Method and system for controlling flow battery, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for controlling a flow battery, electronic equipment and a storage medium, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining at least one temperature value of at least one temperature sensor, responding to the at least one temperature value meeting a first condition, and opening a circulating pump of the flow battery to drive an electrolyte in a liquid storage tank of the flow battery to circulate; and in response to the condition that at least one temperature value meets a second condition, opening a valve and a circulating pump of the flow battery to drive the electrolyte to circulate between a galvanic pile and a liquid storage tank of the flow battery, thereby optimizing a heating strategy of the flow battery in an electrolyte circulating manner, reducing the temperature gradient of the electrolyte and further prolonging the service life of the electrolyte.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of energy storage technology, and in particular to a method, system, electronic device and storage medium for controlling a liquid flow battery. Background Art

[0002] A flow battery is a rechargeable battery in which an electrolyte containing one or more dissolved electroactive species flows through (in and out of) an electrochemical reactor that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. Additional electrolyte containing one or more dissolved electroactive species is stored externally, usually in tanks, and is typically pumped through the electrochemical reactor (or multiple electrochemical reactors).

[0003] The performance of a flow battery system is easily affected by a variety of parameters, among which temperature is an important parameter. Therefore, the temperature control of the electrolyte is a very important function in a flow battery. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the present application is to provide a method, system, electronic device and storage medium for controlling a liquid flow battery.

[0005] Based on the above purpose, in a first aspect, the present application provides a method for controlling a liquid flow battery, wherein the liquid flow battery comprises a battery stack for generating an electrochemical reaction and a liquid storage tank for containing an electrolyte, wherein a valve and a circulation pump are arranged between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank, and the method comprises:

[0006] Acquire at least one temperature value of at least one temperature sensor, wherein the at least one temperature sensor comprises at least a plurality of stack temperature sensors disposed at a plurality of stack positions of the stack, for acquiring the stack temperature, or a plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors disposed at a plurality of liquid storage tank positions of the liquid storage tank, for acquiring the liquid storage tank temperature;

[0007] In response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a first condition, turning on the circulation pump to drive the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank to circulate;

[0008] In response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a second condition, the valve and the circulation pump are opened to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank.

[0009] In a second aspect of the present application, a liquid flow battery system is provided, comprising a battery stack for generating an electrochemical reaction, a liquid storage tank for containing an electrolyte, and at least one temperature sensor, wherein a valve and a circulation pump are arranged between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank.

[0010] The flow battery system further comprises a control unit configured to:

[0011] Acquire at least one temperature value of at least one temperature sensor, wherein the at least one temperature sensor comprises at least a plurality of stack temperature sensors disposed at a plurality of stack positions of the stack, for acquiring the stack temperature, or a plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors disposed at a plurality of liquid storage tank positions of the liquid storage tank, for acquiring the liquid storage tank temperature;

[0012] In response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a first condition, turning on the circulation pump to drive the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank to circulate;

[0013] In response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a second condition, the valve and the circulation pump are opened to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank.

[0014] In a third aspect of the present application, an electronic device is provided, including:

[0015] a memory storing a set of computer programs; and

[0016] The processor is configured to execute the group of computer programs so that the electronic device implements the method as described in the first aspect.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions are used to enable a computer to execute the method described in the first aspect.

