Apparatus for removing contaminants in electrolyte and electrolyte storage system including the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte and an electrolyte storage system including the same. More specifically, the invention relates to a device for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte and an electrolyte storage system including the same, which is composed of a magnetic member, a pipe, and a U-shaped housing and can effectively remove foreign matter from an electrolyte flowing into an electrolyte auxiliary tank.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte and an electrolyte storage system including the same. More specifically, the invention relates to a device for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte and an electrolyte storage system including the same, which is composed of a magnetic member, a pipe, and a U-shaped housing and can effectively remove foreign matter from an electrolyte flowing into an electrolyte auxiliary tank. Background Technology

[0003] During the secondary battery assembly process, after inserting the cell into the CAN or pouch, the electrolyte is injected. In relation to this process, an auxiliary tank for controlling the injection amount and managing the electrolyte is located between the electrolyte tank and the injection device.

[0004] Such electrolytes are polar solvents capable of effectively dissolving and dissociating electrolyte salts, while simultaneously being aprotic solvents that do not possess active hydrogen. Electrolyte salts are cationic salts that generally contain metal cations; however, metal cations may precipitate during the storage of the electrolyte, forming metallic impurities.

[0005] When an electrolyte containing metallic foreign substances is injected, problems such as reduced battery performance—including a drop in voltage and deterioration of lifespan characteristics—occur. Therefore, there is a need for technology that can improve battery performance by removing foreign substances from the electrolyte.

[0006] A conventional electrolyte storage system is as follows. Referring to FIG. 1, to prevent foreign substances that may occur during the electrolyte manufacturing and handling process from being mixed into the cell through the electrolyte tank (1), electrolyte auxiliary tank (2), and injection device (3), a rod magnet (M) is installed on the lower part of the top plate of the electrolyte auxiliary tank (2) to remove metallic foreign substances. At this time, the rod magnet (M) is manufactured to maximize magnetic force by arranging magnets of a certain length at regular intervals with the same polarity facing each other inside a rod-shaped case.

[0007] However, in this type of structure, as shown in Fig. 2, while the surface magnetic force is high, the strength of the magnetic field decreases rapidly as the distance from the surface increases, so a problem arises in that it is difficult to remove metallic foreign matter that is separated by more than a certain distance.

[0008] In addition, there was a problem in that it was difficult to improve the metallic foreign matter removal effect of the rod magnet (M) because the flow of the electrolyte in the electrolyte auxiliary tank (2) was almost non-existent or intermittent, and there was a problem in that the entire top plate had to be removed for maintenance (e.g., collecting captured metallic foreign matter, cleaning, etc.) of the rod magnet (M) fixed to the lower part of the top plate. Prior art literature

[0010] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0084254 The problem to be solved

[0011] The present invention has been devised to solve the aforementioned problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide an electrolyte foreign matter removal device capable of effectively removing metallic foreign matter from an electrolyte flowing into an electrolyte auxiliary tank, and an electrolyte storage system including the same.

[0012] In particular, the objective of the present invention is to provide a device for removing foreign matter in an electrolyte that can efficiently remove metallic foreign matter by inducing the flow of the electrolyte near the surface of a magnetic member.

[0013] Additionally, the objective of the present invention is to provide a device for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte, wherein a pipe into which a magnetic member is inserted is configured to be detachable from a housing, thereby simplifying the removal and cleaning of captured metallic foreign matter.

[0014] The objective of the present invention is to provide a device for removing foreign substances from an electrolyte that can not only utilize space more efficiently but also increase the electrolyte residence time and improve the efficiency of removing metallic foreign substances by introducing a U-shaped housing, positioning the electrolyte inlet on the upper side of the first housing of the U-shaped housing, and positioning the electrolyte outlet on the upper side of the second housing of the U-shaped housing.

[0015] In addition, the objective of the present invention is to provide a device for removing foreign substances in an electrolyte that can effectively remove non-magnetic foreign substances by adding a mesh member to one or more of the first housing and the second housing.

