Electrolyte-circulation type battery discharging system

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrolyte-circulation type battery discharging system capable of safely and rapidly discharging residual power of a high voltage battery in a process for regeneration or disposal of the battery, thereby preventing an accident which may be caused by current or power. The battery discharging system according to the present invention, comprises: an electrolytic cell having an electrode unit including a positive electrode and a negative electrode and electrically connected to electrodes of a battery, the electrolytic cell having a first supply port formed at one side thereof for receiving an electrolyte and a first discharge port formed at the other side thereof for discharging the electrolyte, and being configured to induce an electrochemical reaction between the electrode unit and the electrolyte flowing therethrough; a storage tank in which the electrolyte is accommodated; and a main circulation pipe and a main circulation pump for circulating the electrolyte accommodated in the storage tank to the electrolytic cell.

Description

Battery discharge system using electrolyte circulation method

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery discharge system, and more particularly, to a battery discharge system using an electrolyte circulation method that can safely and quickly discharge the residual power of a high-voltage battery in a process for regeneration or disposal of a battery, thereby preventing accidents caused by current power.

[0002] Typically, HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) and EVs (Electric Vehicles) are equipped with high-voltage batteries. These high-voltage batteries must be discharged beforehand, whether the vehicle has reached the end of its life, must be scrapped due to an accident, or must be recycled.

[0003] Conventional electric vehicle batteries have been discharged using the saltwater immersion method, which involves immersing the batteries in a saltwater discharge tank for a certain period of time before disposal. Discharging batteries using this method requires disassembling them into individual units—battery packs, modules, and cells—and immersing them in saltwater. Disassembling individual units before the batteries are fully discharged poses safety risks such as electric shock, fire, and explosion. Furthermore, the prolonged saltwater immersion not only requires a significant amount of time for discharging, but also requires additional processes like drying the saltwater, generating wastewater that can contribute to environmental problems.

[0004] In addition, because the structure of the tank used in the brine storage method is often not equipped with a treatment device for the harmful gases generated during discharge, the working environment is easily exposed to harmful gases or they are easily released into the atmosphere without permission.

[0005] Additionally, because the battery voltage cannot be measured during brine discharge, the end point of discharge cannot be determined, and workers had to spend considerable time submerging the battery in brine to ensure stable discharge.

[0006] To address the shortcomings of this brine storage method, some electrical dischargers are used, which convert the battery's electrical energy into thermal energy through resistance. This method converts electrical energy into thermal energy, which is then released into the atmosphere by a heating element and cooling fan. Because the discharge rate must be designed to match the capacity of the heating element, the electrical circuitry is complex and incompatible with a wide range of battery specifications.

[0007] The present invention has been conceived in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery discharge system that increases the discharge efficiency of a waste battery by maintaining the concentration of an electrolyte at a constant level.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery discharge system capable of discharging a plurality of waste batteries by connecting them in series or parallel without separating them.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery discharge system capable of determining the remaining discharge time of a waste battery through the characteristics of a circulating electrolyte.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery discharge system capable of stably capturing gases and the like contained in an electrolyte circulating through a circulation pipe.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery discharge system capable of rapid discharge of the battery through individually branched circulation pipes.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery discharge system capable of checking for electrolyte leakage and recovering the leaked electrolyte.

[0013] According to the features for achieving the above-mentioned purpose, the battery discharge system comprises: an electrode part electrically connected to the electrode of the battery, which is composed of a positive electrode and a negative electrode; an electrolytic cell having a first supply port through which an electrolyte is introduced at the bottom and a first discharge port through which an electrolyte is discharged at the top, thereby inducing an electrochemical reaction between the electrode part and the electrolyte penetrating the inside; a storage tank in which the electrolyte is received; and a main circulation pipe and a main circulation pump for circulating the electrolyte received in the storage tank to the electrolytic cell.

[0014] And it may further include a gas separation unit that separates the gas generated in the electrolytic cell and releases it into the atmosphere.

[0015] In addition, the monitoring control unit may further include a switching unit that selectively conducts and cuts off current between the electrodes of the battery and the electrode unit, a power measuring unit that measures the remaining power of the battery connected to the electrode unit, a concentration measuring unit that measures the concentration of the electrolyte, and a temperature measuring unit that measures the temperature of the electrolyte.

[0016] And the storage tank may further include a second supply port and a second discharge port for external circulation of the received electrolyte, a cooler for cooling the electrolyte, and an auxiliary circulation pipe and an auxiliary circulation pump for circulating the electrolyte received in the storage tank to the cooler.