[0018] From the above, it can be seen that the present application provides a method, system, electronic device and storage medium for controlling a liquid flow battery, which obtains at least one temperature value of at least one temperature sensor, and in response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a first condition, opens a circulation pump of the liquid flow battery to drive the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank of the liquid flow battery to circulate; in response to at least one temperature value satisfying a second condition, opens the valve and circulation pump of the liquid flow battery to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank of the liquid flow battery, thereby optimizing the heating strategy of the liquid flow battery by circulating the electrolyte to reduce the temperature gradient of the electrolyte, thereby improving the life of the electrolyte. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present application or related technologies, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or related technical descriptions are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary flow battery according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of an exemplary liquid flow battery according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of an exemplary liquid flow battery according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of an exemplary liquid flow battery according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic flow chart of an exemplary method for controlling a flow battery according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application should be the usual meanings understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present application belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the embodiments of the present application do not represent any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Including" or "comprising" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing in front of the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0028] As mentioned above, the performance of a flow battery system is easily affected by a variety of parameters, among which temperature is an important parameter. Therefore, the temperature control of the electrolyte is a very important function in a flow battery.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary flow battery 100 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0030] like Figure 1As shown, the flow battery 100 may include a positive electrode side 12 and a negative electrode side 14 separated by a separator (e.g., an ion exchange membrane) 102. The separator 102, the positive electrode side 12, and the negative electrode side 14 may constitute a battery cell. It is understood that the flow battery 100 may include multiple battery cells. Figure 1 This is for exemplary purposes only. The positive side 12 may include a positive electrode chamber 104 containing a positive electrolyte 18, a positive current collector 106, and a positive electrolyte reservoir 108. Similarly, the negative side 14 may include a negative electrode chamber 110 containing a negative electrolyte 20, a negative current collector 112, and a negative electrolyte reservoir 114. A diaphragm 102 is disposed between the positive electrode chamber 104 and the negative electrode chamber 110. The diaphragm 102 allows ion flow between the electroactive materials in the positive electrode chamber 104 and the negative electrode chamber 110. Therefore, the positive electrode chamber 104, the negative electrode chamber 110, the positive current collector 106, the negative current collector 112, and the diaphragm 102 form an electrochemical reactor 16, which converts chemical energy into electrical energy (i.e., release of electrical energy) or converts electrical energy into chemical energy (i.e., storage of electrical energy). The electrochemical reactor 16 may also be referred to as a stack. Thus, positive current collector 106 and negative current collector 112 may be (externally) electrically coupled (together or with other current collectors) to form an electrical circuit.

[0031] The positive electrode electrolyte 18 and the negative electrode electrolyte 20 are usually combined with the electrolyte for transporting positive and negative reaction material ions respectively through a soluble intermediate. The positive electrode electrolyte 18 and the negative electrode electrolyte 20 can circulate on the corresponding side of the flow battery 100 to drive the reaction in the electrochemical reactor 16. Therefore, the positive electrode electrolyte 18 and the negative electrode electrolyte 20 are movable. To this end, the positive electrode side 12 can also include an inlet / outlet pipe 116 in fluid communication with the positive electrode chamber 104 and the positive electrode electrolyte reservoir 108, and a circulation pump 118, a heat exchanger 120 and a valve 122 that are each operable with the inlet / outlet pipe 116. The circulation pump 118 can be used to drive the positive electrode electrolyte 18 so that the positive electrode electrolyte 18 circulates through the positive electrode chamber 104, the positive electrode electrolyte reservoir 108 and the inlet / outlet pipe 116. Since the electrochemical reaction can generate heat, the heat exchanger 120 can be used to achieve heat exchange with the outside of the flow battery 100 to control the temperature of the positive electrolyte 18 within a suitable temperature range. The valve 122 can be used to control the positive electrolyte 18 to flow into and / or out of the positive chamber 104.

[0032] The negative electrode side 14 may include an inlet / outlet pipe 124 in fluid communication with the negative electrode chamber 110 and the negative electrode electrolyte reservoir 114, and a circulation pump 126, a heat exchanger 128, and a valve 130 each operably arranged with the inlet / outlet pipe 124. The circulation pump 126 may be used to drive the negative electrode electrolyte 20 so that the negative electrode electrolyte 20 circulates through the negative electrode chamber 110, the negative electrode electrolyte reservoir 114, and the inlet / outlet pipe 124. Since the electrochemical reaction may generate heat, the heat exchanger 128 may be used to achieve heat exchange with the outside of the flow battery 100 to control the temperature of the negative electrode electrolyte 20 within a suitable temperature range. The valve 130 may be used to control the negative electrode electrolyte 20 to flow into and / or out of the negative electrode chamber 110.

