A sustainable thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration system and its application method

By extending the cooling process in space through a rotating battery disk structure, the problems of continuous cooling and low efficiency in TRER technology are solved, achieving a highly efficient electrochemical cooling effect and improving cooling performance and temperature range.

CN119178250BActive Publication Date: 2025-12-02UNIV OF SCI & TECH OF CHINA
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411451033.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-10-17
Publication Date
2025-12-02
Estimated Expiration
2044-10-17

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing solid-state or solid/liquid two-phase thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration (TRER) technologies are difficult to achieve continuous refrigeration, and their low refrigeration efficiency and temperature range limit their practical applications.

Method used

A rotating battery disk structure is designed to extend the cooling process in a spatial dimension, allowing the battery to simultaneously absorb heat at the cooling end, heat up, release heat at the room temperature end, and cool down in different areas. The reverse rotation of the battery is achieved by a transmission system, ensuring that the battery is always carrying out electrochemical reactions at the cooling end. Combined with a lubricating heat-conducting module and supporting components, continuous cooling output and efficient heat recovery of the battery are achieved.

Benefits of technology

It achieves continuous cooling output using TRER technology, improving cooling performance and cooling temperature range, increasing regenerative efficiency, and enhancing cooling efficiency and temperature range. In particular, under ideal conditions, the regenerative efficiency can reach 100%, the cooling efficiency can be increased by 60%, and the temperature range can be increased by 50°C.

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Abstract

This invention discloses a sustainable thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigerator and its usage method, mainly comprising a battery rotating disk, a lubrication and heat conduction module, a transmission system, a support component, and a charging and discharging device. Two battery rotating disks are respectively disposed on the two end faces of the lubrication and heat conduction module and can rotate in opposite directions relative to the module; the support component and transmission system realize the rotation of the rotating disks; the charging and discharging device realizes the absorption and release of heat by the battery. This invention solves the problems of current electrochemical refrigeration technology being inconvenient for continuous refrigeration, and the limitation of refrigeration efficiency and temperature range due to the cancellation of heat and cold: by rotating the battery rotating disks, the four steps of TRER are carried out simultaneously in space, achieving continuous output of cooling capacity; by superimposing and rotating the battery rotating disks in opposite directions, the temperature difference is used for self-heating, which can increase the output of cooling capacity and improve refrigeration efficiency and cooling temperature range. Furthermore, it has the advantages of flexible design, compact structure, simple heat regeneration, low mechanical noise, and environmental friendliness.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrochemical refrigeration, specifically to a sustainable thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration machine and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Against the backdrop of the urgent need to address the energy crisis and environmental pollution, traditional refrigeration technologies, represented by cumbersome and heavy vapor compression refrigeration devices, need to find new development and solutions due to their consumption of non-renewable energy and emission of greenhouse gases.

[0003] As an alternative technological solution, electrochemical refrigeration technology, which is environmentally friendly and has simple structural components, has excellent research prospects. Among them, the thermally regenerative electrochemical refrigerator (TRER) technology, which combines electrochemical and thermodynamic cycles, has the potential for various applications, including high refrigeration efficiency, low mechanical vibration, low operating noise, eco-friendliness, and no emission of CFCs.

[0004] TRER technology targets secondary batteries with a temperature coefficient. Based on thermodynamic reverse cycling, it utilizes the endothermic effect generated by the entropy increase during the electrochemical reaction process to achieve cooling. Therefore, the battery sequentially undergoes four processes: heat absorption at the cooling end, moving to the room temperature end (battery heating up), heat release at the room temperature end, and moving to the cooling end (battery cooling down), thereby achieving cooling for low-temperature environments.

[0005] However, current solid-state or solid / liquid two-phase TRER technology requires the above four thermodynamic processes to be carried out step by step in time, which is complicated to use and not convenient for continuous cooling. Furthermore, the cooling process that requires a large amount of cooling capacity reduces the cooling output of the battery, which greatly limits the cooling performance and cooling temperature range, thus hindering the practical application of this technology.