[0017] In addition, the monitoring control unit may further include a leak detection unit formed at the lower side of the electrolytic cell to detect leakage of the electrolyte, and the monitoring control unit may further include an alarm unit that generates an alarm signal according to the detection result of the leak detection unit.

[0018] In addition, the electrolytic cell may be formed of a body having a first supply port formed at the bottom and a first discharge port formed at the top, an electrode portion formed through the body and having a detachable fastening portion formed on the outside for a cable connected to an electrode of the battery, and a protective member coupled to the outside of the body to prevent external contact of the fastening portion.

[0019] According to the battery discharge system according to the present invention, the concentration of the electrolyte can be controlled while continuously circulating it through a circulation pipe, so there is an advantage in that the concentration of the electrolyte can be maintained constant, thereby increasing the discharge efficiency of a used battery.

[0020] In addition, according to the present invention, since it is based on an electrochemical reaction, not only is there no need for an electric circuit to diagnose the state of the battery during the discharge preparation process, but multiple batteries can be connected in series or parallel to discharge without separating the used batteries, and since the allowable current density and allowable overvoltage range of the electrodes are very wide, there is an effect of conveniently and stably performing a discharge operation on a large number of batteries simultaneously regardless of the state, capacity, or volume of the batteries.

[0021] And according to the present invention, since the remaining discharge time for the waste battery can be determined by measuring the characteristics of the circulating electrolyte or the remaining power of the battery, there is an advantage in that it is easy to establish a work plan.

[0022] In addition, according to the present invention, since gas, etc. contained in the electrolyte circulating through the circulation pipe can be stably captured, not only can environmental pollution be reduced by preventing random discharge of gas, etc., but also exhaust gas, etc. can be captured and utilized as a resource.

[0023] And according to the present invention, since rapid discharge of electrolyte is possible through individually branched circulation pipes, rapid power cut-off is possible, and thus, there is an advantage in that rapid response is possible to various field situations that may occur during the discharge process.

[0024] In addition, according to the present invention, since leakage of electrolyte can be confirmed and the leaked electrolyte can be recovered, there is an advantage in that electric shock, burns, fire, pollution of the surrounding environment and water quality due to leakage of electrolyte can be prevented, and waste of electrolyte can be prevented.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a battery discharge system of an electrolyte circulation method according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electrolytic cell according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolytic cell shown in Figure 2;

[0028] Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating a capturing unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0030] First, a battery discharge system using an electrolyte circulation method according to the present invention will be described.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a battery discharge system of an electrolyte circulation method according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an electrolytic cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electrolytic cell shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a collection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The battery discharge system according to the present invention is an electrochemical discharge device, and since electric energy is used for electrolysis of an electrolyte and converted into oxidation-reduction energy, the burden of waste heat treatment is small, and since it is structurally simple, discharge capacity change, equipment operation, and maintenance are very easy.

[0033] And in the present invention, depending on the type of electrolyte used, it can be implemented as brine electrolysis, alkaline water electrolysis, and water electrolysis that electrolyzes pure water itself without adding any other electrolyte.

[0034] Although brine electrolysis and water electrolysis have something in common in that they both consume electrical energy as electrochemical oxidation-reduction reaction energy, the characteristics of the devices differ due to differences in electrolytes.

[0035] In other words, in the case of brine electrolysis, it is crucial to design auxiliary equipment to handle the byproducts generated as chlorine is reduced in the brine. On the other hand, water electrolysis devices do not produce hazardous byproducts, so no separate equipment is required for byproduct handling. This allows for a simpler equipment design.

[0036] A battery discharge system having these characteristics, as shown, largely includes an electrolytic cell (10), a storage tank (20), a main circulation pipe (30), a main circulation pump (31), and a gas separation unit (40).

[0037] The electrolytic cell (10) according to the present invention has a structure in which an electrolyte is supplied to one side, fills the inside, and is discharged to the outside, and the power of the battery is discharged through an electrochemical reaction by the electrodes with respect to the electrolyte that flows in this way. To be described in more detail, the electrolytic cell (10) is composed of an electrode part (11) composed of an anode and a cathode and electrically connected to the electrodes of the battery, and a body (12) in which a first supply port (12a) for receiving the electrolyte is formed on one side and a first discharge port (12b) for discharging the electrolyte on the other side is formed, thereby inducing an electrochemical reaction between the electrode part (11) and the electrolyte penetrating the inside.