[0016] In addition, the objective of the present invention is to provide a device for removing foreign substances from an electrolyte that can effectively drain residual electrolyte during maintenance by providing a drain valve between a first housing and a second housing. means of solving the problem

[0018] A device for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte according to the present invention comprises: a magnetic member; a pipe into which the magnetic member can be inserted; and a U-shaped housing to which the pipe is coupled, comprising an electrolyte inlet and an electrolyte outlet; wherein metallic foreign matter in the electrolyte introduced into the U-shaped housing can be attached to the pipe.

[0019] Preferably, the U-shaped housing includes a first housing and a second housing, and the electrolyte inlet may be located above the first housing, and the electrolyte outlet may be located above the second housing.

[0020] Preferably, the U-shaped housing includes a first housing and a second housing, and a drain valve may be provided between the first housing and the second housing.

[0021] Preferably, the U-shaped housing includes a first housing and a second housing, wherein a first pipe with a first magnetic member inserted therein is coupled to the first housing, and a second pipe with a second magnetic member inserted therein is coupled to the second housing.

[0022] Preferably, the magnet member may be either a bar magnet or a rod magnet.

[0023] Preferably, the pipe can be configured to correspond to the shape of the magnet member.

[0024] Preferably, in claim 1, the U-shaped housing may be configured such that the pipe is located inside and is spaced 0.8 mn to 1.3 mm apart from the magnetic member.

[0025] Preferably, the U-shaped housing comprises a first housing and a second housing, and at least one of the first housing and the second housing further comprises a mesh member, and foreign matter in the electrolyte can be removed by being filtered by the mesh member before it flows out to the electrolyte outlet.

[0026] In addition, the electrolyte storage system according to the present invention includes the above-described device for removing foreign matter from the electrolyte; and an electrolyte auxiliary tank for receiving the electrolyte; wherein the device for removing foreign matter from the electrolyte may be located upstream of the electrolyte auxiliary tank.

[0027] Preferably, a magnetic member is located on the lower side of the electrolyte auxiliary tank, and the magnetic member may be either a bar magnet or a rod magnet. Effects of the invention

[0029] According to the present invention, metallic foreign matter within the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte auxiliary tank can be effectively removed. In particular, the effect of removing metallic foreign matter can be enhanced by inducing the flow of the electrolyte near the surface of the magnetic member.

[0030] In addition, according to the present invention, a pipe with a magnetic member inserted therein is configured to be detachable from a housing, thereby simplifying the removal of captured metallic foreign matter and cleaning of the pipe, etc., and improving maintenance convenience.

[0031] According to the present invention, by positioning the electrolyte inlet on the upper side of the first housing of the U-shaped housing and the electrolyte outlet on the upper side of the second housing of the U-shaped housing, not only can space be used more efficiently, but the electrolyte residence time can also be increased to improve the efficiency of removing metallic foreign matter.

[0032] In addition, by adding a mesh member to one or more of the first housing and the second housing, non-magnetic foreign matter can also be effectively removed.

[0033] Furthermore, by providing a drain valve between the first housing and the second housing, the residual electrolyte can be effectively drained during maintenance of the foreign matter removal device in the electrolyte, thereby improving the convenience of maintenance. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0035] Figure 1 shows a conventional electrolyte storage system. Figure 2 is a simulation of the magnetic field analysis results of a conventional electrolyte storage system. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a device (100) for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating some components of a device (100) for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 shows the calculation results for magnetic force and drag force according to distance from the bar magnet. FIG. 6 is a side view of an electrolyte storage system (200) according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a rear view of an electrolyte storage system (200) according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0036] The detailed description of the present invention is intended to fully explain the invention to those skilled in the art. Throughout the specification, when a part is described as “comprising” a certain component or “featuring” a certain structure and shape, this does not mean that other components are excluded or other structures and shapes are excluded unless specifically stated otherwise, but rather that other components, structures, and shapes may be included.