[0006] This invention aims to improve the current structure of TRER technology to solve the problems of discontinuous cooling and limited cooling efficiency, thereby promoting the further development of TRER technology. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the current limitations of solid-state or solid / liquid two-phase thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration (TRER) technology in achieving continuous cooling, as well as its low cooling efficiency and temperature range, this invention provides a sustainable thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigerator and its usage method. The refrigerator includes a battery drive plate, a lubrication and heat-conducting module, a transmission system, a support component, and a charging / discharging device. The battery drive plate is positioned on both ends of the lubrication and heat-conducting module and can rotate relative to it in opposite directions. The battery drive plate has micro-cells for housing batteries, which are fixed within these cells using thermally conductive adhesive or similar methods. The batteries within the drive plate are in close contact with the lubrication and heat-conducting spacers of the lubrication and heat-conducting module. The transmission system rotates the battery drive plate. The support component secures the lubrication and heat-conducting module to the transmission system and limits the movement of the battery drive plate. The charging / discharging device performs charging and discharging operations on the batteries, thereby absorbing and releasing heat.

[0008] The battery drive includes a hollow shaft, a connecting disk, and multiple micro-cells along the circumferential direction, all coaxially connected. The center of the connecting disk is connected to the hollow shaft, and multiple micro-cells are evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the connecting disk. A lead hole is provided on one side of the connecting disk corresponding to each micro-cell, and the other side of the connecting disk corresponding to each micro-cell and the outer circumference of the connecting disk are both open. Several batteries are respectively disposed in the corresponding micro-cells.

[0009] Furthermore, the battery can be selected as a type with a negative temperature coefficient, which releases heat when discharging at high temperatures and absorbs heat when charging at low temperatures. Alternatively, the battery can be selected as a type with a positive temperature coefficient, which releases heat when charging at high temperatures and absorbs heat when discharging at low temperatures.

[0010] Furthermore, the rotation space of the battery moving disk can be divided into a high-temperature heat release tank, a heat recovery zone, and a low-temperature heat absorption tank.

[0011] Furthermore, for practical refrigeration applications, the high-temperature heat release tank is the area within the microcell where the battery releases heat to a high temperature, which is the room temperature end, and the low-temperature heat absorption tank is the area within the microcell where the battery absorbs heat to a low temperature, which is the refrigeration end.

[0012] Furthermore, the high-temperature heat release tank and the low-temperature heat absorption tank are both independent of the rotation of the battery moving disk and are areas with fixed absolute positions selected by humans; the high-temperature heat release tank and the low-temperature heat absorption tank are 180° symmetrical and usually correspond to the heat release and absorption areas of the battery in a single micro-cell, corresponding to the charging and discharging process of the battery, while other areas are heat recovery zones.

[0013] Furthermore, the batteries in the battery moving disk are connected to a charging and discharging device via wires to realize the charging and discharging process, thereby achieving a cooling effect through an electrochemical reaction that absorbs heat at the cooling end and an electrochemical reaction that releases heat at the room temperature end. During the charging and discharging process, the moving disk remains stationary. After the batteries are fully charged and discharged, the first and second battery moving disks each rotate one micro-cell position. The batteries in the micro-cells of the regenerating zone undergo self-regenerating under the action of temperature difference.

[0014] The lubrication and heat conduction module is composed of a lubrication and heat conduction spacer ring, a heat insulation spacer ring, and a heat insulation layer. The heat insulation layer is symmetrical about the spacer rings.

[0015] The transmission system consists of a motor, pulleys, and a transmission belt. The motor has a rotating shaft; the small pulley is mounted on the rotating shaft of the motor; one end of the transmission belt is connected to the small pulley, and the other end is connected to the large pulley on the hollow shaft of the battery drive plate.

[0016] The support structure consists of a support plate, a support shaft, bearings, and a base. The support plate is fixed to the base with screws or other means; the support shaft is fixedly connected to the support plate; and the support shaft is connected to the battery moving disk via bearings. The battery moving disks on both ends of the lubrication and heat conduction module are the first battery moving disk and the second battery moving disk, respectively. The rotating shaft of the motor is connected to the large pulley on the hollow shaft of the battery moving disk via a small pulley and a transmission belt. The support shaft vertically passes through the support plate, the first battery moving disk, the lubrication and heat conduction module, and the second battery moving disk. The support shaft is connected to the hollow shaft of the battery moving disk via bearings. The lubrication and heat conduction module is fixed to the base with screws or other means through an external insulation layer. The motor on the first battery moving disk side drives the first battery moving disk to move clockwise (counterclockwise), and the motor on the second battery moving disk side drives the second battery moving disk to move counterclockwise (clockwise), thereby enabling the batteries in the corresponding micro-cells of the first and second battery moving disks to spontaneously transfer heat through the temperature difference transmission via the lubrication and heat conduction ring of the lubrication and heat conduction module, achieving self-heating.

