Battery formation method

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery formation device and method, which belongs to the technical field of battery production. The battery formation device includes a storage container, an exhaust device and a first filter device. The battery formation method includes the steps of electrolyte addition, equipment connection and electrolyte extraction. The battery formation device and method provided by the present invention gradually and slowly replenish the sufficient amount of electrolyte required for water loss due to charging and conversion of active substances during the battery formation process, and at the same time realize electrolyte cooling in the electrolyte storage device. After the electrolyte in the plate pores and the AGM separator is fully replenished, the excess electrolyte in the battery is flushed and sucked into the storage container through the action of the exhaust device, and the amount of electrolyte continuously required by the battery during the formation process is replenished in time, and the excess acid in the battery gas chamber channel is extracted, so that each monomer maintains a consistent lean liquid state to prevent short circuit, making the battery formation safer and more effective.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of battery production, and more specifically, relates to a battery formation method. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the competition of vehicle power supply has been challenged by new power supply technologies such as lithium battery. Which technology product has lower cost and better performance will have more obvious advantages in the competition. High-voltage bipolar valve-regulated sealed lead-acid battery does not require traditional busbars and bridge poles in structure, and the lead plate can also be made very thin, which can save 25-40% of lead consumption compared with traditional batteries, so it has a good application prospect. High-voltage bipolar lead-acid battery is composed of several bipolar electrodes, which are separated from the adjacent opposite polarity electrodes by AGM separators, and adopts a lean liquid type that stores electrolyte only in the pores of the plate and the AGM separator. The bipolar electrode is a solid thin plate with positive active material on one side and negative active material on the other side. Each single cell can only have one positive and negative electrode, and the effective width of a single cell is very small. In order to ensure the capacity of the single cell, the plate size is designed to be larger, and the single cells are usually connected in parallel to form a high-voltage battery, such as a 48V battery, and each single cell has a common acid injection port. Therefore, when bipolar lead-acid batteries are formed using traditional formation devices and methods, the battery gas chamber channel will be filled with electrolyte, causing the internal battery plates to short-circuit and the battery temperature to be too high to complete the formation. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a battery formation method, aiming to solve the problem that the internal short circuit of the battery affects the formation effect during the formation of the existing bipolar lead-acid battery.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: to provide a battery formation device, comprising:

[0005] A storage container, wherein a cavity for containing electrolyte is provided inside, a liquid outlet for communicating with a battery filling port pipeline is provided at the bottom of the storage container, a communication port for connecting the cavity with the outside is provided at the top or side of the storage container, and a first valve is also provided at the liquid outlet;

[0006] An air extraction device, wherein a working end of the air extraction device is connected to a connecting port pipeline of the storage container;

[0007] The first filtering device is arranged on the pipeline between the air extraction device and the storage container, and is used to prevent the acid gas in the storage container from entering the interior of the air extraction device to cause corrosion.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the air extraction device includes a power unit whose working end is connected to an outlet pipeline of the first filter device, and a second valve arranged between the working end of the power unit and the outlet of the first filter device for controlling the opening and closing of the pipeline.

[0009] In a possible implementation, a second filtering device for absorbing acid gas in the pipeline is further provided on the pipeline between the second valve and the power unit.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the first filter device and the second filter device both include a containing shell and an adsorbent filler filled in the containing shell. The containing shell is also provided with an air inlet and an air outlet for connecting the containing shell with the outside.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the power unit is a vacuum pump, the first valve and the second valve are both solenoid valves, the power unit is electrically connected to a control unit, and the first valve and the second valve are also electrically connected to the control unit, respectively.

[0012] In a possible implementation, a conduit is provided between the liquid outlet of the storage container and the liquid filling port of the battery, and an acid filling pot is also provided at the end of the conduit.

[0013] In a possible implementation, a water bath for accommodating the battery is further included, and a cooling liquid for cooling the battery is provided inside the water bath.