[0038] At this time, a connecting portion (11a) is formed in the electrode portion (11) to allow a cable (C) to be detachably connected to the electrode of the battery while penetrating the body (12) and externally connected. In addition, a protective member (13) may be mounted on the connecting portion (11a) to the outside of the body (12) to prevent external contact. This protective member (13) is made of a transparent case so that the state in which the cable (C) extended from the battery is connected to the connecting portion (11a) can be confirmed.

[0039] Such an electrolytic cell (10) may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, as illustrated in FIG. 2, and may have a first supply port (12a) formed at the bottom through which an electrolyte is introduced, and a first discharge port (12b) formed at the top through which an electrolyte is discharged, as illustrated in FIG. 3. In addition, an electrode portion (11) is formed on the side of the electrolytic cell (10) in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are arranged facing each other, and a used battery is electrically connected to the electrode portion (11).

[0040] Such an electrolytic cell (10) may be provided only in one case, but multiple electrolytic cells (10) may be arranged in series or in parallel. In addition, the electrode accommodated in the electrolytic cell (10) may be a unipolar type consisting of one anode and one cathode, or may be configured as a bipolar type with multiple electrodes, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0041] The storage tank (20) is configured to accommodate the electrolyte. The storage tank (20) may be connected to a main circulation pipe (30), which is a passage for allowing the injection and discharge of the electrolyte and supplying the stored electrolyte to the electrolytic tank (10), and an auxiliary circulation pipe (80) that can supply and discharge the electrolyte to a cooler (70) capable of cooling the electrolyte. In this case, if a cooler (70) is attached to the storage tank (20) to control the temperature of the electrolyte, the auxiliary circulation pipe (80) and the auxiliary circulation pump (81) may be omitted.

[0042] The main circulation pipe (30) and the main circulation pump (31) are configured to circulate the electrolyte between the storage tank (20) and the electrolytic tank (10). The main circulation pipe (30) is connected from the bottom of the storage tank (20) through one or more electrolytic tanks (10) to the top of the storage tank (20). The main circulation pipe (30) is connected to the first supply port (12a) of the electrolytic tank (10) and is then installed at the first discharge port (12b) of the electrolytic tank (10) to be connected to the electrolytic tanks (10) or storage tanks (20) arranged in series. At this time, the main circulation pump (31) is installed in the main circulation pipe (30) to induce the flow of the electrolyte to the main circulation pump (31).

[0043] Here, it is preferable that the electrolytic cell (10) be positioned at a relatively higher position than the storage tank (20). This is to ensure that when the discharge operation is to be immediately stopped, such as when an unsafe operating characteristic that may occur during the discharge process is detected, the electrolyte can flow out of the electrolytic cell (10) by gravity and be collected in the storage tank (20) and the main circulation pipe (30) by stopping the main circulation pump (31).

[0044] The above gas separation unit (40) is configured to separate the gas generated in the electrolytic cell (10) from the electrolyte and discharge it into the air through the discharge pipe (51). The gas separated in the gas separation unit (40) may be stored in the internal space of the gas separation unit (40) or a separate location, or may be diluted with air and discharged into the atmosphere. In other words, a by-product gas generated by an electrochemical reaction in the electrolytic cell (10), for example, a mixed gas of oxygen and hydrogen, may be captured in the gas separation unit (40), and the captured mixed gas may be diluted with air to a concentration below the explosion limit and discharged into the air through the discharge pipe (51).

[0045] This gas separation unit (40) is also connected to the storage tank (20) by a discharge pipe (51) so that the gas generated in the storage tank (20) is separated and discharged into the air.

[0046] At this time, a blower (50) capable of generating air flow may be additionally provided.

[0047] This blower (50) is mounted on a discharge pipe (51) connected to the gas separation unit (40). In addition, the blower (50) may be equipped with an inlet pipe (52) for introducing fresh air to dilute the gas discharged from the gas separation unit (40) with air.

[0048] And in the present invention, a monitoring control unit (60) may be further provided for conducting and cutting off current in the battery, performing various measurements, and controlling the battery based on the measured information. The monitoring control unit (60) may be provided with a switch unit (61) that selectively conducts and cuts current between the electrode of the battery and the electrode unit (11), a power measuring unit (62) that measures the remaining power of the battery connected to the electrode unit (11), a concentration measuring unit (63) that measures the concentration of the electrolyte, and a temperature measuring unit (64) that measures the temperature of the electrolyte, and may be provided with a control configuration that can control the battery discharge system based on the information measured by these.

