A reusable liquid metal battery device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reusable liquid metal battery device, comprising: a battery housing, a top cover, a metal sleeve, an insulating sealing material, a negative electrode conductive tube, and a valve; a negative electrode current collector, an electrolyte, a positive electrode material, and a positive electrode current collector are placed in the battery housing in sequence; the positive electrode material is placed in the positive electrode current collector, the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector, the negative electrode current collector is connected to the negative electrode conductive tube through a negative electrode lead, the negative electrode conductive tube passes through the metal sleeve in the center of the top cover and is connected to the valve; the battery housing and the top cover are detachably connected. The liquid metal battery device provided by the present invention can be disassembled and reused, is suitable for optimizing and adjusting the active materials inside the battery, can simplify the configuration process of the battery, reduce the research and development cost of the liquid metal battery, and detects the air tightness of the battery housing through the valve.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of energy storage batteries, and in particular to a reusable liquid metal battery device. Background Art

[0002] Energy storage technology is a key technology to eliminate the bottleneck of large-scale development and utilization of renewable energy. It can improve the utilization efficiency of wind power and photovoltaic power generation. At the same time, it can also improve the contradiction between power supply and demand, smooth the peak-to-valley difference of the power grid, improve the efficiency of traditional power generation, and improve the safety and stability of the power grid. Electrochemical energy storage has the characteristics of high energy density, fast response time, low maintenance cost, and flexible and convenient installation. It has become a hot development direction of energy storage technology. At present, the main electrochemical energy storage technologies include lead-acid batteries, sodium-sulfur batteries, flow batteries, lithium-ion batteries, etc. However, the cycle life of lead-acid batteries is short, and sodium-sulfur batteries have not yet solved the safety problems under high-temperature operating conditions and the high cost of electrolytes. Lithium-ion batteries and flow batteries are also expensive, and flow batteries also face key technical problems such as electrolytes and diaphragm materials.

[0003] Liquid metal battery is a new type of energy storage battery. Its basic characteristics are: the battery operates at 300℃~700℃, the positive and negative metals and inorganic salt electrolytes are all liquid, the electrolyte, positive electrode and negative electrode have different densities and are insoluble in each other, and the liquid material automatically separates into three layers. The battery has a simple structure, is easy to enlarge, has good high-rate charge and discharge performance, and has a long cycle life. It is a very promising large-scale energy storage technology.

[0004] The energy storage characteristics of liquid metal batteries are mainly determined by the battery active material system. Therefore, the development and research of battery material systems are crucial to the optimization and improvement of liquid metal batteries. A large number of experimental studies are needed to optimize the composition of the positive and negative metals and molten salt electrolytes of the battery. In addition, liquid metal batteries operate at high temperatures, and the electrode materials are very sensitive to water and oxygen, so the battery has high requirements for the sealing of the outer shell. Usually, there are two main locations in the liquid metal battery shell that need to be sealed: one is the seal between the top cover and the negative electrode lead, which not only requires sealing but also insulation; the other is the seal between the top cover and the shell. In the first sealing position, one or more of ceramics, glass, and molten salt are usually used. Ceramics and glass are brittle and easily cracked during heating or cooling, resulting in sealing failure. Molten salt is in a molten state at the working temperature and cannot withstand the internal and external pressure difference. For the second seal, the method usually adopted is to weld the top cover and the shell together. Although this method has good sealing performance, the battery shell cannot be reused during the battery development process. Each test of a new component requires a whole set of new battery shells, top covers, insulating sealing materials and other components and welding operations, which not only complicates the battery assembly process, but also increases the cost of battery research and development. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a reusable liquid metal battery device, which simplifies the battery configuration process and reduces the research and development cost of the liquid metal battery.