[0014] The battery formation device provided by the present invention has the beneficial effect that, compared with the prior art, a storage container whose bottom is connected to the battery filling port pipeline is provided, so that a certain amount of electrolyte can be stored during the battery formation process, and an exhaust device and a first filter device which are mutually connected to the upper connecting port of the storage container are also provided. The battery formation device of the present invention can realize the processes of extracting excess acid in the battery, leaving the battery still, and injecting acid into the battery in a certain frequency cycle by controlling the states of the first valve and the exhaust device respectively during the battery formation process, and can keep the acid in the battery AGM separator full of acid to meet the acid required for formation and charging, and can also avoid the battery temperature being too high due to the short circuit of the bipolar plate caused by excessive acid in the battery. It not only solves the problem of electrolyte water loss during the formation process, but also can realize the maintenance of the lean state between the battery monomers, thereby suppressing the excessive temperature in the battery. At the same time, the provision of the first filter device also prevents acid gas from entering the vacuum pump and corroding it during vacuuming, making the use of the entire formation device more convenient and safe.

[0015] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a battery formation method according to an embodiment, using any of the above-mentioned battery formation devices, and comprising the following steps:

[0016] Electrolyte addition: inject a specified amount of electrolyte into the battery, and store the excess electrolyte in a storage container;

[0017] The equipment is connected by placing the battery in the water bath, connecting the positive terminal of the battery to the positive terminal of the charger and the negative terminal of the battery to the negative terminal of the charger and the discharger, and then connecting the liquid outlet of the storage container to the liquid filling port of the battery through a conduit, and finally turning on the charger and the discharger to charge the battery;

[0018] Electrolyte extraction: The control unit controls the first valve, the second valve and the power unit to open, and extracts the excess electrolyte inside the battery into the storage container. The duration is t1 ， After the duration t1 ends, the control unit controls the first valve, the second valve and the power unit to close, and the battery is left to stand for t2 time; after the standing time is completed, the control unit controls the first valve to open, so that the electrolyte in the storage container flows into the battery for a duration of t3. After the duration t3 ends, the above steps are repeated until the formation is completed.

[0019] In a possible implementation, in the electrolyte extraction step, duration t1 is 3s-8s, duration t2 is 20s-30s, and duration t3 is 5s-10s.

[0020] In a possible implementation, in the device connecting step, a cooling liquid is provided inside the water bath for accommodating the battery, and the temperature of the cooling liquid is 30±5°C.

[0021] The battery formation method provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: compared with the prior art, in order to obtain sufficient capacity and good formation effect after battery formation, a low-density quantitative electrolyte is poured before battery formation, a part of the electrolyte is adsorbed in the active material and the AGM separator, and the remaining part of the rich electrolyte is stored in the storage container; and the first valve is controlled to open so that the electrolyte in the storage container is absorbed into the battery under the action of the negative pressure in the battery. During the battery formation process, the sufficient amount of electrolyte required for charging water loss and active material conversion is gradually and slowly replenished, and the electrolyte is cooled in the electrolyte storage device at the same time. After the electrolyte in the plate pores and the AGM separator is fully replenished, the excess electrolyte in the battery is flushed and sucked into the storage container through the action of the exhaust device, and the amount of electrolyte continuously required by the battery during the formation process is replenished in time, and the excess acid in the battery gas chamber channel is extracted, so that each monomer maintains a consistent lean liquid state to prevent short circuit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a battery formation device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a temperature variation diagram of the battery formation process, where a is the internal temperature of the battery formed only by water bath, b is the internal temperature of the battery after the formation device is used, and c is the temperature of the cooling liquid;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a diagram of the battery voltage changes during the battery formation process.