[0033] The negative electrode side 14 may include a slurry of zinc oxide and sodium hydroxide mixed in a negative electrolyte reservoir 114 to ensure maximum dissolution of the active material (zincate) in the solution. This solution may be used as the negative electrolyte 20 of the flow battery 100. During charging, the soluble zincate reacts at the surface of the negative current collector 112, depositing zinc metal on the surface of the negative current collector 112 (adjacent to the negative electrode chamber 110). During discharge, the load reverses the reaction, oxidizing the zinc metal from the surface of the negative current collector 112. The discharge product is typically stored in the negative electrolyte reservoir 114, but should be managed to ensure that it is not deposited elsewhere in the system. It will be appreciated that the negative electrolyte is not limited to the above examples.

[0034] The flow battery 100 may also include a control unit (not shown). In some embodiments, the control unit may be a collection of multiple controllers of the flow battery 100. These controllers may be physically distributed in different locations. For example, the control unit may include a single chip microcomputer or a computer that controls the operation or stop of the circulation pump 118 and the circulation pump 126 and the opening of the valve 122 and the valve 130. It is understood that more or fewer controllers may be provided according to the actual application, but these controllers all fall within the scope of the control unit of the present application. The control unit may include a memory for storing computer instructions and at least one processor for executing the computer instructions.

[0035] In the flow battery 100, the temperature control of the electrolyte is a very important function in the flow battery, especially in the stage of heating and keeping the electrolyte warm, it is necessary to avoid the temperature gradient caused by the local heating of the electrolyte, and to ensure that the temperature of the electrolyte in the storage tank and the battery stack is above the minimum temperature required by the electrolyte. The temperature of the electrolyte can be adjusted by mixing the electrolyte, however, uneven mixing will increase the temperature gradient or concentration gradient of the electrolyte, thereby aggravating the degradation of the electrolyte.

[0036] In order to at least solve the above-mentioned problems, the present application provides a method, system, electronic device and storage medium for controlling a liquid flow battery, by obtaining at least one temperature value of at least one temperature sensor, in response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a first condition, turning on the circulation pump of the liquid flow battery to drive the electrolyte in the liquid flow battery storage tank to circulate; in response to at least one temperature value satisfying a second condition, opening the valve and circulation pump of the liquid flow battery to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank of the liquid flow battery, thereby optimizing the heating strategy of the liquid flow battery by circulating the electrolyte, so as to reduce the temperature gradient of the electrolyte and thereby improve the life of the electrolyte.

[0037] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of an exemplary liquid flow battery 200 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the flow battery 200 may include a stack 202 in which an electrochemical reaction occurs and a liquid storage tank 204 containing an electrolyte, and a valve 206 and a circulation pump 208 are provided between the stack 202 and the liquid storage tank 204. Among them, the liquid storage tank 204 may include a positive electrode liquid storage tank 204a and a negative electrode liquid storage tank 204b. The flow battery 200 may also include a heater 222. In some embodiments, the flow battery 200 may include at least one temperature sensor, and at least one temperature sensor includes at least a plurality of stack temperature sensors 210 arranged at multiple stack positions of the stack 202, and the plurality of stack temperature sensors 210 may be used to obtain the stack temperature. At least one temperature sensor also includes at least a plurality of tank temperature sensors 212 arranged at multiple tank positions of the liquid storage tank 204, and the plurality of tank temperature sensors 212 may be used to obtain the tank temperature.

[0039] In some embodiments, at least one temperature value of the at least one temperature sensor may be obtained. When at least one temperature value satisfies the first condition, the circulation pump 208 may be turned on to drive the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank 204 to circulate through the pipes 214 and 216. When at least one temperature value satisfies the second condition, the valve 206 and the circulation pump 208 may be opened to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the stack 202 and the liquid storage tank 204 through the pipes 214, 218 and 220. In this way, the temperature values ​​detected by the multiple liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212 and the multiple stack temperature sensors 210 are used to determine whether to circulate in the liquid storage tank 204 or whether to circulate between the stack 202 and the liquid storage tank 204 to achieve mixed flow of the electrolyte, thereby reducing the temperature gradient of the electrolyte, achieving thermal insulation of the electrolyte, and improving the life of the electrolyte.

