Device and system for heating electrolyte

Abstract

The utility model provides a device and system for heating electrolyte, and the device comprises a heat exchange box which accommodates a heating medium; the heating pipe is arranged in the heat exchange box; the electrolyte conveying pipeline is arranged in the heat exchange box; the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are respectively connected with the electrolyte conveying pipeline, and the electrolyte flows into the electrolyte conveying pipeline through the liquid inlet and flows out through the liquid outlet; and the heating pipe is used for heating the heating medium so as to heat the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte conveying pipeline. The heating medium in the heat exchange box is heated through the heating pipe, then the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte conveying pipeline is heated through the heating medium, and the problems that the local temperature of the electrolyte is too high and the overall temperature of the electrolyte is not uniform due to direct heating of the electrolyte are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of energy storage, and particularly to a device and a system for heating electrolyte solution. Background Art

[0002] A flow battery is a form of energy storage system, suitable for large-scale and long-term energy storage applications. A flow battery is a rechargeable battery in which an electrolyte containing one or more dissolved electroactive substances flows (flows in and out) through an electrochemical reactor that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. An additional electrolyte containing one or more dissolved electroactive substances is stored externally, usually in a tank, and is usually pumped through the electrochemical reactor (or reactors).

[0003] The chemical reaction of the electrolyte solution needs to be carried out at a certain temperature. However, the method of directly heating the electrolyte solution will cause the problem that the local temperature of the electrolyte solution is too high and the overall temperature of the electrolyte solution is uneven. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a device and a system for heating electrolyte solution to solve or address the above problems.

[0005] Based on the above purpose, in the first aspect of this application, a device for heating electrolyte solution is provided, including:

[0006] A heat exchange box that houses a heating medium;

[0007] A heating pipe disposed in the heat exchange box;

[0008] An electrolyte solution delivery pipeline disposed in the heat exchange box;

[0009] An inlet and an outlet, respectively connected to the electrolyte solution delivery pipeline, and the electrolyte solution flows into the electrolyte solution delivery pipeline through the inlet and flows out through the outlet;

[0010] Wherein, the heating pipe is used to heat the heating medium to heat the electrolyte solution flowing into the electrolyte solution delivery pipeline.

[0011] In the second aspect of this application, a system for heating electrolyte solution is provided, including:

[0012] An electrolyte solution reservoir for containing electrolyte solution;

[0013] A first pipeline and a second pipeline disposed in the electrolyte solution reservoir;

[0014] The device as described in the first aspect, respectively connected to the first pipeline and the second pipeline;

[0015] A circulation pump, connected to the device, is used to drive the electrolyte to flow into the device.

[0016] As can be seen from the above, a device and a system for heating an electrolyte provided by the present application heat a heating medium in a heat exchange tank through a heating pipe, and then heat the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte delivery pipeline through the heating medium, avoiding the problems of excessive local temperature and uneven overall temperature of the electrolyte caused by directly heating the electrolyte. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present application or related technologies, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or related technologies. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0018] Figure 1 Shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow battery according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Figure 2 Shows a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary device for heating an electrolyte according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 3 Shows a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary system for heating an electrolyte according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer and more understandable, the following further elaborates on the present application in detail with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0022] It should be noted that unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application should have the ordinary meaning understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs. The "first", "second", and similar terms used in the embodiments of the present application do not represent any order, quantity, or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. The terms such as "including" or "comprising" mean that the elements or objects appearing before this word cover the elements or objects listed after this word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. The terms such as "connected" or "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. are only used to represent relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0023] With the continuous development of new energy technologies, new energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy are being deployed more and more in various places. However, due to the instability of new energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy, the requirements for energy storage systems are becoming increasingly urgent.

[0024] A flow battery is a form of energy storage system suitable for large-scale and long-term energy storage applications. A flow battery is a rechargeable battery in which an electrolyte containing one or more dissolved electroactive substances flows (flows in and out) through an electrochemical reactor that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. An additional electrolyte containing one or more dissolved electroactive substances is stored externally, usually in a tank, and is typically pumped through the electrochemical reactor (or reactors). Thus, a flow battery can have a capacity that varies according to the size of the external storage tank.

