Flow battery container

Abstract

The utility model provides a flow battery container, and relates to the technical field of flow batteries, and the flow battery container comprises a conventional electric pile module which comprises a plurality of conventional electric piles, and the plurality of conventional electric piles are connected with a positive electrode liquid storage tank through a first positive electrode liquid pipeline and connected with a negative electrode liquid storage tank through a first negative electrode liquid pipeline; the plurality of conventional electric piles are respectively provided with a first cascade module, and the plurality of first cascade modules are connected in series and connected in a grid-connected manner to form a conventional electric pile circuit; the auxiliary electric pile module comprises a plurality of auxiliary electric piles, and the auxiliary electric piles are connected with the positive electrode liquid storage tank through a second positive electrode liquid pipeline and connected with the negative electrode liquid storage tank through a second negative electrode liquid pipeline; the plurality of auxiliary electric piles are provided with second cascade modules, and the plurality of second cascade modules are connected in series to form an auxiliary electric pile circuit. It is ensured that the system can still operate stably when one or more galvanic piles break down, and the overall shutdown risk caused by local faults is remarkably reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of flow battery technology, and specifically to a flow battery container. Background Technology

[0002] Flow batteries, with their advantages of energy and power decoupling, scale-adjustable design, high intrinsic safety of water-based electrolytes, and long cycle life, have become an ideal choice for large-scale, long-term energy storage. Furthermore, flow batteries offer advantages such as fast response, rapid charging / discharging state switching, and no phase change, enabling rapid power regulation in a short time. This makes them suitable for various applications, including frequency regulation, ensuring stable grid operation.

[0003] When an electrochemical energy storage power station assists in the frequency regulation of a thermal power unit or participates in grid frequency regulation as an independent power source, the corresponding protection mechanism will be triggered when the state of charge (SOC) of the electrochemical energy storage power station reaches the preset cutoff condition. This will cause the station to lose its dual-level regulation capability, which will limit its ability to execute primary and secondary frequency regulation commands, thereby affecting the frequency regulation benefits of the energy storage power station.

[0004] Existing flow battery container systems mainly consist of series or parallel connections between battery stacks, employing a fixed-capacity electrolyte storage tank design. This results in low reliability, with single-point failures easily leading to system paralysis. Furthermore, electrolyte supply is interrupted when the main tank leaks, making maintenance procedures complex and requiring manual draining and cleaning of residual electrolyte during repairs. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application provides a flow battery container to at least solve the technical problems existing in the related art.

[0006] This application provides a flow battery container, comprising: a conventional battery stack module, including multiple conventional battery stacks, each of which is connected to a positive electrode storage tank via a first positive electrode liquid pipeline and to a negative electrode storage tank via a first negative electrode liquid pipeline; each of the multiple conventional battery stacks is provided with a first cascade module, and the multiple first cascade modules are connected in series and in parallel to form a conventional battery stack circuit; and an auxiliary battery stack module, including multiple auxiliary battery stacks, each of which is connected to a positive electrode storage tank via a second positive electrode liquid pipeline and to a negative electrode storage tank via a second negative electrode liquid pipeline; each of the multiple auxiliary battery stacks is provided with a second cascade module, and the multiple second cascade modules are connected in series to form an auxiliary battery stack circuit.

[0007] As an optional implementation, the auxiliary fuel cell circuit is connected in parallel with the connection line between two of the first cascaded modules, and the connection line is equipped with a first controllable switch.

[0008] As an optional implementation, the two ends of the auxiliary fuel cell circuit connected to the connection line are respectively provided with a second controllable switch and a third controllable switch.

[0009] As an optional implementation, a charge / discharge circuit is also included, which is connected in parallel with the auxiliary fuel cell circuit.

[0010] As an optional implementation, the charging and discharging circuit includes a charging and discharging machine, the positive and negative terminals of which are respectively connected to a fourth controllable switch and a fifth controllable switch.

[0011] As an optional implementation, it also includes a positive electrode auxiliary storage tank and a negative electrode auxiliary storage tank. The plurality of conventional fuel cells are connected to the positive electrode auxiliary storage tank through a third positive electrode liquid line and to the negative electrode auxiliary storage tank through a third negative electrode liquid line. The plurality of auxiliary fuel cells are connected to the positive electrode auxiliary storage tank through a fourth positive electrode liquid line and to the negative electrode auxiliary storage tank through a fourth negative electrode liquid line.