[0037] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are presented and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the scope of the invention by the embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a device (100) for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating some components of a device (100) for removing foreign matter from an electrolyte according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the foreign matter removal device (100) in the electrolyte may include a magnetic member (10a, 10b), a pipe (20a, 20b), a U-shaped housing (30), and a mesh member (40).

[0042] The magnetic members (10a, 10b) perform the function of attracting metallic foreign matter in the electrolyte by magnetic force. To this end, the magnetic members (10a, 10b) may be either bar magnets or rod magnets.

[0043] Preferably, the magnetic members (10a, 10b) may be rod magnets, and may be in the form of NdFdB series magnets arranged at regular intervals with the same polarity facing each other. In particular, in the case of such rod magnets, referring to FIG. 5, through the balance of magnetic force and drag force, it is possible to attach foreign matter within approximately 13 mm when assuming a spherical foreign matter with a radius of approximately 10 μm.

[0044] However, it should be noted that the design of these magnetic members (10a, 10b) can be changed depending on the type of foreign matter, the physical properties of the electrolyte, operating conditions, etc., and that the type is not limited as long as metallic foreign matter can be attracted by magnetic force.

[0046] The pipe (20a, 20b) allows metallic foreign matter in the electrolyte to be attached to the surface of the pipe (20a, 20b) by the magnetic member (10a, 10b). To this end, the pipe (20a, 20b) is configured to correspond to the shape of the magnetic member (10a, 10b) so that the magnetic member (10a, 10b) can be inserted and positioned inside it. If the magnetic member (10a, 10b) is a rod magnet, the pipe (20a, 20b) may be in the shape of a cylindrical cylinder.

[0047] It should be noted that these pipes (20a, 20b) can be made of plastic or other materials that do not interfere with the magnetic force of the magnetic members (10a, 10b), and that the materials are not limited.

[0049] The U-shaped housing (30) provides a space through which the electrolyte can flow before the electrolyte is introduced into the electrolyte auxiliary tank. To this end, the housing (30) may include an electrolyte inlet (31) through which the electrolyte is introduced from an electrolyte tank (not shown) and an electrolyte outlet (32) through which the electrolyte is discharged into the electrolyte auxiliary tank.

[0050] Such a U-shaped housing (30) may include a first housing (30a) and a second housing (30b). The U-shaped housing (30) may be provided as a pair of the first housing (30a) and the second housing (30b), or as a single unit. It should be noted that the form shown in the drawings is an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0051] The electrolyte inlet (31) may be located on the upper side of the first housing (30a), and the electrolyte outlet (32) may be located on the upper side of the second housing (30b). With this configuration, not only can space be used more efficiently, but the electrolyte residence time can also be increased to improve the efficiency of removing metallic foreign matter.

[0052] Meanwhile, the first pipe (20a) is coupled to the first housing (30a) with the first magnetic member (10a), and the second pipe (20b) with the second magnetic member (10b) inserted is coupled to the second housing (30b).

[0053] At this time, an O-ring (33) may be added to increase the bonding strength between the pipes (20a, 20b) and the U-shaped housing (30), and such an O-ring (33) may be appropriately selected and used as a known component depending on the physical properties of the electrolyte. Also, it should be noted that although the connection between the pipes (20a, 20b) and the housing (30) is designed as a flange type, it can be designed in various types, such as a clamp connection, depending on convenience.

[0054] It is sufficient for the U-shaped housing (30) to have a pipe (20a, 20b) located inside it and for the electrolyte to flow smoothly, and its shape is not particularly limited. However, it is preferable that the U-shaped housing (30) and the magnetic members (10a, 10b) be spaced apart from each other by about 7 mm to 13 mm, and more preferable that they be spaced apart by about 10 mm. This is because if the distance is smaller than 7 mm, it may be difficult for the electrolyte to flow smoothly, and if it is larger than 13 mm, it may be difficult to attract metallic foreign matter with a radius of 10 μm. Meanwhile, it should be noted that this distance may be changed depending on the properties of the foreign matter, size, properties of the electrolyte, and operating conditions.