[0040] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of an exemplary liquid flow battery 210 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0041] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212 may include a liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212a and a liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212b, and the at least one temperature value may include a plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures (e.g., a temperature value detected by the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212a and a temperature value detected by the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212b). In some embodiments, the first condition for determining whether to start the circulation pump 208 may include that the absolute value of the difference between the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures is greater than or equal to a first threshold. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212a can be set at a position close to the heater 222, and the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212b can be set at a position far away from the heater 222. In some embodiments, it can be set that when the absolute value of the difference between the temperature value detected by the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212a and the temperature value detected by the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212b is greater than 5°C, the circulation pump 208 is turned on. Since the liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212a and 212b are respectively set at positions close to the heater 222 and far away from the heater 222, determining whether to turn on the circulation pump to achieve mixed flow of the electrolyte in the tank by the maximum temperature difference in the liquid storage tank can avoid a large temperature gradient in the tank.

[0042] In some embodiments, it can be set that when the temperature value detected by any of the liquid storage tank temperature sensors in the liquid storage tank 204 is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value (for example, the threshold value can be 43° C.), the circulation pump 208 corresponding to the liquid storage tank 204 can be turned off to stop the circulation of the electrolyte in the tank. For example, when the temperature value detected by the liquid storage tank temperature sensor in the positive electrode liquid storage tank 204a is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold value, the circulation pump connected to the positive electrode liquid storage tank 204a can be turned off to stop the circulation of the electrolyte in the positive electrode liquid storage tank 204a; when the temperature value detected by the liquid storage tank temperature sensor in the negative electrode liquid storage tank 204b is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold value, the circulation pump connected to the negative electrode liquid storage tank 204b can be turned off to stop the circulation of the electrolyte in the negative electrode liquid storage tank 204b.

[0043] like Figure 3As shown, in some embodiments, the plurality of stack temperature sensors 210 may include a stack temperature sensor 210a and a stack temperature sensor 210b. At least one temperature value may include a stack temperature (e.g., a temperature value detected by any of the stack temperature sensors 210a and 210b). The first condition may also be set to a stack temperature that is less than or equal to a second threshold. For example, when the temperature value detected by any of the stack temperature sensors 210a and 210b is less than or equal to 40°C, the circulation pump 208 is turned on. When the temperature value detected by any of the stack temperature sensors is too low, it may be determined that the temperature of the electrolyte in any of the positive and negative electrode storage tanks is too low. At this point, the electrolytes in the positive and negative electrode storage tanks may both be circulated and mixed.

[0044] When the temperatures of the multiple liquid storage tanks detected by the multiple liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212 are too low, the heater 222 may be turned on to heat the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank 204. In some embodiments, the heater 222 may be turned on when the temperatures of the multiple liquid storage tanks detected by the multiple liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212 are less than or equal to a third threshold.

[0045] Since the stack temperature sensor 210 is located at the entrance and exit of the stack, and the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212 is located in the liquid storage tank, the temperature of the electrolyte at the entrance and exit of the stack drops faster, while the temperature of the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank drops slower. Therefore, in some embodiments, the third threshold value can be set to be greater than the second threshold value. In this way, it can be avoided that the circulating pump will not circulate the electrolyte with a lower temperature in the tank after starting, which will not achieve the purpose of keeping the electrolyte warm. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the multiple liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212 may include liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212a and 212b, and the heater 222 may be turned on when the temperature value detected by the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212a is less than or equal to 46°C and the temperature value detected by the liquid storage tank temperature sensor 212b is less than or equal to 46°C. This can prevent the temperature of the electrolyte from being too low. At the same time, in conjunction with the mixed flow strategy in the tank, the problem of the local temperature of the electrolyte being too high when the heater heats the electrolyte can be avoided, thereby making the temperature of the electrolyte uniform. In some embodiments, the heater 222 may be turned off when any temperature value detected by the multiple liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212 is greater than a threshold value (for example, 50°C), thereby avoiding the temperature of the electrolyte being heated too high.