[0012] As an optional implementation, the positive electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank and the negative electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank are connected to the positive electrode liquid storage tank and the negative electrode liquid storage tank respectively through positive electrode connection pipes and negative electrode connection pipes.

[0013] As an optional implementation, the output ends of the positive electrode auxiliary storage tank, the negative electrode auxiliary storage tank, the positive electrode storage tank, and the negative electrode storage tank are all equipped with circulation pumps.

[0014] As an optional implementation, the first positive electrode liquid line and the second positive electrode liquid line, the third positive electrode liquid line and the fourth positive electrode liquid line, the first negative electrode liquid line and the second negative electrode liquid line, and the third negative electrode liquid line and the fourth negative electrode liquid line are all connected in series.

[0015] As an optional implementation, it also includes a plurality of control valves, which are respectively disposed between the first positive liquid line and the second positive liquid line, the third positive liquid line and the fourth positive liquid line, the first negative liquid line and the second negative liquid line, and the third negative liquid line and the fourth negative liquid line.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0017] The system includes a conventional fuel cell stack module and an auxiliary fuel cell stack module. The conventional fuel cell stack module comprises multiple conventional fuel cell stacks, each connected to a positive electrode storage tank via a first positive electrode liquid line and a negative electrode storage tank via a first negative electrode liquid line. Each conventional fuel cell stack is equipped with a first cascade module, which is connected in series and in parallel to form a conventional fuel cell stack circuit. The auxiliary fuel cell stack module comprises multiple auxiliary fuel cell stacks, each connected to a positive electrode storage tank via a second positive electrode liquid line and a negative electrode storage tank via a second negative electrode liquid line. Each auxiliary fuel cell stack is equipped with a second cascade module, which is connected in series to form an auxiliary fuel cell stack circuit. This design ensures that both the auxiliary and conventional fuel cell stacks operate normally in the normal operating mode of the flow battery. The conventional stack is charged / discharged via a first-tier module, while the auxiliary stack is charged / discharged via a second-tier module. If a fuel cell fails in either the conventional or auxiliary stack, the first and / or second-tier modules can bypass the faulty stack and redistribute the voltage across the stacks. This ensures that the total voltage of the flow battery connected to the grid remains constant, allowing all non-faulty stacks to charge or discharge normally. The non-faulty conventional and auxiliary stacks participate in normal operation. Configuring the conventional and auxiliary stack modules, combined with the first and second-tier modules, enables instantaneous bypassing of faulty stacks and normal operation of the flow battery. This design ensures stable system operation even with single or multiple stack failures, significantly reducing the risk of overall downtime due to localized faults. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Fig. 1 This is a schematic diagram of the piping system structure of a flow battery container according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Fig. 2 This is an electrical connection diagram of a flow battery container provided according to an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure Labels

[0023] 1. Conventional fuel cell stack module; 11. Conventional fuel cell stack; 12. First cascade module;

[0024] 2 Auxiliary fuel cell stack module, 21 Auxiliary fuel cell stack, 22 Second cascade module, 23 First controllable switch, 24 Second controllable switch, 25 Third controllable switch, 26 Charger / discharger, 27 Fourth controllable switch, 28 Fifth controllable switch;

[0025] 3 Positive electrode storage tank, 4 Negative electrode storage tank, 5 Positive electrode auxiliary storage tank, 6 Negative electrode auxiliary storage tank; 7 Circulation pump; 8 Control valve. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0028] like Figs. 1-2 As shown, this application provides a flow battery container, including: a conventional battery stack module 1, comprising multiple conventional battery stacks 11, each of which is connected to a positive electrode storage tank 3 via a first positive electrode liquid pipeline and to a negative electrode storage tank 4 via a first negative electrode liquid pipeline; each of the multiple conventional battery stacks 11 is provided with a first cascade module 12, which is connected in series and in parallel to form a conventional battery stack circuit; and an auxiliary battery stack module 2, comprising multiple auxiliary battery stacks 21, each of which is connected to a positive electrode storage tank 3 via a second positive electrode liquid pipeline and to a negative electrode storage tank 4 via a second negative electrode liquid pipeline; each of the multiple auxiliary battery stacks 21 is provided with a second cascade module 22, which is connected in series to form an auxiliary battery stack circuit.