[0017] Compared with existing TRER technology, which relies solely on a single cell for electrochemical refrigeration and cannot continuously output cooling capacity and has low refrigeration efficiency, the beneficial technical effects of this invention are reflected in the following aspects:

[0018] 1. Existing TRER technology utilizes batteries to complete a cycle by stepwise heat absorption, heating at the cooling end, heat release at the room temperature end, and cooling down at the room temperature end, and only achieves cooling output during the heat absorption step at the cooling end. In contrast, this invention designs the batteries to be distributed in a circular pattern and rotate. After the batteries at the cooling end and room temperature end complete the forward and reverse electrochemical reactions, the transmission system rotates the battery disk to bring the next pair of batteries into the cooling end and room temperature end. This ensures that there are always batteries at the cooling end and that the entropy-increasing heat-absorbing electrochemical forward reaction is carried out, thereby ensuring continuous output of cooling capacity and achieving continuous cooling.

[0019] Therefore, this invention extends the four time-step processes of TRER technology to the spatial dimension. That is, by rotating the moving disk carrying the battery, four steps of heat absorption at the cooling end, heating up, heat release at the room temperature end, and cooling are performed simultaneously in different areas, which can realize continuous cooling output of solid-state or solid / liquid two-phase thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration (TRER) technology.

[0020] In theory, without changing any conditions, this invention can maintain cooling output continuously without interruption.

[0021] 2. In the existing TRER technology for achieving cooling, there is a battery cooling process that consumes a large amount of cooling capacity, reducing the battery's cooling output and thus limiting the cooling performance and cooling temperature range. However, this invention, by designing the superposition and counter-rotation of two battery moving disks, can spatially superimpose the heating / cooling process of the first battery moving disk with the cooling / heating process of the second battery moving disk. This allows the temperature difference between the batteries in the two moving disks to achieve "countercurrent reheating," improving the device's reheating efficiency, reducing cooling capacity consumption, and thus enhancing the device's cooling performance and cooling temperature range.

[0022] In this invention, the more micro-cells there are, the higher the regeneration efficiency and the larger the refrigeration temperature range. Ideally, the regeneration efficiency can approach or reach 100%. For example, when there are 4 micro-cells on one side between the refrigeration end and the room temperature end, the regeneration efficiency can reach 80%. At this time, compared with no regeneration, the coefficient of performance (COP) can be increased by 20, the refrigeration efficiency can be increased by 60%, and the maximum refrigeration temperature range can be increased by 50°C when the temperature difference is 10°C.

[0023] 3. The designed rotary regenerative structure has the advantages of flexible design, compact structure, simple regeneration, and environmental friendliness. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first battery-driven disk of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second battery-driven disk of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the built-in battery of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the battery moving disk stacked according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure for implementing the transmission in this invention.

[0029] The numbers in the diagram above are: 1. First moving plate of battery, 1-1 to 1-36 battery packs in the first moving plate, 2. Second moving plate of battery, 2-1 to 2-36 battery packs in the second moving plate, 3. Lubrication and heat conduction module, 3-1 lubrication and heat conduction separator, 3-2 heat insulation separator, 3-3 heat insulation layer, 4. Battery positive electrode, 4-1 battery separator, 4-2 battery negative electrode, 4-3 battery positive electrode current collector, 4-4 battery negative electrode current collector, 4-5 first support plate, 5. First motor, 6. Support shaft, 7. First small pulley, 8. First transmission belt, 9. First large pulley, 10. Base, 11. Second support plate, 12. Second motor, 13. Second small pulley, 14. Second transmission belt, 15. Second large pulley, 16. High temperature heat release tank, 17. Low temperature heat absorption tank, 18. Charging and discharging device, 19. Wire, 20. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] This embodiment proposes a sustainable thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigerator and its usage method, referencing... Figures 1-5 :

[0032] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 :

[0033] The battery moving plate is composed of several micro-cells. The first battery moving plate 1 consists of 1-1 to 1-36 micro-cells, and the second battery moving plate consists of 2-1 to 2-36 micro-cells. Each micro-cell contains one battery 4. This embodiment describes 36 micro-cells, but the number of micro-cells can be flexibly selected according to requirements in actual applications. Taking the micro-cells in the first battery moving plate 1 as an example, their outer shell includes a left side wall, a right side wall, an inner wall, and an upper wall, but does not include a lower wall or an outer wall. The upper wall has two small holes. The micro-cells are designed without a lower wall to allow for heat recovery through the lubrication and heat conduction ring 3-1 of the lubrication and heat conduction module 3. The micro-cells are designed without an outer wall to ensure that the battery 4 can smoothly exchange heat when rotating to the high-temperature heat release tank 17 and the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18. The inner wall, left wall, and right wall of the micro-cells are used to fix the position of the battery 4 to the battery 4 using methods such as adhesive coating.

