen hydrate formation means being adapted to form halogen hydrate from the halogen and cool aqueous metal halide electrolyte solution during charging, said by-pass means being adapted to be disconnected from said conduit means after charging.

2. The storage system as defined in claim 1, wherein said hydrate formation means is adapted to be connected to said bypass during charging thereof and disconnected therefrom after charging.