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary flow battery 100 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0026] As Figure 1 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 form a cell. It can be understood that the flow battery 100 may include multiple cells, Figure 1 which is only exemplary. The positive electrode side 12 may include a positive electrode chamber 104 that houses a positive electrode electrolyte 18, a positive electrode current collector 106, and a positive electrode electrolyte reservoir 108. Similarly, the negative electrode side 14 may include a negative electrode chamber 110 that houses a negative electrode electrolyte 20, a negative electrode current collector 112, and a negative electrode electrolyte reservoir 114. The separator 102 is disposed between the positive electrode chamber 104 and the negative electrode chamber 110. The separator 102 allows the flow of ions between the electroactive materials in the positive electrode chamber 104 and the negative electrode chamber 110. Thus, the positive electrode chamber 104, the negative electrode chamber 110, the positive electrode current collector 106, the negative electrode current collector 112, and the separator 102 form an electrochemical reactor 16 that converts chemical energy into electrical energy (i.e., the release of electrical energy) or converts electrical energy into chemical energy (i.e., the storage of electrical energy). The electrochemical reactor 16 may also be referred to as an electrostack. Thus, the positive electrode current collector 106 and the negative electrode current collector 112 may be (externally) electrically coupled (together or with other current collectors) to form a circuit.

[0027] The positive electrolyte 18 and the negative electrolyte 20 are usually combined with electrolytes for transporting positive and negative reaction material ions through soluble intermediates respectively. The positive electrolyte 18 and the negative electrolyte 20 can be circulated on the respective sides of the flow battery 100 to drive the reaction in the electrochemical reactor 16. Therefore, the positive electrolyte 18 and the negative electrolyte 20 are movable. For this purpose, the positive side 12 may further include an inlet / outlet pipe 116 that is in fluid communication with the positive electrode chamber 104 and the positive electrolyte reservoir 108, and a circulation pump 118, a heat exchanger 120, and a valve 122 that are each operably arranged with the inlet / outlet pipe 116. The circulation pump 118 can be used to drive the positive electrolyte 18 so that the positive electrolyte 18 circulates through the positive electrode chamber 104, the positive electrolyte reservoir 108, and the inlet / outlet pipe 116. Since the electrochemical reaction can generate heat, the heat exchanger 120 can be used to exchange heat 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 inflow and / or outflow of the positive electrolyte 18 into and out of the positive electrode chamber 104.

[0028] The negative side 14 may include an inlet / outlet pipe 124 that is in fluid communication with the negative electrode chamber 110 and the negative electrolyte reservoir 114, and a circulation pump 126, a heat exchanger 128, and a valve 130 that are each operably arranged with the inlet / outlet pipe 124. The circulation pump 126 can be used to drive the negative electrolyte 20 so that the negative electrolyte 20 circulates through the negative electrode chamber 110, the negative electrolyte reservoir 114, and the inlet / outlet pipe 124. The heat exchanger 128 can be used to exchange heat with the outside of the flow battery 100 to control the temperature of the negative electrolyte 20 within a suitable temperature range. The valve 130 can be used to control the inflow and / or outflow of the negative electrolyte 20 into and out of the negative electrode chamber 110.

[0029] The negative side 14 may include a slurry of zinc oxide and sodium hydroxide mixed in the negative electrolyte reservoir 114 to ensure the maximum dissolution of the active material (zincate) in the solution. This solution can be used as the negative electrolyte 20 of the flow battery 100. During charging, the soluble zincate reacts at the surface of the negative electrode current collector 112, depositing zinc metal on the surface of the negative electrode current collector 112 (adjacent to the negative electrode chamber 110). During discharging, the load reverses the reaction, oxidizing the zinc metal from the surface of the negative electrode current collector 112. The discharge product is usually stored in the negative electrolyte reservoir 114, but it should be managed to ensure that it does not deposit elsewhere in the system. It can be understood that the negative electrolyte is not limited to the above example.

