Recombinant lead-acid cell and long life battery

• US 5,851,695 A
• Filed: 02/10/1992
• Issued: 12/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C&D Technologies Incorporated (Angel Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: C&D Technologies Incorporated (Angel Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Wagner, Franz, Misra, Sudhan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nuzzolillo, M.
• Application Number:
  US07/833,433
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 429/123, 429/149, 429/152, 429/157, 429/158, 429/160, 429/163, 429/54, 429/99, 429/148, 429/9, 429/66, 429/225, 429/233, 429/175, 429/243, 429/244
• US Class Current: 429/159
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/20 with direct contact, e.g. using "mirror"
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/7802 Positioning the parts to be joined, e.g. aligning, indexing or centring
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/53461 joining substantially flat covers and/or substantially flat bottoms to open ends of container bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/542 joining hollow covers or hollow bottoms to open ends of container bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/72521 comprising corrugated cores
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7254 honeycomb structures
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7392 characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8322 Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/12 PP, i.e. polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/06 PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7146 Battery-cases
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/12 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/16 Suspending or supporting electrodes or groups of electrodes in the case
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/342 Gastight lead accumulators H01M10/121 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 : arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6562 : with free flow by convection only
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 : with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6566 : Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers H01M10/6565 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/73 : for lead-acid accumulators, e.g. frame plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/103 : prismatic or rectangular H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/169 : by welding, brazing or soldering
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 : adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/253 : adapted for specific cells, e.g. electrochemical cells operating at high temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/466 : U-shaped, bag-shaped or folded
• 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

Abstract

A lead-acid cell includes a case, positive and negative plates within the case, microporous separator material between adjacent plates and electrolyte in a starved amount, with the case having jar and covers joined by a weldment along overlapping cover and jars. The positive plates include a grid frame with an intermediate member extending between spaced apart generally peripheral portions of the frame, with pasted active material on the grid frame separated substantially into two portions by the intermediate member. Compressive force is adjustably continuously applied to the positive and negative plates within the case. The plates are suspended within the case at positions removed from the wall of the case, while plate growth is permitted in a manner that plate shorting is avoided.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

a. a plurality of lead-acid cells arranged in at least one horizontal row;

b. means contacting at least a portion of facing surfaces of adjacent cells for maintaining facing surfaces of adjacent cells spaced from one another while providing generally vertically extending channels for convective cooling of the cells by air flow along said channels;

c. means for maintaining said facing surfaces of adjacent cells spaced from each other, providing separator portions of essentially uniform thickness in the direction between the cells contacting facing surfaces of adjacent cells;

d. wherein said cells are in a plurality of vertically stacked horizontal rows and facing surfaces of horizontally adjacent cells have vertically extending channels formed therein for convective cooling by air flow along said channels;

e. wherein said channels of said cells in said vertically stacked horizontal rows are substantially vertically aligned;

f. said space maintaining means lying across horizontally facing mouths of said channels.

4. The battery of claim 1 wherein said planar space maintaining means facingly contact outwardly facing surfaces of said ribs.

5. The battery of claim 1 wherein said planar space maintaining means extend vertically between cells in said vertically stacked horizontal rows.

2. A battery comprising:

a. a plurality of lead-acid cells arranged in at least one horizontal row;

b. means contacting at least a portion of facing surfaces of adjacent cells for maintaining facing surfaces of adjacent cells spaced from one another while providing generally vertically extending channels for convective cooling of the cells by air flow along said channels;

c. means for maintaining said facing surfaces of adjacent cells spaced from each other;

d. wherein said channels are defined by ribs running substantially the vertical height of said cells, said ribs being spaced laterally from one another a distance greater than rib height measured transversely to said facing surface of said cell.

3. The battery of claim 2 wherein said ribs are integral with walls of thermoplastic cases of said cells.

6. A lead-acid cell, comprising:

a. a case;

b. positive and negative lead metal plates within said case; and

c. means for suspending said plates spaced within said case, permitting positive plate growth without contacting a negative plate comprising spaced apart insulative generally parallel planar means generally transverse to said plates for engaging said negative and positive plates;

d. wherein said planar means are perforate for residence therewithin of portions of said positive and negative plates.

7. The cell of claim 6 wherein at least one of said planar means includes a recess therein for receipt of a protruding lug of at least one of said plates.

8. The cell of claim 7 wherein said recess has a closed bottom.

9. A lead-acid cell, comprising:

a. a case;

b. positive and negative lead metal plates within said case; and

c. means for suspending said plates spaced within said case, permitting positive plate growth without contacting a negative plate comprising spaced apart insulative generally parallel planar means generally transverse to said plates for engaging said negative and positive plates;

d. wherein at least one of said planar means is sufficiently deformable to flex towards said cell case wall upon positive plate growth.