[0034] refer to Figure 3 :

[0035] Battery 4 consists of a positive electrode 4-1, a separator 4-2, a negative electrode 4-3, a positive electrode current collector 4-4, and a negative electrode current collector 4-5. The positive and negative current collectors of battery 4 face each other and penetrate through small holes on the upper wall of the micro-cell. Through the small holes, battery 4 can be connected to the charging and discharging device 19 via external wires 20 to achieve charging and discharging, thereby completing heat absorption and release.

[0036] refer to Figure 4 :

[0037] The bottom side of the first battery moving disk 1 is pressed against one side of the lubricating heat-conducting spacer 3-1 in the lubricating heat-conducting module 3 with lubricating thermal conductive paste; the other side of the lubricating heat-conducting spacer 3-1 in the lubricating heat-conducting module 3 is pressed against the top side of the second battery moving disk 2 with lubricating thermal conductive paste. During stacking and rotation, the first battery moving disk 1 and the second battery moving disk 2 maintain a one-to-one spatial correspondence of micro-cells. The first battery moving disk 1 and the second battery moving disk 2 rotate in opposite directions but at the same speed; each rotation of the first battery moving disk 1 and the second battery moving disk 2 is equivalent to one micro-cell. The lubricating heat-conducting module 3 consists of a lubricating heat-conducting spacer 3-1, a thermal insulation spacer 3-2, and a thermal insulation layer 3-3. The insulation layer 3-3 of the lubrication and heat conduction module 3 is symmetrically arranged vertically based on the lubrication and heat conduction partition ring 3-1 and the heat insulation partition ring 3-2; the insulation layer 3-3 surrounds the first battery moving plate 1 and the second battery moving plate 2, but does not include the high temperature heat release groove 17 and the low temperature heat absorption groove 18; the insulation layer 3-3 is symmetrically arranged horizontally based on the high temperature heat release groove 17 and the low temperature heat absorption groove 18; a partial air gap is left between the insulation layer 3-3 and the outer side of the two battery moving plates to facilitate the rotation of the moving plates.

[0038] refer to Figure 5 :

[0039] The high-temperature heat release tank 17 corresponds to the area where the battery 4 in each microcell periodically releases heat during rotation, corresponding to the room temperature end in the refrigeration application; the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18 corresponds to the area where the battery in each microcell periodically absorbs heat during rotation, corresponding to the refrigeration end in the refrigeration application; the area actually surrounded by the insulation layer 3-3 corresponds to the area where the battery 4 in each microcell experiences self-heating due to temperature difference during rotation, i.e., the regeneration zone. The first regeneration zone is the upper half of the area from the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18 to the high-temperature heat release tank 17; the second regeneration zone is the lower half of the area from the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18 to the high-temperature heat release tank 17. Charging and discharging devices such as wires are arranged near the high-temperature heat release tank 17 and the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18; when the first battery moving plate 1 and the second battery moving plate 2 rotate, the batteries 4 located in the microcells of the high-temperature heat release tank 17 and the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18 achieve charging and discharging through the small holes on the upper side of the microcells, with the positive and negative current collectors connected to the charging and discharging device 19 via the wires 20, thus achieving refrigeration.

[0040] refer to Figure 5 :

[0041] A sustainable regenerative electrochemical refrigeration system mainly includes a first battery moving plate 1, a second battery moving plate 2, and a battery 4, all involved in electrochemical refrigeration, as well as a high-efficiency regenerative transmission component for continuous refrigeration, including: a lubrication and heat-conducting module 3, a support shaft 7, a base 11, a support plate, a motor, pulleys, and a transmission belt. Specifically, the transmission structure is connected as follows: the support shaft 7 vertically passes through the first support plate 5, the first battery moving plate 1, the lubrication and heat-conducting module 3, the second battery moving plate 2, and the second support plate 12. The support shaft 7 is fixedly connected to the support plate. The support shaft 7 is connected to the hollow shaft of the battery moving plate by a bearing. The lubrication and heat-conducting module 3 is fixed to the base 11 by screws or other means through an insulation layer 3-1. The first support plate 5 and the second support plate 12 are fixed to the base 11 by screws or other means. Each support plate is fixed with a motor by screws or other means. The motor has a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft of the motor is fixed with a small pulley, which is connected to a large pulley on the hollow shaft of the battery moving plate by a transmission belt to achieve transmission.