[0030] The flow battery 100 may further include a control unit (not shown in the figure). In some embodiments, the control unit may be a collection of multiple controllers of the flow battery 100. These controllers may be physically distributed at 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 pumps 118 and 126 and the opening degrees of the valves 122 and 130. It can be understood that more or fewer controllers may be set according to actual applications, 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.

[0031] As described above, the positive electrolyte 18 and the negative electrolyte 20 may circulate on the corresponding sides of the flow battery 100 to drive the reaction in the electrochemical reactor 16, converting chemical energy into electrical energy (i.e., release of electrical energy) or converting electrical energy into chemical energy (i.e., storage of electrical energy).

[0032] The chemical reaction of the electrolyte needs to be carried out at a certain temperature. A method for heating the electrolyte may be to directly install heating tubes in the positive electrolyte reservoir 108 and the negative electrolyte reservoir 114. However, due to the existence of a heat gradient in this direct heating method, it is impossible to avoid the problem of excessive local temperature of the electrolyte, resulting in uneven temperature of the electrolyte. At the same time, the temperature of the heating tube is too high, which will damage the electrolyte near the heating tube, and the electrolyte is prone to crystallization. In addition, the electrolyte generally has the characteristics of strong alkalinity and strong corrosiveness. The material of the heating tube is generally the material of ordinary stainless steel tubes, which is difficult to use for a long time for strong alkaline and strongly corrosive electrolytes. If an anti-corrosion material is added to the surface of the heating tube, the heat transfer performance will be greatly reduced, seriously affecting the heating efficiency of the electrolyte.

[0033] In view of this, the present application provides a device and a system for heating an electrolyte. By heating a heating medium in a heat exchange tank through a heating tube, and then heating the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte delivery pipeline through the heating medium, the problems of excessive local temperature of the electrolyte and uneven overall temperature of the electrolyte caused by directly heating the electrolyte are avoided.

[0034] Figure 2 The structural schematic diagram of an exemplary device 200 for heating an electrolyte according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0035] As Figure 2As shown, the device 200 may include a heat exchange tank 202, heating tubes 204, an electrolyte delivery pipeline 206, a liquid inlet 208, and a liquid outlet 210. Among them, the heat exchange tank 202 can accommodate a heating medium. In some embodiments, the heating medium may include pure water and a special heating liquid. The special heating liquid, for example, can be heat-conducting oil, which is used to prevent scale from forming on the outer surface of the heating tubes 204 in contact with the heating medium, affecting the heating efficiency of the heating tubes, and also improving the service life of the heating tubes. At the same time, using a liquid that is not prone to scaling as the heating medium eliminates the need for frequent maintenance of the heating medium and the heating tubes. It should be noted that the heating medium described in this embodiment is only exemplary, and other heating media with the same or similar functions as pure water or the special heating liquid should also be included in the protection scope of this application.

[0036] The heating tubes 204 can be arranged in the heat exchange tank 202 for heating the heating medium accommodated in the heat exchange tank 202. The outer metal surface of the heating tubes 204 is in direct contact with the heating medium, which can keep the heat exchange efficiency between the heating tubes 204 and the heating medium at a relatively high level. In some embodiments, the heating tubes 204 can be communicatively coupled to a temperature control unit 212. The temperature control unit 212 can be used to control the power of the heating tubes 204, and by adjusting the power of the heating tubes 204, the heating temperature of the heating medium in the heat exchange tank 202 can be adjusted, thereby achieving the effect of controllable temperature of the heating medium.

[0037] The electrolyte delivery pipeline 206 can be arranged in the heat exchange tank 202. After the heating tubes 204 heat the heating medium in the heat exchange tank 202, the heat in the heating medium can be transferred to the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte delivery pipeline 206 through the electrolyte delivery pipeline 206, so as to achieve the purpose of heating the electrolyte, avoiding the problems of excessive local temperature of the electrolyte caused by directly heating the electrolyte by the heating tubes, damaging the electrolyte, and uneven overall temperature of the electrolyte. In some embodiments, the electrolyte delivery pipeline 206 is a corrosion-resistant pipeline to be suitable for flowing through strongly corrosive electrolyte. In some embodiments, the electrolyte delivery pipeline 206 can also be arranged in a multi-layer spiral shape to increase the contact area between the electrolyte delivery pipeline 206 and the heating medium and improve the heat exchange efficiency.