[0026] In the figure: 1. storage container; 2. first valve; 3. first filter device; 4. power unit; 5. second valve; 6. second filter device; 7. battery; 8. acid filling pot; 9. water bath. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0028] Please also read Figure 1 , the battery 7 formation device and method provided by the present invention are now described. The battery 7 formation device includes a storage container 1, an exhaust device and a first filter device 3. A cavity for accommodating electrolyte is provided inside the storage container 1, a liquid outlet for communicating with the battery 7 filling port pipeline is provided at the bottom of the storage container 1, a connecting port for connecting the cavity with the outside is provided at the top or side of the storage container 1, and a first valve 2 is also provided at the liquid outlet; the working end of the exhaust device is connected to the connecting port pipeline of the storage container 1; the first filter device 3 is provided on the pipeline between the exhaust device and the storage container 1, and is used to prevent the acid gas in the storage container 1 from entering the interior of the exhaust device to cause corrosion.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the battery 7 formation device provided in this embodiment can store a certain amount of electrolyte during the formation process of the battery 7 by providing a storage container 1 whose bottom is connected to the battery 7 filling port pipeline, and is also provided with an exhaust device and a first filter device 3 that are mutually connected to the upper connecting port of the storage container 1. The battery 7 formation device of the present invention can realize the processes of extracting excess acid in the battery 7, leaving the battery 7 still, and injecting acid into the battery 7 in a certain frequency cycle by controlling the working states of the first valve 2 and the exhaust device respectively during the formation process of the battery 7. While keeping the acid in the battery AGM separator full of acid to meet the acid required for formation and charging, it can also avoid the battery 7 temperature being too high due to the short circuit of the bipolar plate caused by excessive acid in the battery 7. It not only solves the problem of electrolyte water loss during the formation process, but also can realize that the lean state is always maintained between the battery monomers, thereby suppressing the excessive temperature in the battery. At the same time, the provision of the first filtering device 3 also prevents the acid gas in the storage container 1 from entering the vacuum pump and corroding the vacuum pump during vacuuming, making the use of the entire formation device more convenient and safer.

[0030] It should be noted that the high voltage bipolar lead-acid battery 7 is generally a lean type, that is, the electrolyte only exists in the pores of the plate and the AGM separator. In order to obtain sufficient capacity and good formation effect after the battery is formed, a low-density quantitative electrolyte is poured before the battery is formed, a part of the electrolyte is adsorbed in the active material and the AGM separator, and the remaining part of the rich electrolyte will be stored in the storage container 1; and the first valve 2 is controlled to open so that the electrolyte in the storage container 1 is sucked from the storage container 1 into the battery 7 under the action of the negative pressure inside the battery 7. During the formation process of the battery 7, the sufficient amount of electrolyte required for the loss of water due to charging and the conversion of active materials is gradually and slowly replenished, and the electrolyte is cooled in the electrolyte storage device. After the electrolyte in the pores of the plate and the AGM separator is fully replenished, the excess electrolyte in the battery 7 is flushed and sucked into the storage container 1 through the action of the exhaust device, thereby preventing a short circuit inside the battery 7.

[0031] Some possible implementations include Figure 1 As shown, the air extraction device includes a power unit 4 whose working end is connected to the outlet pipeline of the first filter device 3, and a second valve 5 arranged between the working end of the power unit 4 and the outlet of the first filter device 3 for controlling the on-off of the pipeline. Specifically, the power unit 4 is a vacuum pump, which can extract the gas in the storage container 1 through the vacuum pump, thereby achieving the purpose of extracting excess electrolyte in the storage battery 7. The provision of the second valve 5 makes it easier to connect and disconnect the vacuum pump and the storage container 1.

[0032] Based on the above characteristic air extraction device, Figure 1As shown, a second filter device 6 for absorbing acid gas in the pipeline is also provided on the pipeline between the second valve 5 and the power unit 4. The gas entering the vacuum pump can be filtered again to prevent the acid gas from entering the interior of the vacuum pump and causing corrosion.

[0033] In order to make the filtering effect better, Figure 1 As shown, the first filter device 3 and the second filter device 6 both include a housing, an adsorbent filler filled in the housing, and an air inlet and an air outlet for connecting the housing to the outside. Specifically, the adsorbent filler is activated carbon, and the activated carbon can ensure that the gas passes through and can also effectively adsorb the acidic components in the gas, so that the filtering effect of the first filter device 3 and the second filter device 6 is better.

[0034] As a preferred embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the power unit 4 is a vacuum pump, the first valve 2 and the second valve 5 are both solenoid valves, the power unit 4 is electrically connected to the control unit, and the first valve 2 and the second valve 5 are also electrically connected to the control unit, respectively, so that the control of the entire device can be more automated.

[0035] Some possible implementations include Figure 1 As shown, a conduit is provided between the liquid outlet of the storage container 1 and the liquid filling port of the storage battery 7, and an acid filling pot 8 is also provided at the end of the conduit. The inlet of the acid filling pot 8 is connected to the end of the conduit. The provision of the acid filling pot 8 can make the connection between the conduit and the storage battery 7 more firm, and the sealing of the connection is also better, so that the acid is poured into the storage battery 7 and drawn out from the storage battery 7 more conveniently and quickly.