[0046] To further avoid the electrolyte being heated at too high a temperature, in some embodiments, the heater 222 can be set to a variable frequency gear for heating, that is, the heating power of the heater 222 can be changed by the temperature difference. In some embodiments, the correspondence between the target heating temperature of the heater 222 and the difference between the maximum temperature value of the multiple liquid storage tank temperatures and the heating power of the heater 222 can be set. For example, when the difference between the target heating temperature and the maximum temperature value is zero, the corresponding heating power can be zero (i.e., the heater 222 is turned off); when the difference between the target heating temperature and the maximum temperature value is 5, the corresponding heating power can be the maximum power. In this way, by corresponding different power gears of the heater with different temperature differences, the power of the heater can be dynamically adjusted to avoid the electrolyte being heated at too high a temperature.

[0047] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of an exemplary liquid flow battery 220 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0048] like Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the above-mentioned multiple stack positions may include the negative electrode chamber of the stack, and the multiple stack temperature sensors 212 may include a stack temperature sensor 224a and a stack temperature sensor 224b for detecting the temperature of the electrolyte flowing out of the negative electrode chamber of the stack. Multiple stack positions may also include a positive electrode chamber of the stack, and the multiple stack temperature sensors 212 may also include a stack temperature sensor 226a and a stack temperature sensor 226b for detecting the temperature of the electrolyte flowing out of the positive electrode chamber of the stack. At least one temperature value may include the negative electrode chamber temperature (the temperature of the electrolyte flowing out of the negative electrode chamber of the stack). The second condition for opening the valve 206 and the circulation pump 208 to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the stack 202 and the storage tank 204 can be set to the negative electrode chamber temperature is less than or equal to the second threshold. For example, it can be set that when the temperature value detected by any one of the stack temperature sensors 224a and 224b is less than or equal to 40°C, the valve 206 is opened and the circulation pump 208 is turned on at the same time, so as to avoid that when only the valve and the circulation pump on the negative electrode side are opened, the electrolyte only flows on the negative electrode side, resulting in excessive pressure difference between the positive and negative electrodes, thereby damaging the stack. In some embodiments, it can be set that when the temperature value detected by any one of the stack temperature sensors 224a and 224b is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value (for example, 43°C), the valve 206 is closed and the circulation pump 208 is stopped to stop the circulation of the electrolyte between the stack and the liquid storage tank.

[0049] In some embodiments, fault diagnosis thresholds can also be set for both the electrolyte temperature in the storage tank 204 and the temperature of the stack 202. Fault diagnosis can include a first-level shutdown, a second-level power reduction, and a third-level reminder. In some embodiments, overtemperature diagnosis can be set. When at least one temperature value is greater than or equal to the first fault temperature (e.g., 50°C), the flow battery (e.g., flow battery 200, 210, 220) is controlled to send an alarm signal; when at least one temperature value is greater than or equal to the second fault temperature (e.g., 52°C), the flow battery (e.g., flow battery 200, 210, 220) is controlled to reduce power; when at least one temperature value is greater than or equal to the third fault temperature (e.g., 55°C), the flow battery (e.g., flow battery 200, 210, 220) is controlled to shut down.

[0050] In some embodiments, low temperature diagnosis can also be set. When at least one temperature value is less than or equal to a fourth fault temperature (e.g., 42°C), the flow battery (e.g., flow batteries 200, 210, 220) is controlled to send an alarm signal; when at least one temperature value is less than or equal to a fifth fault temperature (e.g., 40°C), the flow battery (e.g., flow batteries 200, 210, 220) is controlled to reduce power; when at least one temperature value is less than or equal to a sixth fault temperature (e.g., 38°C), the flow battery (e.g., flow batteries 200, 210, 220) is controlled to shut down.