[0038] The liquid inlet 208 and the liquid outlet 210 can be respectively connected to the electrolyte delivery pipeline 206. The electrolyte flows into the electrolyte delivery pipeline 206 through the liquid inlet 208 and flows out through the liquid outlet 210 after being heated by the heating medium in the heat exchange tank 202. In some embodiments, the temperature of the heating medium can be higher than the temperature of the electrolyte to achieve the purpose of heating the electrolyte.

[0039] It should be noted that the type of the electrolyte is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For temperature-sensitive electrolytes or various other types of electrolytes, the heating method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be used.

[0040] In some embodiments, the device 200 may further include a temperature detection device, which may include at least one of a first temperature sensing unit 214, a second temperature sensing unit 216, and a third temperature sensing unit 218. The temperature detection device may be communicatively coupled to the temperature control unit and is configured to control the power of the heating tube 204 according to the temperature data provided by at least one of the first temperature sensing unit 214, the second temperature sensing unit 216, or the third temperature sensing unit 218, so as to achieve precise control of the heating temperature of the electrolyte.

[0041] The first temperature sensing unit 214 may be disposed at the liquid inlet 208 for generating first temperature data. The second temperature sensing unit 216 may be disposed at the liquid outlet 210 for generating second temperature data. The third temperature sensing unit 218 may be disposed inside the heat exchange tank 202 for generating third temperature data.

[0042] In some embodiments, a temperature threshold may be set. When the temperature of at least one of the first temperature data, the second temperature data, or the third temperature data is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold, the power of the heating tube 204 is reduced to avoid too high a temperature of the electrolyte. As an alternative embodiment, it may also be set that when the temperature of at least one of the first temperature data, the second temperature data, or the third temperature data is less than the temperature threshold, the power of the heating tube 204 is increased to maintain the temperature of the electrolyte.

[0043] In some embodiments, when the first temperature sensing unit 214, the second temperature sensing unit 216, and the third temperature sensing unit 218 are set simultaneously, the power of the heating tube 204 may be controlled according to the difference between the first temperature data at the liquid inlet 208 and the second temperature data at the liquid outlet 210. For example, the corresponding relationship between the difference and the temperature of the heating medium may be set, and the power of the heating tube 204 is controlled through this corresponding relationship so that the third temperature data reaches the target temperature.

[0044] Figure 3 The structural schematic diagram of an exemplary system 300 for heating an electrolyte according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0045] As Figure 3As shown, the system 300 may include an electrolyte reservoir 302 for containing electrolyte, a first pipeline 304 and a second pipeline 306 disposed within the electrolyte reservoir 302, a device 200, and a circulation pump 308. Among them, the electrolyte reservoir 302 may be a positive electrolyte reservoir and a negative electrolyte reservoir, and this embodiment does not limit this. The device 200 is respectively connected to the first pipeline 304 and the second pipeline 306. The circulation pump 302 may be connected to the device 200 and may be disposed on the first pipeline 304 for driving the electrolyte in the electrolyte reservoir 302 to flow into the device 200.

[0046] The system 300 may further include a control unit (not shown in the figure) for controlling the circulation pump 302 and the device 200 to start simultaneously so that the electrolyte can circulate between the electrolyte reservoir 302 and the device 200. The power of the circulation pump 302 can be controlled according to actual needs, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0047] In some embodiments, the first pipeline 304 may be connected to the liquid inlet 208 of the device 200, and the second pipeline 306 may be connected to the liquid outlet 210 of the device 200. The first pipeline 304 may be disposed at a position close to the bottom of the electrolyte reservoir 302, and the second pipeline 306 may be disposed at a position close to the top of the electrolyte reservoir 302 and below the electrolyte liquid level. Through the above settings, the electrolyte in the electrolyte reservoir 302 can be circulated.