[0029] Specifically, in normal operating mode, both the auxiliary stack 11 and the conventional stack 21 of the flow battery can operate normally. The conventional stack 11 is charged / discharged via the first cascade module 12, and the auxiliary stack 2 is charged / discharged via the second cascade module 22. If a stack in the conventional stack module 1 or the auxiliary stack module 2 fails, the first cascade module 12 and / or the second cascade module 22 can bypass the faulty stack and redistribute the voltage across multiple stacks. This ensures that the flow battery maintains a constant total voltage when connected to the grid, allowing all non-faulty stacks to charge or discharge normally. The non-faulty conventional stack 11 and auxiliary stack 21 participate in normal operation. Configuring the conventional stack module 1 and the auxiliary stack module 2, combined with the first cascade module 12 and the second cascade module 22, enables instantaneous bypassing of faulty stacks and normal operation of the flow battery. This design ensures stable system operation even when one or more stacks fail, significantly reducing the risk of overall downtime due to localized faults.

[0030] Furthermore, it should be noted that this application does not limit the specific number of the conventional fuel cell stack 11 and the auxiliary fuel cell stack 21, and the numbers can be as follows: Figs. 1-2 The setup shown includes 12 conventional fuel cells 11 and 2 auxiliary fuel cells 21. The configuration can be adjusted according to actual conditions (such as container size and other parameters). For example, an equal number of conventional fuel cells 11 and auxiliary fuel cells 21 can be set, or the number of conventional fuel cells 11 can be greater than the number of auxiliary fuel cells 21.

[0031] Meanwhile, the first cascade module 12 and the second cascade module 22 can be either DC / DC cascade modules or AC / DC cascade modules; this application does not limit this. DC / DC cascade modules can be connected to the PCS for grid connection, suitable for efficient energy management on the DC side; AC / DC cascade modules are directly connected to the three-phase AC power grid, simplifying the topology. Users can freely choose the configuration according to the power grid scenario, offering strong compatibility. By increasing or decreasing the number of fuel cells or the capacity of the storage tank (such as through auxiliary storage tank design), the system can quickly expand or adjust its energy storage scale to adapt to the fluctuating demands of new energy power plants.

[0032] As an optional implementation method, such as Fig. 2 As shown, the auxiliary fuel cell stack circuit is connected in parallel with the connection line between two of the first cascaded modules 12, and the connection line is equipped with a first controllable switch 23.

[0033] As an optional implementation, the two ends of the auxiliary fuel cell circuit connected to the connection line are respectively provided with a second controllable switch 24 and a third controllable switch 25.

[0034] like Fig. 2As shown, the flow battery container can include a normal operating mode and a stack failure mode. In both modes, the first controllable switch 23 is open, and the second and third controllable switches 24 and 25 are closed, allowing the auxiliary stack module 2 to participate in charging and discharging normally. The flow battery container can also include a power regulation mode. In this mode, the first controllable switch 23 is closed, and the second and third controllable switches 24 and 25 are open, bypassing the auxiliary stack circuit. Charging and discharging are performed via a charge / discharge machine, enabling the auxiliary stack 21 to charge and discharge to regulate the electrolyte concentration in the positive electrode storage tank 3 and the negative electrode storage tank 4, thereby achieving SOC regulation.

[0035] As an optional implementation, a charge / discharge circuit is also included, which is connected in parallel with the auxiliary fuel cell circuit.

[0036] As an optional implementation, the charging and discharging circuit includes a charging and discharging machine 26, the positive and negative terminals of which are respectively connected to a fourth controllable switch 27 and a fifth controllable switch 28.