[0036] In order to prevent the battery 7 from overheating during the formation process, Figure 1 As shown, the battery 7 formation device also includes a water bath 9 for accommodating the battery 7, and a cooling liquid for cooling the battery 7 is also arranged inside the water bath 9. The battery 7 can be effectively cooled by keeping the cooling liquid at a constant temperature.

[0037] On the other hand, Figure 1 As shown, the present invention also provides a battery 7 formation method according to an embodiment, using any of the above-mentioned battery 7 formation devices, and comprising the following steps:

[0038] Electrolyte addition: adding a specified amount of electrolyte into the battery and the storage container 1 respectively;

[0039] The equipment is connected, the battery 7 is placed in the water bath 9, the positive terminal of the battery 7 is connected to the positive terminal of the charger and discharger, the negative terminal of the battery 7 is connected to the negative terminal of the charger and discharger, and then the liquid outlet of the storage container 1 is connected to the liquid filling port of the battery 7 through a conduit, and finally the charger and discharger is turned on to charge the battery 7; wherein the charging process and practice can be conveniently set up by the charger and discharger.

[0040] Electrolyte extraction: the control unit controls the first valve 2, the second valve 5 and the power unit 4 to open, and extracts the excess electrolyte inside the battery into the storage container 1, and the duration is t1. After the duration t1 is over, the control unit controls the first valve 2, the second valve 5 and the power unit 4 to close, and the battery 7 is left to stand for t2 time; after the standing is completed, the control unit controls the first valve 2 to open, so that the electrolyte in the storage container 1 flows into the battery 7, and the duration is t3. After the duration t3 is over, the above steps are repeated until the formation is completed.

[0041] In a possible implementation, in the electrolyte extraction step, duration t1 is 3s-8s, duration t2 is 20s-30s, and duration t3 is 5s-10s.

[0042] In a possible implementation, in the device connection step, a cooling liquid is provided inside the water bath 9 for accommodating the battery 7, and the temperature of the cooling liquid is 30±5°C.

[0043] The beneficial effect of the battery 7 formation method provided by the present invention is that, compared with the prior art, in order to obtain sufficient capacity and good formation effect after the battery is formed, a low-density quantitative electrolyte is poured before the battery is formed, a part of the electrolyte is adsorbed in the active material and the AGM separator, and the remaining part of the rich electrolyte is stored in the storage container 1; and the first valve 2 is controlled to open so that the electrolyte in the storage container 1 is re-absorbed from the storage container 1 into the battery 7 under the action of the negative pressure of the battery 7. During the formation process of the battery 7, the sufficient amount of electrolyte required for the loss of water due to charging and the conversion of the active material is gradually and slowly replenished, and the electrolyte is cooled in the electrolyte storage device. After the electrolyte in the pores of the pole plates and the AGM separator is fully replenished, the excess electrolyte in the battery 7 is flushed and sucked into the storage container 1 through the action of the exhaust device, and the amount of electrolyte continuously required by the battery in the formation process is replenished in time, and the excess acid in the battery gas chamber channel is extracted, so that the lean state between each monomer is maintained to prevent short circuit.

[0044] The working principle is as follows: when it is necessary to discharge the acid, the control unit controls the second valve 5 to open and the vacuum pump to stop working. At this time, the storage container 1 can be connected to the outside world through the vacuum pump, and the first valve 2 is also opened. The acid stored in the storage container 1 will enter the gas chamber of the storage battery 7 through the conduit and the acid pot 8 under the action of gravity to supplement the electrolyte in the battery charging and formation process. When it is necessary to extract the acid, the control unit controls the second valve 5 to open and the vacuum pump to start working. At the same time, the first valve 2 at the bottom of the storage container 1 is opened, and the vacuum pump sucks the rich electrolyte in the gas chamber of the storage battery 7 into the storage container 1 through the conduit. Then the first valve 2 is closed, and the lean state is maintained between the monomers of the storage battery 7, and it is left to stand for a certain period of time.

[0045] The control unit can adopt a solenoid valve control cabinet (i.e., a PLC control cabinet) to adjust the intermittent frequency of acid extraction, standing, and acid discharge of the entire device according to the actual formation of the battery 7, so as to ensure the electrolyte required for battery formation, while maintaining the battery in a lean state to suppress excessive formation temperature caused by short circuit between cells.