[0056] Additionally, a drain valve (34) may be provided between the first housing (30a) and the second housing (30b). By including such a drain valve (34), the residual electrolyte can be effectively drained during maintenance of the foreign matter removal device (100) in the electrolyte, thereby improving the convenience of maintenance.

[0058] The mesh member (40) may be provided in one or more of the first housing (30a) and the second housing (30b), and performs the function of removing foreign matter in the electrolyte by filtering it through the mesh member (40) before the foreign matter in the electrolyte flows out to the electrolyte outlet (32).

[0059] It should be noted that these mesh members (40) are in the form of a mesh net and can be of a suitable size depending on the size or type of foreign matter present in the electrolyte.

[0061] Due to this configuration, the foreign matter removal device (100) in the electrolyte according to one embodiment of the present invention allows metallic foreign matter in the electrolyte that has flowed from the electrolyte tank into the U-shaped housing (30) to be attached to the surface of the pipe (20a, 20b) by the magnetic force of the magnetic member (10a, 10b) located in the pipe (20a, 20b), thereby enabling the electrolyte to be discharged to the electrolyte auxiliary tank with the metallic foreign matter removed. In addition, other foreign matter other than metallic foreign matter can also be removed due to the mesh member (40).

[0063] FIG. 6 is a side view of an electrolyte storage system (200) according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a rear view of an electrolyte storage system (200) according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the electrolyte storage system (200) may include a foreign matter removal device (100) in the electrolyte and an electrolyte auxiliary tank (110).

[0064] The foreign matter removal device (100) in the electrolyte is configured as described above and is positioned at the front of the electrolyte auxiliary tank (110), thereby enabling effective removal of foreign matter present in the electrolyte flowing into the electrolyte auxiliary tank (110).

[0065] Meanwhile, a separate magnetic member (130) may be added to the lower side of the electrolyte auxiliary tank (110). This magnetic member (130) may be either a bar magnet or a rod magnet, and may perform the role of removing metallic foreign matter in an auxiliary manner. In particular, it is preferable that the separate magnetic member (130) be installed close to the bottom discharge port of the electrolyte auxiliary tank (110). This is because the efficiency of removing metallic foreign matter contained in the electrolyte is increased as the electrolyte passes near the magnetic member (130) when it is discharged to the outside.

[0067] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments above, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0069] 10a, 10b: Magnetic member 20a, 20b: Pipe 30 : Housing 30a: 1st housing 30b: 2nd housing 31: Electrolyte inlet 32: Electrolyte outlet 33 : O-ring 34: Drain valve 40 : Mesh member 100: Device for removing foreign substances from electrolyte 200 : Electrolyte storage system

Claims

Claim 1 An electrolyte storage system comprising: a magnetic member; a pipe into which the magnetic member can be inserted; and a U-shaped housing including a first housing and a second housing to which the pipe is coupled, and including an electrolyte inlet located above the first housing and an electrolyte outlet located above the second housing; wherein a drain valve is provided between the first housing and the second housing, and metallic foreign matter in the electrolyte introduced into the U-shaped housing is removed by attaching to the pipe; and an electrolyte auxiliary tank for containing the electrolyte; wherein the electrolyte foreign matter removal device is located upstream of the electrolyte auxiliary tank and the magnetic member is located downstream of the electrolyte auxiliary tank. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 An electrolyte storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that a first pipe with a first magnetic member inserted therein is coupled to the first housing, and a second pipe with a second magnetic member inserted therein is coupled to the second housing. Claim 5 An electrolyte storage system according to claim 1, wherein the magnet member is one of a bar magnet and a rod magnet. Claim 6 An electrolyte storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the pipe is configured to correspond to the shape of the magnet member. Claim 7 An electrolyte storage system according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped housing is configured such that the pipe is located inside and is spaced 0.8 mn to 1.3 mm apart from the magnetic member. Claim 8 An electrolyte storage system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first housing and the second housing further includes a mesh member, and the foreign matter in the electrolyte is removed by being filtered by the mesh member before the foreign matter in the electrolyte is discharged to the electrolyte outlet. Claim 9 delete Claim 10 delete

Images