[0037] Specifically, when the flow battery container is in power regulation mode and the State of Charge (SOC) is being adjusted, the first controllable switch 23, the fourth controllable switch 27, and the fifth controllable switch 28 are closed, while the second controllable switch 24 and the third controllable switch 25 are open. That is, the auxiliary battery stack 21 is connected to the station power supply via the second cascade module 22 through the charge / discharge machine 26. By controlling the charging and discharging of the auxiliary battery stack 21, the concentration of the electrolyte in the positive and negative electrode storage tanks 4 is adjusted, thereby achieving the effect of regulating the SOC. By controlling the connection between the auxiliary battery stack 21 and the station power supply, the concentration of the positive and negative electrode electrolytes can be adjusted independently, realizing real-time dynamic management of the system's State of Charge (SOC) and avoiding the problem of limited frequency regulation capability caused by the SOC reaching the cutoff condition during frequency regulation.

[0038] Furthermore, the first controllable switch 23, the fourth controllable switch 27, and the fifth controllable switch 28 can be set to open or close synchronously, and the second controllable switch 24 and the third controllable switch 25 can be set to open or close synchronously. When the first controllable switch 23, the fourth controllable switch 27, and the fifth controllable switch 28 are in the open state, the second controllable switch 24 and the third controllable switch 25 are in the closed state, and when the second controllable switch 24 and the third controllable switch 25 are in the open state, the first controllable switch 23, the fourth controllable switch 27, and the fifth controllable switch 28 are in the closed state.

[0039] The above settings ensure the normal operation of the power regulation mode, normal operation mode, and stack failure mode, thus improving the operational stability of the flow battery container.

[0040] As an optional implementation, the system also includes a positive electrode auxiliary storage tank 5 and a negative electrode auxiliary storage tank 6. Multiple conventional fuel cell stacks 11 are connected to the positive electrode auxiliary storage tank 5 via a third positive electrode liquid line and to the negative electrode auxiliary storage tank 6 via a third negative electrode liquid line. Multiple auxiliary fuel cell stacks 21 are connected to the positive electrode auxiliary storage tank 5 via a fourth positive electrode liquid line and to the negative electrode auxiliary storage tank 6 via a fourth negative electrode liquid line. The positive electrode auxiliary storage tank 5 and the negative electrode auxiliary storage tank 6 are connected to the positive electrode storage tank 3 and the negative electrode storage tank 4 via positive and negative electrode connection lines, respectively. A circulation pump 7 is installed at the output end of each of the following fuel cell stacks: positive electrode auxiliary storage tank 5, negative electrode auxiliary storage tank 6, positive electrode storage tank 3, and negative electrode storage tank 4.

[0041] Specifically, a positive electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank 5 and a negative electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank 6 are provided, which are connected to the auxiliary fuel cell stack 21, the conventional fuel cell stack 11, the positive electrode liquid storage tank 3, and the negative electrode liquid storage tank 4. This allows all electrical connection switches to be disconnected and all fuel cell stacks to stop working when the flow battery needs maintenance. Fig. 1 The electrolyte in the auxiliary fuel cell stack 21 and the conventional fuel cell stack 11 is discharged from below into the positive electrode auxiliary storage tank 5 and the negative electrode storage tank 4. The electrolyte in the positive and negative electrode auxiliary storage tank 6 is then transferred to the positive and negative electrode storage tank 4 via the circulation pump 7. After all the electrolyte in the fuel cell stack is drained, maintenance work is carried out.

[0042] During maintenance, the electrolyte is completely drained from the battery stack into the negative electrode auxiliary storage tank 6 and the positive electrode auxiliary storage tank 5, and then transferred to the positive electrode storage tank 3 and the negative electrode storage tank 4. This design avoids the complex process of manually handling residual electrolyte during flow battery maintenance, reduces operational risks, and shortens downtime.

[0043] In addition, a butterfly valve is provided between the output end of the positive electrode storage tank 3 and the negative electrode storage tank 4 and the circulation pump 7, which can further control the management of the liquid.

[0044] As an optional implementation, the first positive electrode liquid line and the second positive electrode liquid line, the third positive electrode liquid line and the fourth positive electrode liquid line, the first negative electrode liquid line and the second negative electrode liquid line, and the third negative electrode liquid line and the fourth negative electrode liquid line are all connected in series. It also includes multiple control valves 8, respectively disposed between the first positive electrode liquid line and the second positive electrode liquid line, the third positive electrode liquid line and the fourth positive electrode liquid line, the first negative electrode liquid line and the second negative electrode liquid line, and the third negative electrode liquid line and the fourth negative electrode liquid line.