[0046] Example: The above battery formation method and device are used to complete the formation of a 48V bipolar battery.

[0047] The battery 7 is filled with acid in a vacuum quantitative manner. After filling, the intermittent acid extraction and discharge battery 7 formation device is connected, and the surplus acid is stored in the electrolyte storage device. The charging method of the charging and discharging machine is used according to Table 1, and the battery formation is carried out in a constant temperature 30±5℃ water bath 9. The solenoid valve acid extraction and rest time are set. The acid extraction time is set to 3s~8s, rest for 20s~30s, and then acid discharge for 5s~10s.

[0048] Table 1 Battery formation parameters

[0049]

[0050] Figure 2 The internal temperature and time curve of the battery during the battery formation process. When the battery is formed only by a water bath, the internal temperature of the battery quickly increases to 90°C and has no downward trend, and the battery cannot continue to be formed. The internal temperature of the battery using the battery formation device and method of the present invention is between 33 and 67°C.

[0051] Figure 3 The time and voltage curves during the battery formation process. After formation, the battery was dissected to measure the content of active substances in the positive plate. The PbO2 content was 87.5-90.7%, and the formation effect was good.

[0052] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery formation method, It is characterized in that A battery formation device is used, wherein the battery formation device comprises: A storage container, wherein a cavity for containing electrolyte is provided inside, a liquid outlet for communicating with a battery filling port pipeline is provided at the bottom of the storage container, a communication port for connecting the cavity with the outside is provided at the top or side of the storage container, and a first valve is also provided at the liquid outlet; An air extraction device, wherein a working end of the air extraction device is connected to a connecting port pipeline of the storage container; A first filtering device, arranged on the pipeline between the gas extraction device and the storage container, for preventing the acid gas in the storage container from entering the interior of the gas extraction device and causing corrosion; Wherein, the air extraction device comprises a power unit whose working end is connected to the outlet pipeline of the first filter device, and a second valve arranged between the working end of the power unit and the outlet of the first filter device for controlling the on-off of the pipeline; The battery formation method comprises the following steps: Electrolyte addition: adding a specified amount of electrolyte into the battery and the storage container respectively; The equipment is connected by placing the battery in a water bath, connecting the positive terminal of the battery to the positive terminal of the charger and discharger, connecting the negative terminal of the battery to the negative terminal of the charger and discharger, and then connecting the liquid outlet of the storage container to the liquid filling port of the battery through a conduit, and finally turning on the charger and discharger to charge and discharge the battery; Electrolyte extraction: the control unit controls the first valve, the second valve and the power unit to open, and extracts the excess electrolyte inside the battery into the storage container, and the duration is t1 ， After the duration t1 ends, the control unit controls the first valve, the second valve and the power unit to close, and the battery is left to stand for t2 time; after the standing time is completed, the control unit controls the first valve to open, so that the electrolyte in the storage container flows into the battery for a duration of t3. After the duration t3 ends, the electrolyte extraction step is repeated until the formation is completed.

2. The battery formation method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A second filtering device for absorbing acid gas in the pipeline is also arranged on the pipeline between the second valve and the power unit.

3. The battery formation method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The first filter device and the second filter device both include a containing shell and an adsorbent filler filled in the containing shell. The containing shell is also provided with an air inlet and an air outlet for connecting the containing shell with the outside.

4. The battery formation method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The power unit is a vacuum pump, the first valve and the second valve are both solenoid valves, the power unit is electrically connected to a control unit, and the first valve and the second valve are also electrically connected to the control unit respectively.

5. The battery formation method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A conduit is arranged between the liquid outlet of the storage container and the liquid filling port of the battery, and an acid filling pot is also arranged at the end of the conduit.

6. The battery formation method according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The battery formation device also includes a water bath for accommodating the battery, and a cooling liquid for cooling the battery is arranged inside the water bath.

7. The battery formation method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that In the electrolyte extraction step, duration t1 is 3s-8s, duration t2 is 20s-30s, and duration t3 is 5s-10s.

8. The battery formation method according to claim 7, It is characterized in that In the equipment connection step, the temperature of the cooling liquid inside the water bath for accommodating the battery is 30±5°C.

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