[0048] Since the temperature of the electrolyte near the bottom of the electrolyte reservoir 302 is lower than that of the electrolyte near the top of the electrolyte reservoir 302, therefore, setting the pipeline connected to the liquid inlet 208 at a position close to the bottom of the electrolyte reservoir 302 and setting the pipeline connected to the liquid outlet 210 at a position close to the top of the electrolyte reservoir 302 can further make the electrolyte reach the effect of uniform temperature.

[0049] A device and a system for heating electrolyte provided by the present application heat the heating medium in the heat exchange tank through a heating pipe, and then heat the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte delivery pipeline through the heating medium, avoiding the problems of excessive local temperature of the electrolyte and uneven overall temperature of the electrolyte caused by directly heating the electrolyte.

[0050] Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: the discussion of any above embodiment is only exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of the present application (including the claims) is limited to these examples; under the idea of the present application, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations in different aspects of the embodiments of the present application as described above, and they are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0051] In addition, for simplicity of explanation and discussion, and so as not to make the embodiments of the present application difficult to understand, well-known power / ground connections to integrated circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown in the provided drawings. Further, the devices may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid making the embodiments of the present application difficult to understand, and this also takes into account the fact that details of the implementation of such block diagram devices are highly dependent on the platform on which the embodiments of the present application are to be implemented (i.e., these details should be fully within the understanding of those skilled in the art). In cases where specific details (such as circuits) are set forth to describe exemplary embodiments of the present application, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present application may be practiced without these specific details or with variations of these specific details. Accordingly, these descriptions should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0052] Although the present application has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications, and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (such as dynamic RAM (DRAM)) may be used with the embodiments discussed.

[0053] Embodiments of the present application are intended to cover all such alternatives, 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 principle of the embodiments of the present application shall be included within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A device for heating an electrolyte, characterized in that, Comprising: A heat exchange box that houses a heating medium; A heating pipe disposed within the heat exchange box; An electrolyte delivery pipeline disposed within the heat exchange box; An inlet and an outlet, respectively connected to the electrolyte delivery pipeline, through which the electrolyte flows into the electrolyte delivery pipeline through the inlet and out through the outlet; Wherein, the heating pipe is used to heat the heating medium to heat the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte delivery pipeline.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The device further comprises: A temperature control unit communicatively coupled to the heating pipe for controlling the power of the heating pipe.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein, The device further comprises a temperature detection device, which includes at least one of the following: A first temperature sensing unit disposed at the inlet for generating first temperature data; A second temperature sensing unit disposed at the outlet for generating second temperature data; Or A third temperature sensing unit disposed within the heat exchange box for generating third temperature data, Wherein, the temperature control unit is communicatively coupled to the temperature detection device for controlling the power of the heating pipe according to at least one of the first temperature data, the second temperature data, or the third temperature data.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein The heating medium comprises pure water and heat-conducting oil.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein The electrolyte delivery pipeline is arranged in a multi-layer spiral shape.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein, The electrolyte delivery pipeline is a corrosion-resistant pipeline.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein The temperature of the heating medium is higher than the temperature of the electrolyte.

8. A system for heating an electrolyte, characterized in that, Comprising: An electrolyte reservoir for containing electrolyte; A first pipeline and a second pipeline disposed within the electrolyte reservoir; The device according to any one of claims 1-7, respectively connected to the first pipeline and the second pipeline; A circulation pump connected to the device for driving the electrolyte to flow into the device.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein, The device includes an inlet and an outlet, the first pipeline is connected to the inlet, and the second pipeline is connected to the outlet; Wherein, the first pipeline is disposed at a position close to the bottom of the electrolyte reservoir, and the second pipeline is disposed at a position close to the top of the electrolyte reservoir and below the electrolyte liquid level.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein, The system further comprises a control unit for controlling the circulation pump and the device to start simultaneously.

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