[0006] The present invention provides a reusable liquid metal battery device, the improvement of which lies in that the device comprises a battery shell, a top cover, a metal sleeve, an insulating sealing material, a negative electrode conductive tube, and a valve; a negative electrode current collector, an electrolyte, a positive electrode material, and a positive electrode current collector are placed in the battery shell in sequence; the positive electrode material is placed in the positive electrode current collector, the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector, the negative electrode current collector is connected to the negative electrode conductive tube through a negative electrode lead, the negative electrode conductive tube passes through the metal sleeve in the center of the top cover, and is connected to the valve; the battery shell and the top cover are detachably connected.

[0007] Preferably, a sealing ring is placed between the battery housing and the top cover.

[0008] Furthermore, the battery housing and the top cover are fastened by screws and nuts to achieve a detachable connection.

[0009] Preferably, the battery housing, top cover, metal sleeve, and negative electrode conductive tube are made of stainless steel or titanium alloy.

[0010] Furthermore, the length of the metal sleeve is 50-200 mm; the difference between the inner diameter of the metal sleeve and the outer diameter of the negative electrode conductive tube is 1-4 mm.

[0011] Furthermore, the gap between the upper end of the metal sleeve and the negative electrode conductive tube is tightly filled with insulating sealing material by sintering or interference fit; the insulating sealing material and the metal sleeve are sealed and connected and insulated from each other.

[0012] Furthermore, the sealing ring is a metal spiral wound gasket, a rubber sealing ring, a polytetrafluoroethylene gasket, a metal gasket or a graphite gasket.

[0013] Furthermore, the screws and nuts are made of metal, and the number of sets is 4, 6, 8 or 12, and are provided with metal washers.

[0014] Furthermore, the insulating sealing material is made of one or more of aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, bismuth oxide, boron oxide, copper oxide, lead oxide, and silicon oxide.

[0015] Preferably, the valve is a ball valve or a butterfly valve, and the main body material is made of metal material.

[0016] Preferably, the negative electrode current collector is a porous foam metal material made of iron, nickel, titanium, zirconium or their alloys; the average pore diameter of the porous material is 0.3-2 mm, and the porosity is 60-95%; the negative electrode material is a mixture of one or more of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and barium; the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector by adsorption or mechanical pressure.

[0017] Preferably, the positive electrode current collector is a conductive crucible, and its material is graphite, iron, nickel, titanium, zirconium or their alloys; the positive electrode material is a mixture of one or more of tin, lead, bismuth, antimony, tellurium, zinc, gallium, indium and mercury.

[0018] Compared with the closest prior art, the technical solution provided by the present invention has the following excellent effects:

[0019] The present invention provides a reusable liquid metal battery device, comprising a battery housing (1), a top cover (2), a metal sleeve (6), an insulating sealing material (7), a negative electrode conductive tube (8), and a valve (9); a negative electrode current collector (10), an electrolyte (11), a positive electrode material (12), and a positive electrode current collector (13) are placed in the battery housing in sequence; the positive electrode material (12) is placed in the positive electrode current collector (13), the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector (10), the negative electrode current collector (10) is connected to the negative electrode conductive tube (8) through a negative electrode lead, and the negative electrode conductive tube (8) passes through the metal sleeve (6) at the center of the top cover (2) and is connected to the valve (9); the battery housing (1) and the top cover (2) are detachably connected, and the liquid metal battery device provided by the present invention can be disassembled and reused, is suitable for optimizing and adjusting the active materials inside the battery, can simplify the configuration process of the battery, and reduce the research and development cost of the liquid metal battery, and the air tightness of the battery housing can be detected through the valve;

[0020] Among them, the insulating sealing material is extended to a certain distance outside the battery shell by a metal sleeve. When the battery is working, the insulating sealing material is outside the heating zone, so it is less affected by heat and will not crack. In addition, the sealing material is less corroded by the atmosphere inside the battery at a lower temperature, thereby better ensuring its excellent sealing performance.