[0042] The working principle of this invention is explained in detail below:

[0043] Secondary batteries with a temperature coefficient undergo entropy changes during charging and discharging, accompanied by endothermic and exothermic effects, allowing for heat exchange with the external environment. Specifically, the entropy increase process produces an endothermic effect, while the entropy decrease process produces an exothermic effect. If an electrochemical reaction proceeds in the forward direction, it is an entropy increase reaction; conversely, it is an entropy decrease reaction. For ease of description, we define the entropy increase reaction as the forward electrochemical reaction and the entropy decrease reaction as the reverse electrochemical reaction. Therefore, by using the electrical energy from the charging and discharging device to drive the battery in a forward electrochemical reaction at the cooling end, with entropy increase absorbing heat from the cooling end, cooling can be achieved. To achieve cyclic cooling, this cooling method should conform to the basic thermodynamic laws of refrigeration, and its thermodynamic process should include four stages: heat absorption at the cooling end, temperature rise, heat release at the room temperature end, and cooling. In other words, the core principle of cyclic cooling is to transfer heat from the cooling end to the room temperature end in some way, thereby achieving the effect of lowering or maintaining a low temperature at the cooling end. Therefore, the battery undergoes a forward electrochemical reaction at the cooling end via a wire connected to a charging / discharging device. Entropy increases, absorbing heat from the cooling end. After this process, the open-circuit battery is moved to the room temperature end, allowing its temperature to rise to room temperature. Then, the battery undergoes a reverse electrochemical reaction at room temperature via a wire connected to the charging / discharging device, releasing heat to the room temperature end. After this process, the open-circuit battery is moved back to the cooling end, returning to its initial state, thus completing one cooling cycle. In summary, the core of using this battery for cooling is: under different temperature environments, the electrical energy from the charging / discharging device drives the forward and reverse electrochemical reactions of the battery, generating endothermic and exothermic effects, thereby transferring heat from the cooling end to the room temperature end, achieving the cooling purpose.

[0044] Based on the cooling principle of a single battery described above, this invention designs a battery moving disk structure with reverse rotation to improve battery cooling performance and cooling temperature range, and enables continuous cooling output from the battery. The coefficient of performance (COP), which measures the battery's cooling performance, is calculated as: Actual cooling capacity / Electrical energy. In the formula, ∫T L The dS term represents the theoretical cooling capacity of the battery at the low-temperature end, (1-η) HX C p ΔT represents the cooling requirement for the battery after reheating, I 2 R L t represents the cooling loss due to the battery's internal resistance, and W represents the consumed electrical energy; cooling efficiency = coefficient of performance (COP) / COP of the Carnot cycle, i.e. Refrigeration temperature range Among them, T L Let S be the temperature at the cooling end, S be the entropy, and η be the... HX For regenerative efficiency, C p Where ΔT is the battery heat capacity, I is the temperature span, and R is the current. L Let T be the internal resistance of the battery at low temperature, t be time, W be the electrical energy consumed, and T be the internal resistance of the battery at low temperature. a Let ΔS be the ambient temperature, and ΔS be the entropy change during either the electrochemical forward reaction or the electrochemical reverse reaction driven by electrical energy. Therefore, according to the calculation formulas for the coefficient of performance (COP), cooling efficiency, and cooling temperature range, improving the regenerative efficiency can reduce the cooling load still required for battery cooling after regeneration, thereby improving the COP, cooling efficiency, and cooling temperature range.