[0051] By setting the over-temperature fault diagnosis strategy, the temperature of the flow battery can be further avoided from being too high or too low, thereby improving the life of the flow battery.

[0052] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the conditions for determining whether to start the circulation pump, the conditions for determining whether to start the heater, and the conditions for determining whether to start the valve are independent of each other. That is, the circulation pump, the valve, and the heater must meet their respective start-up conditions before they can operate, which can avoid the problem of the electrolyte in the tank being heated to too high a temperature when the electrolyte in the tank is high and the circulation pump or the valve and the heater are turned on at the same time.

[0053] It should be noted that the method for controlling a liquid flow battery described in any embodiment of the present application can be applied to the shutdown and heat preservation mode of the liquid flow battery, and can also be applied to the charge and discharge working mode of the liquid flow battery. The above judgment conditions for controlling the start of the circulation pump and the judgment conditions for controlling the start of the heater are applicable to the heat preservation of the positive and negative electrolytes of the liquid flow battery, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0054] Figure 51 is a flow chart of an exemplary method 500 for controlling a flow battery according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 500 can be applied to flow batteries 200, 210, 220. The flow battery includes a battery stack (e.g., Figure 2 , 3 , the battery stack 202 in 4) and a storage tank containing an electrolyte (e.g., Figure 2 , 3 , the liquid storage tank 204 in 4), a valve is provided between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank (for example, Figure 2 , 3 , valve 206 in 4) and a circulation pump (e.g., Figure 2 , 3 , the circulation pump 208 in 4), the flow battery may further include a control unit, and the method 500 may be executed by the control unit. Figure 5 As shown, method 500 may include the following steps.

[0055] In step 502, the control unit may obtain at least one temperature sensor (eg, Figure 2 At least one temperature value of a plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212 and a plurality of stack temperature sensors 210) in the stack, wherein the at least one temperature sensor includes at least a plurality of stack temperature sensors (for example, Figure 2 A plurality of stack temperature sensors 210 in the liquid storage tank are used to obtain the stack temperature, or a plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors (for example, Figure 2 Multiple liquid storage tank temperature sensors 212) are used to obtain the liquid storage tank temperature.

[0056] In step 504, in response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a first condition, the control unit may turn on the circulation pump to drive the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank to circulate.

[0057] In some embodiments, the at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors, the at least one temperature value includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures, and the first condition includes: the absolute value of the difference between the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures is greater than or equal to a first threshold value. In this way, determining whether to start the circulation pump to achieve mixed flow of the electrolyte in the tank by the maximum temperature difference in the liquid storage tank can avoid a large temperature gradient in the tank.

[0058] In some embodiments, the at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of stack temperature sensors, the at least one temperature value includes the stack temperature, and the first condition further includes: the stack temperature is less than or equal to the second threshold value. When the temperature value detected by any stack temperature sensor is too low, it can be determined that the temperature of the electrolyte in any of the positive and negative electrode storage tanks is too low. At this time, the electrolytes in the positive and negative electrode storage tanks can both be circulated and mixed.

[0059] In step 506 , in response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a second condition, the control unit may open the valve and the circulation pump to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank.

[0060] In some embodiments, the at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of stack temperature sensors, the plurality of stack positions include the negative electrode chamber of the stack, the at least one temperature value includes the negative electrode chamber temperature, and the second condition includes: the negative electrode chamber temperature is less than or equal to a second threshold value. The valve and the circulation pump are opened simultaneously by judging the second condition to avoid the situation where only the valve and circulation pump on the negative electrode side are opened, and the electrolyte only flows on the negative electrode side, resulting in excessive pressure difference between the positive and negative electrodes, thereby damaging the stack.

[0061] In some embodiments, the at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors, the at least one temperature value includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures, the liquid storage tank includes a heater, and the method further includes: in response to the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures being less than or equal to a third threshold, turning on the heater. This can prevent the electrolyte temperature from being too low. At the same time, in conjunction with the in-tank mixed flow strategy, the problem of the local electrolyte temperature being too high when the heater heats the electrolyte can be avoided, thereby making the electrolyte temperature uniform.