[0021] The battery casing and top cover are sealed with flange type. The sealing is achieved by adding a sealing ring and fastening with screws and nuts. The battery casing can be reused, thereby reducing the waste of battery components and lowering the research and development cost of new battery electrode materials. The negative electrode conductive tube is connected to the valve to check the air tightness of the battery casing and the reliability of the battery seal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the reusable liquid metal battery device of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a top view of the top cover of the reusable liquid metal battery device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The specific implementation modes of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] The present invention provides a reusable liquid metal battery device, such as Figure 1 As shown, the device comprises: a battery case (1), a top cover (2), a metal sleeve (6), an insulating sealing material (7), a negative electrode conductive tube (8), and a valve (9); a negative electrode current collector (10), an electrolyte (11), a positive electrode material (12), and a positive electrode current collector (13) are placed in the battery case in sequence; the positive electrode material (12) is placed in the positive electrode current collector (13), the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector (10), the negative electrode current collector (10) is connected to the negative electrode conductive tube (8) through a negative electrode lead, and the negative electrode conductive tube (8) passes through the metal sleeve (6) at the center of the top cover (2) and is connected to the valve (9); the battery case (1) and the top cover (2) are detachably connected.

[0027] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, a sealing ring (3) is placed between the battery housing (1) and the top cover (2), wherein the battery housing (1) and the top cover (2) are fastened by screws (4) and nuts (5) to achieve a detachable connection.

[0028] Specifically, the battery housing (1), the top cover (2), the metal sleeve (6), and the negative electrode conductive tube (8) are made of stainless steel or titanium alloy; the length of the metal sleeve (6) is 50 to 200 mm; and the difference between the inner diameter of the metal sleeve (6) and the outer diameter of the negative electrode conductive tube (8) is 1 to 4 mm.

[0029] The gap between the upper end of the metal sleeve (6) and the negative electrode conductive tube (8) is tightly filled with the insulating sealing material (7) by means of sintering or interference fit; the insulating sealing material (7) and the metal sleeve (6) are sealed and connected and insulated from each other.

[0030] Specifically, the sealing ring (3) is a metal spiral wound gasket, a rubber sealing ring, a polytetrafluoroethylene gasket, a metal gasket or a graphite gasket; the screws (4) and the nuts (5) are both made of metal, and the number of sets is 4, 6, 8 or 12, and are provided with metal gaskets; the material of the above-mentioned insulating sealing material (7) is one or more of aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, bismuth oxide, boron oxide, copper oxide, lead oxide, and silicon oxide.

[0031] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, the valve (9) is a ball valve or a butterfly valve, and the main body material is made of metal material; the negative electrode current collector (10) is a porous foam metal material, and its material is iron, nickel, titanium, zirconium or its alloy, and the average pore diameter of the porous material is 0.3-2 mm, and the porosity is 60-95%; the negative electrode material is a mixture of one or more of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and barium; the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector by adsorption or mechanical pressure.

[0032] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, the above-mentioned positive electrode current collector (13) is a conductive crucible, and its material is graphite, iron, nickel, titanium, zirconium or their alloys; the positive electrode material is a mixture of one or more of tin, lead, bismuth, antimony, tellurium, zinc, gallium, indium and mercury.

[0033] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, Figure 2 As shown, the metal sleeve 6 is welded to the center of the top cover 2 , and the top cover 2 and the battery housing 1 are fixed by 6 screws 4 of model M8.

[0034] In summary, the present invention provides a reusable liquid metal battery device, comprising a battery housing (1), a top cover (2), a metal sleeve (6), an insulating sealing material (7), a negative electrode conductive tube (8), and a valve (9); a negative electrode current collector (10), an electrolyte (11), a positive electrode material (12), and a positive electrode current collector (13) are placed in the battery housing in sequence; the positive electrode material (12) is placed in the positive electrode current collector (13), the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector (10), the negative electrode current collector (10) is connected to the negative electrode conductive tube (8) through a negative electrode lead, and the negative electrode conductive tube (8) passes through the metal sleeve (6) at the center of the top cover (2) and is connected to the valve (9); the battery housing (1) and the top cover (2) are detachably connected, and the liquid metal battery device provided by the present invention can be disassembled and reused, is suitable for optimizing and adjusting the active materials inside the battery, can simplify the configuration process of the battery, and reduce the research and development cost of the liquid metal battery, and the air tightness of the battery housing can be detected by the valve;