[0045] In short, the reverse-rotating battery disk structure improves the regenerative efficiency in the above formula, thereby optimizing the battery's cooling performance and cooling temperature range. The specific principle is as follows: (Refer to...) Figure 5The single-layer battery rotating disk consists of several batteries, with the same number of batteries in each of the left and right layers. One battery in each layer at the cooling end and the room temperature end is connected by wires to a charging and discharging device for electrochemical reaction, forming a 180° central symmetry in space. The other batteries constitute "regenerative units," forming a regenerative zone connected between the cooling end and the room temperature end, achieving "countercurrent regeneration" through the reverse rotation of the battery rotating disk. This mechanical rotational "countercurrent regeneration" method is similar to the traditional reverse flow regeneration method for hot and cold fluids. However, because the battery is in a solid / liquid state, a simple direct fluid regeneration structure cannot be used. Therefore, a mechanical left and right layer rotating structure and battery "regenerative units" are designed to achieve regeneration of the solid / liquid material. Traditional fluid regeneration methods, due to continuous temperature, involve an infinite number of "regeneration units," resulting in stepless regeneration. However, in this structure, each "regeneration unit" represents the temperature of a single cell. Therefore, the number of "regeneration units" is equal to the number of cells connecting the cooling end and the room temperature end, representing stepped regeneration. If there are n cells, the regeneration efficiency is n / (n+1). Because there are two semi-circular cell "regeneration unit" groups between the cooling end and the room temperature end in the rotating structure, there are two regeneration zones, resulting in two stages of "countercurrent regeneration." Furthermore, while a single cell requires four cycles of cooling over time, this rotating structure ensures that there is always one cell on each side of the cooling end undergoing an electrochemical entropy-increasing endothermic reaction, thus achieving continuous cooling output.

[0046] The working process of this invention is described in detail below:

[0047] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the first battery moving plate 1 and the second battery moving plate 2, the batteries in the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18 and the high-temperature heat release tank 17 are connected to the charging and discharging device via wires 20 to achieve charging and discharging while simultaneously absorbing and releasing heat. The remaining batteries are in an open circuit state for heat recovery. After charging and discharging, the first motor 6 drives the first battery moving plate 1 to rotate clockwise by one micro-cell via the first transmission belt 9. At the same time, the second motor 13 drives the second battery moving plate 2 to rotate counterclockwise by one micro-cell via the second transmission belt 15, so that the next batch of batteries enters the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18 and the high-temperature heat release tank 17 for charging and discharging, while the remaining batteries continue to recover heat. By rotating the battery moving plate through the motor, continuous charging and discharging and heat absorption and release can be achieved at the room temperature end and the cooling end.

[0048] Taking the micro-cells 1-1 and 1-19 on the first battery moving plate 1 and 2-1 and 2-19 on the second battery moving plate as examples, the process will be explained in detail, with batteries having a negative temperature coefficient used for demonstration:

[0049] (1) Batteries 1-1 and 2-1 are discharged in the room temperature region, releasing heat to the environment; at the same time, batteries 1-19,

[0050] 2-19 enters the cooling end and is charged by the charging and discharging device, absorbing heat from the environment to cool down. At this time, the micro-cells corresponding to batteries 1-2~1-18 and 2-2~2-18, as well as batteries 1-20~1-36 and 2-20~2-36, are at the same temperature and there is no heat recovery.

[0051] (2) After the charging and discharging is completed, the first battery moving disk 1 rotates clockwise by one micro-cell, and the second battery moving disk 2 rotates in the opposite direction by one micro-cell. Batteries 1-36 and 2-2 enter the room temperature end and discharge and release heat through the charging and discharging device. Batteries 1-18 and 2-20 enter the cooling end and absorb heat during charging. At this time, batteries 1-1 and 2-1 are in a high temperature state, and batteries 1-19 and 2-19 are in a low temperature state. Battery 1-1 provides heat to 2-3, battery 1-19 provides cold energy to 2-21, battery 2-1 provides heat to 1-35, and battery 2-19 provides cold energy to 1-17. Independent heat recovery is achieved in the two heat recovery zones.

[0052] (3) After the charging and discharging are completed, the two battery disks rotate one micro-cell in the original direction, so that batteries 1-35 and 2-3 enter the room temperature end to discharge and release heat, and batteries 1-17 and 2-21 enter the cooling end to charge and absorb heat. At this time, battery 1-1 gives heat to 2-5, battery 1-36 gives heat to 2-4, battery 1-19 gives cold energy to 2-23, and battery 1-18 gives cold energy to 2-22, thus achieving independent heat recovery.

[0053] (4) By analogy, after rotating the cell by cell, each battery in the moving plate will achieve independent charging, discharging and reheating without interfering with each other, thus completing the four thermodynamic processes of TRER in the time dimension and achieving the simultaneous execution of these four thermodynamic steps in the spatial dimension, achieving the effect of continuous cooling; in addition, by repeatedly self-heating the battery in the micro-cell, the cooling energy consumption is reduced, which can improve the cooling efficiency.