[0062] In some embodiments, the third threshold is greater than the second threshold.

[0063] In some embodiments, the at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors, the at least one temperature value includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures, and the method further includes: determining the heating power of the heater according to the difference between the target heating temperature of the heater and the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures; and operating the heater based on the heating power. In this way, different temperature differences correspond to different heater power levels, and the power of the heater can be dynamically adjusted to avoid overly high temperatures for heating the electrolyte.

[0064] In some embodiments, the at least one temperature sensor includes the multiple stack temperature sensors, the multiple stack positions include the negative electrode chamber of the stack, the at least one temperature value includes the negative electrode chamber temperature, and the method further includes: in response to the negative electrode chamber temperature being greater than or equal to a fourth threshold, stopping the circulation pump to stop the circulation of the electrolyte in the storage tank, or closing the valve and stopping the circulation pump to stop the circulation of the electrolyte between the stack and the storage tank.

[0065] In some embodiments, in response to the at least one temperature value being greater than or equal to the first fault temperature, the flow battery is controlled to send an alarm signal; or in response to the at least one temperature value being greater than or equal to the second fault temperature, the flow battery is controlled to reduce the power of the flow battery; or in response to the at least one temperature value being greater than or equal to the third fault temperature, the flow battery is controlled to shut down. By setting the over-temperature fault diagnosis strategy, the temperature of the flow battery can be further avoided from being too high or too low, thereby increasing the life of the flow battery.

[0066] The present application provides a method, system, electronic device and storage medium for controlling a liquid flow battery. By obtaining at least one temperature value of at least one temperature sensor, in response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a first condition, a circulation pump of the liquid flow battery is turned on to drive the electrolyte in the liquid flow battery storage tank to circulate; in response to at least one temperature value satisfying a second condition, a valve and a circulation pump of the liquid flow battery are opened to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank of the liquid flow battery, thereby optimizing the heating strategy of the liquid flow battery by circulating the electrolyte to reduce the temperature gradient of the electrolyte, thereby improving the life of the electrolyte.

[0067] It should be noted that the method of the embodiment of the present application can be performed by a single device, such as a computer or server. The method of this embodiment can also be applied to a distributed scenario and completed by multiple devices cooperating with each other. In the case of such a distributed scenario, one of the multiple devices can only perform one or more steps in the method of the embodiment of the present application, and the multiple devices will interact with each other to complete the described method.

[0068] It should be noted that the above describes some embodiments of the present application. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims can be performed in an order different from that in the above embodiments and still achieve the desired results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order or continuous order shown to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0069] Figure 6A schematic diagram of an electronic device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The electronic device 600 may include a processor 602 and a memory 604. The memory 604 stores a set of computer instructions. The processor 602 may execute the set of computer instructions to enable the electronic device 600 to perform the method 500. In some embodiments, the electronic device 600 may be part of a control unit.

[0070] Based on the same technical concept, corresponding to the method 500 of any of the above embodiments, the present application also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable the computer to execute the method 500 described in any of the above embodiments.

[0071] The computer-readable medium of this embodiment includes permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media, and information storage can be achieved by any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, read-only compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, tape disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device.

[0072] The computer instructions stored in the storage medium of the above embodiment are used to enable the computer to execute the method 500 described in any of the above embodiments, and have the beneficial effects of the corresponding method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0073] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to imply that the scope of the present application (including the claims) is limited to these examples. In line with the concept of the present application, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments may be combined, the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the embodiments of the present application as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of simplicity.

[0074] In addition, to simplify the description and discussion, and in order not to make the embodiments of the present application difficult to understand, the known power supply / ground connection with the integrated circuit (IC) chip and other components may or may not be shown in the provided drawings. In addition, the device can be shown in the form of a block diagram to avoid making the embodiments of the present application difficult to understand, and this also takes into account the fact that the details of the implementation of these block diagram devices are highly dependent on the platform to be implemented in the embodiments of the present application (that is, these details should be fully within the scope of understanding of those skilled in the art). In the case of elaborating specific details (e.g., circuits) to describe exemplary embodiments of the present application, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented without these specific details or when these specific details are changed. Therefore, these descriptions should be considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0075] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments of the present application, many replacements, modifications and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM)) may use the embodiments discussed.