[0035] Among them, the insulating sealing material is extended to a certain distance outside the battery shell by a metal sleeve. When the battery is working, the insulating sealing material is outside the heating zone, so it is less affected by heat and will not crack. In addition, the sealing material is less corroded by the atmosphere inside the battery at a lower temperature, thereby better ensuring its excellent sealing performance.

[0036] The battery casing and top cover are sealed with flange type. The sealing is achieved by adding a sealing ring and fastening with screws and nuts. The battery casing can be reused, thereby reducing the waste of battery components and lowering the research and development cost of new battery electrode materials. The negative electrode conductive tube is connected to the valve to check the air tightness of the battery casing and the reliability of the battery seal.

[0037] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, ordinary technicians in the relevant field should understand that the specific implementation methods of the present invention can still be modified or replaced by equivalents. Any modification or equivalent replacement that does not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A reusable liquid metal battery device, characterized in that: The device comprises: a battery housing (1), a top cover (2), a metal sleeve (6), an insulating sealing material (7), a negative electrode conductive tube (8), and a valve (9); a negative electrode current collector (10), an electrolyte (11), a positive electrode material (12), and a positive electrode current collector (13) are placed in the battery housing in sequence; the positive electrode material (12) is placed in the positive electrode current collector (13), the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector (10), the negative electrode current collector (10) is connected to the negative electrode conductive tube (8) through a negative electrode lead, and the negative electrode conductive tube (8) passes through the metal sleeve (6) at the center of the top cover (2) and is connected to the valve (9); the battery housing (1) and the top cover (2) are detachably connected; Wherein, the length of the metal sleeve (6) is 50 to 200 mm; The gap between the upper end of the metal sleeve (6) and the negative electrode conductive tube (8) is tightly filled with an insulating sealing material (7) by sintering or interference fitting; the insulating sealing material (7) and the metal sleeve (6) are sealed and connected and insulated from each other; the insulating sealing material (7) is made of one or more of aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, bismuth oxide, boron oxide, copper oxide, lead oxide, and silicon oxide; The positive electrode current collector (13) is a conductive crucible.

2. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing ring (3) is placed between the battery housing (1) and the top cover (2).

3. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The battery housing (1) and the top cover (2) are fastened by screws (4) and nuts (5) to achieve a detachable connection.

4. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery housing (1), top cover (2), metal sleeve (6) and negative electrode conductive tube (8) are made of stainless steel or titanium alloy.

5. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The difference between the inner diameter of the metal sleeve (6) and the outer diameter of the negative electrode conductive tube (8) is 1 to 4 mm.

6. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sealing ring (3) is a metal spiral wound gasket, a rubber sealing ring, a polytetrafluoroethylene gasket, a metal gasket or a graphite gasket.

7. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The screws (4) and nuts (5) are both made of metal, and the number of sets is 4, 6, 8 or 12, and are provided with metal washers.

8. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve (9) is a ball valve or a butterfly valve, and the main body material is made of metal material.

9. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The negative electrode current collector (10) is a porous foam metal material, which is made of iron, nickel, titanium, zirconium or their alloys; the average pore diameter of the porous material is 0.3-2 mm, and the porosity is 60-95%; the negative electrode material is a mixture of one or more of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and barium; the negative electrode material is filled in the negative electrode current collector by adsorption or mechanical pressure.

10. The reusable liquid metal battery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive crucible is made of graphite, iron, nickel, titanium, zirconium or an alloy thereof; the positive electrode material is a mixture of one or more of tin, lead, bismuth, antimony, tellurium, zinc, gallium, indium and mercury.

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