[0054] The following are specific examples for illustration:

[0055] Example

[0056] (1) Air conditioning

[0057] Air conditioning refers to equipment that uses artificial means to regulate and control parameters such as temperature of the air inside a building or structure. In other words, it transfers indoor heat to the outdoors through refrigeration technology, achieving the purpose of cooling a localized space. In actual use, to ensure human comfort, the indoor temperature is generally allowed to be controlled between 16 and 32°C. The typical applicable area for air conditioning is 12-18 square meters. 2The required cooling capacity is 115-145W. The proposed high-efficiency electrochemical refrigeration device connects its cooling end to the indoor environment and its room temperature end to the outdoor environment. The device performs an electrochemical forward reaction (entropy increase and heat absorption) in the indoor battery and a reverse electrochemical reaction (entropy decrease and heat release) in the outdoor battery. After the electrochemical reaction is complete, the transmission system continues to rotate the two battery discs in opposite directions, thereby continuously transferring heat from the indoor environment to the outdoor environment, achieving indoor space cooling and continuous cooling. The specific working process is as follows:

[0058] 1)Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 At the initial moment, the batteries in the micro-cells directly opposite the high-temperature heat release tank 17 and the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18 inside the building undergo electrochemical reverse entropy reduction and forward entropy increase reactions respectively driven by electrical energy, thereby completing the process of releasing heat to the outdoor environment and absorbing heat from the indoor environment to achieve cooling; during the electrochemical reaction of the battery, the battery moving plate remains stationary.

[0059] 2)Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 After the batteries in the high-temperature exothermic tank 17 and the low-temperature absorbent tank 18 have completed their electrochemical reactions, the first battery moving plate rotates clockwise from the right-view angle of the device, driven by the first transmission system; the second battery moving plate rotates counterclockwise from the right-view angle of the device, driven by the second transmission system; the rotation of both battery moving plates is one micro-grid; two batteries symmetrically arranged 180° around the hollow axis on each battery moving plate constitute a pair of batteries; after rotation, the next pair of batteries on each of the two battery moving plates enters the high-temperature exothermic tank 17 and the low-temperature absorbent tank 18 respectively, and are connected to the charging and discharging device via wires to perform the electrochemical reverse reaction (entropy reduction and heat release) outdoors, and the electrochemical forward reaction (entropy increase and heat absorption) indoors. After the electrochemical reaction is completed, the transmission system continues to rotate the two battery moving plates in the opposite direction to ensure that there are always batteries in the indoor cooling end and that the entropy-increasing heat-absorbing electrochemical forward reaction is carried out, thereby ensuring continuous output of cooling capacity and achieving continuous cooling.

[0060] 3)Reference Figure 5The upper half of the high-temperature heat release tank 17 to the low-temperature heat absorption tank 18 is the first regeneration zone, and the lower half is the second regeneration zone. In step 2, the first battery moving disk and the second battery moving disk rotate one micro-cell in opposite directions at the same speed. Specifically, if the first battery moving disk rotates clockwise from a right-viewing angle, then in the first regeneration zone, the battery is rotating from indoors to outdoors, requiring heat for heating; in the second regeneration zone, the battery is rotating from outdoors to indoors, requiring cooling. If the second battery moving disk rotates counterclockwise from a right-viewing angle, then in the first regeneration zone, the battery is rotating from outdoors to indoors, requiring cooling; in the second regeneration zone, the battery is rotating from indoors to outdoors, requiring heat for heating. Therefore, during the rotation of the battery disk, a heat transfer process occurs in the first reheating zone, where the battery of the second battery disk transfers heat to the adjacent battery of the first battery disk. In the second reheating zone, a heat transfer process occurs in the first battery disk, where the battery of the first battery disk transfers heat to the adjacent battery of the second battery disk. Both heat transfers are achieved through the lubricated heat-conducting spacer 3-1.

[0061] After the above working process, when the outdoor ambient temperature is 30℃, the indoor temperature drops to 20℃, and the device's regenerative efficiency is 80% (when there are 4 "regenerative units" connecting the indoor and outdoor areas), theoretical calculations show that the device's cooling capacity is 35kJ / kg, the coefficient of performance (COP) can reach 25, and the cooling efficiency is 78%. Compared with the performance of a single battery without regenerative heating, the rotary regenerative structure device designed in this invention can significantly improve the battery's COP, cooling efficiency, and cooling temperature range. For example, with a temperature difference of 10℃, the COP can be increased by 20, the cooling efficiency by 60%, and the cooling temperature range by 50℃.