[0076] The embodiments of the present application are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a liquid flow battery, wherein the liquid flow battery comprises a battery stack for generating an electrochemical reaction and a liquid storage tank for containing an electrolyte, wherein a valve and a circulation pump are arranged between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank, and the method comprises: Acquire at least one temperature value of at least one temperature sensor, wherein the at least one temperature sensor comprises at least a plurality of stack temperature sensors disposed at a plurality of stack positions of the stack, for acquiring the stack temperature, or a plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors disposed at a plurality of liquid storage tank positions of the liquid storage tank, for acquiring the liquid storage tank temperature; In response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a first condition, turning on the circulation pump to drive the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank to circulate; In response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a second condition, the valve and the circulation pump are opened to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors, the at least one temperature value includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures, and the first condition includes: an absolute value of a difference between the plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: The at least one temperature sensor includes the multiple stack temperature sensors, the multiple stack positions include a negative electrode chamber of the stack, the at least one temperature value includes a negative electrode chamber temperature, and the second condition includes: the negative electrode chamber temperature is less than or equal to a second threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of stack temperature sensors, the at least one temperature value includes the stack temperature, and the first condition further includes: the stack temperature is less than or equal to the second threshold.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein: The at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors, the at least one temperature value includes a plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures, the liquid storage tank includes a heater, and the method further includes: In response to the plurality of fluid storage tank temperatures being less than or equal to a third threshold, the heater is turned on.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein: The third threshold is greater than the second threshold.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein: The at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors, the at least one temperature value includes a plurality of liquid storage tank temperatures, and the method further includes: determining a heating power of the heater according to a difference between a target heating temperature of the heater and a plurality of temperatures of the liquid storage tanks; The heater is operated based on the heating power.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: The at least one temperature sensor includes the plurality of stack temperature sensors, the plurality of stack positions include a cathode chamber of the stack, the at least one temperature value includes a cathode chamber temperature, and the method further includes: In response to the negative electrode chamber temperature being greater than or equal to a fourth threshold, the circulation pump is stopped to stop the circulation of the electrolyte in the storage tank, or the valve is closed and the circulation pump is stopped to stop the circulation of the electrolyte between the battery stack and the storage tank.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: In response to the at least one temperature value being greater than or equal to a first fault temperature, controlling the flow battery to send an alarm signal; or In response to the at least one temperature value being greater than or equal to a second fault temperature, controlling the flow battery to reduce power of the flow battery; or In response to the at least one temperature value being greater than or equal to a third fault temperature, the flow battery is controlled to shut down.

10. A liquid flow battery system, comprising a battery stack for electrochemical reaction, a liquid storage tank for containing electrolyte, and at least one temperature sensor, wherein a valve and a circulation pump are arranged between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank. The flow battery system further comprises a control unit configured to: Acquire at least one temperature value of at least one temperature sensor, wherein the at least one temperature sensor comprises at least a plurality of stack temperature sensors disposed at a plurality of stack positions of the stack, for acquiring the stack temperature, or a plurality of liquid storage tank temperature sensors disposed at a plurality of liquid storage tank positions of the liquid storage tank, for acquiring the liquid storage tank temperature; In response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a first condition, turning on the circulation pump to drive the electrolyte in the liquid storage tank to circulate; In response to the at least one temperature value satisfying a second condition, the valve and the circulation pump are opened to drive the electrolyte to circulate between the battery stack and the liquid storage tank.

11. An electronic device, comprising: a memory storing a set of computer programs; as well as A processor is configured to execute the group of computer programs so that the electronic device implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, wherein: The computer instructions are used to enable a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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