[0045] Specifically, multiple pipelines are connected in series, such as Fig. 1As shown, the system can still operate stably, dynamically adjust the power, and mitigate maintenance risks when one or more fuel cells fail, while significantly shortening the length of the liquid pipeline and reducing the space occupied. This can further improve the space utilization of the container, reduce production costs, and enhance the practicality of the flow battery.

[0046] Furthermore, it is understood that the first positive electrode liquid line and the second positive electrode liquid line, the third positive electrode liquid line and the fourth positive electrode liquid line, the first negative electrode liquid line and the second negative electrode liquid line, the third negative electrode liquid line and the fourth negative electrode liquid line can also be connected in parallel, or some can be connected in parallel and some in series.

[0047] In addition, the control valve 8 can be a ball valve. This application does not limit this, and it can be selected according to the actual situation.

[0048] The sequence numbers of the embodiments in this application are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0049] If the integrated units in the above embodiments are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause one or more electronic devices (which may be personal computers, servers, or network devices, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0050] In the above embodiments of this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0051] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed client can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection between units or modules, and may be electrical or other forms.

[0052] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the solution provided in this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0053] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0054] In the above embodiments of this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A flow battery container, characterized in that, include: A conventional fuel cell stack module includes multiple conventional fuel cell stacks, each of which is connected to a positive electrode storage tank via a first positive electrode liquid line and to a negative electrode storage tank via a first negative electrode liquid line; each of the multiple conventional fuel cell stacks is provided with a first cascade module, and the multiple first cascade modules are connected in series and grid to form a conventional fuel cell stack circuit; The auxiliary fuel cell stack module includes multiple auxiliary fuel cells, each of which is connected to a positive electrode storage tank via a second positive electrode liquid line and to a negative electrode storage tank via a second negative electrode liquid line; each of the multiple auxiliary fuel cells is provided with a second cascade module, and the multiple second cascade modules are connected in series to form an auxiliary fuel cell stack circuit.

2. The flow battery container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The auxiliary fuel cell stack circuit is connected in parallel with the connection line between two of the first cascaded modules, and the connection line is equipped with a first controllable switch.

3. The flow battery container as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The auxiliary fuel cell circuit is connected to the connection line at both ends, and a second controllable switch and a third controllable switch are respectively provided.

4. The flow battery container as described in claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a charge / discharge circuit connected in parallel with the auxiliary fuel cell circuit.

5. The flow battery container as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The charging and discharging circuit includes a charging and discharging machine, and the positive and negative terminals of the charging and discharging machine are respectively connected to a fourth controllable switch and a fifth controllable switch.

6. The flow battery container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a positive electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank and a negative electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank. Multiple conventional fuel cells are connected to the positive electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank through a third positive electrode liquid line and to the negative electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank through a third negative electrode liquid line. Multiple auxiliary fuel cells are connected to the positive electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank through a fourth positive electrode liquid line and to the negative electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank through a fourth negative electrode liquid line.

7. The flow battery container as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The positive electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank and the negative electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank are respectively connected to the positive electrode storage tank and the negative electrode storage tank through positive electrode connection pipes and negative electrode connection pipes.

8. The flow battery container as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The output ends of the positive electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank, the negative electrode auxiliary liquid storage tank, the positive electrode liquid storage tank, and the negative electrode liquid storage tank are all equipped with circulation pumps.

9. The flow battery container as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The first positive electrode liquid line and the second positive electrode liquid line, the third positive electrode liquid line and the fourth positive electrode liquid line, the first negative electrode liquid line and the second negative electrode liquid line, and the third negative electrode liquid line and the fourth negative electrode liquid line are all connected in series.

10. The flow battery container as described in claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes multiple control valves, which are respectively disposed between the first positive liquid line and the second positive liquid line, the third positive liquid line and the fourth positive liquid line, the first negative liquid line and the second negative liquid line, and the third negative liquid line and the fourth negative liquid line.

Images