[0062] (2) Refrigerator or cold storage

[0063] Refrigerators or cold storage facilities can be used for the low-temperature preservation of production and daily necessities. The refrigeration end of the proposed high-efficiency electrochemical refrigeration device is connected to the refrigerator cavity or cold storage, and the room temperature end is connected to the external environment. Its specific working process is similar to that of Example (1). When the ambient temperature is 30°C and the required temperature in the refrigerator compartment or cold storage is 5°C, the device achieves a coefficient of performance (COP) of 6 and a refrigeration efficiency of 54%.

[0064] The above embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. Any changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, or simplifications made without departing from the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be considered equivalent substitutions and shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sustainable thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration system, characterized in that: It includes a battery drive plate, a lubrication and heat conduction module, a transmission system and support components, and a charging and discharging device. The battery drive plate contains a battery. The charging and discharging device realizes the heat regulation of the battery. The charging and discharging device controls the charging and discharging of the battery through wires. The battery achieves rotational regeneration based on other components, thereby achieving a continuous cooling effect. The battery moving disk is provided in two sets with the same structure. The battery moving disk is provided with several micro-cells along its circumference. Each micro-cell contains a battery. The battery moving disk is divided into a high-temperature heat release groove, a heat recovery zone and a low-temperature heat absorption groove along its rotation space in conjunction with the micro-cells. The high-temperature heat release groove and the low-temperature heat absorption groove are arranged symmetrically at 180°. The battery drive includes a hollow shaft and a connecting disk coaxially connected. The center of the connecting disk is connected to the hollow shaft. Micro-cells are arranged along the outer circumference of the connecting disk. Each micro-cell is provided with a lead hole on one side of the connecting disk along the axial direction. The other side of each micro-cell and the outer circumference of the connecting disk are both open. The lubrication and heat conduction module comprises a lubrication and heat conduction spacer ring, a heat insulation spacer ring, and a heat insulation layer, which are integrally formed. The two sets of battery moving discs are respectively located on both sides of the heat insulation ring of the lubrication and heat conduction module, and the support component passes through the battery moving disc and the heat insulation ring and is connected to the transmission system.

2. The thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration machine for sustainable cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery is a secondary battery with a temperature coefficient; The battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, a positive current collector, and a negative current collector.

3. The thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration machine for sustainable cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission system has two sets with identical structures, and the two sets of transmission systems are respectively located at both ends of the support shaft; The transmission system includes a motor and a belt drive system. The motor shaft is parallel to the support shaft. The belt drive system includes a small pulley, a large pulley, and a transmission belt. The small pulley is fixed on the motor shaft, and the large pulley is fixed on the hollow shaft of the battery drive disc on the same side. The transmission belt straddles the small pulley and the large pulley. The rotating shaft of the motor is connected to the large pulley via the small pulley and the transmission belt.

4. The thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigeration machine for sustainable cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting component includes a supporting shaft, a pair of supporting plates, and a base; the two ends of the supporting shaft are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding supporting plates, the lower ends of the pair of supporting plates are fixedly mounted on the base, and the supporting shaft passes through the hollow shaft and the thermal insulation ring. The support shaft and the hollow shaft are connected by bearings.

5. The method of using a sustainable refrigeration thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigerator according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: It includes two opposing rotating battery disks, which are located in the micro-cells corresponding to the low-temperature heat absorption tank space. The battery achieves cooling when it is charged / discharged by the charging / discharging device.

6. The method of using a sustainable refrigeration thermal regenerative electrochemical refrigerator according to claim 5, characterized in that: The regenerating zone includes a first regenerating zone extending from the low-temperature heat absorption tank to the upper half of the high-temperature heat release tank, and a second regenerating zone extending from the low-temperature heat absorption tank to the lower half of the high-temperature heat release tank. The device includes a process of heat absorption at the low-temperature end, heating up, heat release at the high-temperature end, and cooling down, wherein: The batteries in the low-temperature heat absorption tank and the high-temperature heat release tank are charged and discharged respectively, while the remaining batteries are in an open circuit state to regenerate heat. After the batteries in the corresponding microcells have finished charging and discharging, the two battery moving disks rotate one microcell clockwise and one counterclockwise respectively through the transmission system, so that the next batch of batteries can enter the low-temperature heat absorption tank and the high-temperature heat release tank for charging and discharging, while the remaining batteries continue to reheat, ultimately achieving continuous cooling output. The batteries that have completed charging and discharging on the two sets of battery disks regenerate heat through lubricated thermally conductive spacers that are about to enter the cooling end and the room temperature end.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Electrochemical Brayton cycle refrigerator / air conditioner

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    CN118423889A