[0049] And in the present invention, when the temperature rises due to the electrochemical reaction while the electrolyte is circulated, a cooler (70) may be provided as a configuration for cooling it. The cooler (70) may be directly installed in the storage tank (20) to cool the stored electrolyte, but in order to improve the cooling efficiency and speed, the electrolyte may be cooled by external circulation of the contained electrolyte. That is, as shown in Fig. 1, in the present invention, the cooler (70) may be connected to the second supply port (21) and the second discharge port (22) of the storage tank (20) by the auxiliary circulation pipe (80), and the electrolyte contained in the storage tank (20) may be configured to be cooled by external circulation by the auxiliary circulation pump (81).

[0050] In addition, the present invention may further include a configuration for detecting leakage of the electrolyte. That is, the present invention may further include a leakage detection unit (65) formed on the lower side of the electrolytic cell (10) to detect leakage of the electrolyte, and an alarm unit (66) that generates an alarm signal based on the detection result of the leakage detection unit (65).

[0051] In addition, in the present invention, a collecting unit (90) may be arranged at the bottom of the electrolytic cell (10) to collect the leaked electrolyte. The collecting unit (90) according to one embodiment of the present invention may be arranged at the bottom of the electrolytic cell (10) with a width that can cover the electrolytic cell (10) in a plane, and may be configured to have a structure capable of collecting the electrolyte that leaks and falls from the electrolytic cell (10). That is, as illustrated in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the collecting unit (90) is formed in the form of a flexible flat plate, and angle adjusting units (91) capable of adjusting the inclination angle are mounted at the four corners and the center, so that a container shape capable of collecting the electrolyte is formed by changing the angle adjusting units (91) to a specific angle.

[0052]

[0053] Next, the operation of the battery discharge system according to the present invention will be described.

[0054] First, the cables (C) connected to the positive and negative poles of the waste battery to be discharged are connected to the electrode section (11) of the electrolytic cell (10). At this time, since the electrode section (11) has a fastening section (11a) formed to allow the cable (C) to be detached, each electrode is mounted on the fastening section (11a).

[0055] At this time, the waste batteries that can be discharged in the present invention can be connected in series or parallel in multiple units without being separated. In addition, since the permissible current density and permissible overvoltage range of the electrodes in the present invention are very wide, the waste batteries can be connected to the electrode section (11) of the electrolytic cell (10) regardless of their condition, capacity, or volume.

[0056] When a cable (C) extended from a waste battery is mounted on the fastening portion (11a), a protective member (13) is mounted to prevent external contact with the fastening portion (11a). The protective member (13) is attached to the outside of the body (12) and surrounds the fastening portion (11a) to form a certain space, thereby preventing contact with the fastening portion (11a) either arbitrarily or accidentally. Furthermore, since the protective member (13) is made of a transparent case so that its interior is visible, the installed state of the cable (C) can be confirmed.

[0057] When the used battery to be discharged is installed, the main circulation pump (31) is operated so that the electrolyte stored in the storage tank (20) is discharged from the storage tank (20) and moves along the main circulation pipe (30) to fill the electrolytic cell (10). At this time, the electrolyte flows in from the first supply port (12a) formed at the bottom of the electrolytic cell (10) through the main circulation pipe (30), fills the inside of the electrolytic cell (10), and flows out into the main circulation pipe (30) through the first discharge port (12b) formed at the top of the electrolytic cell (10). At this time, since the electrolyte is continuously supplied and discharged by the main circulation pump (31), the electrolytic cell (10) is maintained in a state in which the electrolyte is filled.

[0058] When the battery is mounted and the electrolyte is filled, current is passed between the battery's electrodes and the electrode section (11) through the switch section (61). This causes electricity to flow between the battery's positive and negative electrodes through the electrolyte, and a discharge occurs in the electrolyte through an electrochemical reaction with the electrolyte.

[0059] At this time, since the electrolyte is circulating, even if an electrochemical reaction occurs due to current flow, changes in characteristics such as the concentration and temperature of the electrolyte can be minimized and maintained constant.

[0060] In the present invention, the temperature of the electrolyte is measured in the temperature measuring unit (64), and the electrolyte inside the storage tank (20) is circulated through the auxiliary circulation pipe (80) by the operation of the cooler (70) and the auxiliary circulation pump (81) to be cooled and maintain a constant temperature.

[0061] In addition, the concentration of the electrolyte can be measured by a concentration measuring unit (63), and when the concentration of the electrolyte changes due to an electrochemical reaction, this can be detected and actions such as adding electrolyte can be taken.

[0062] And in the present invention, a power measurement unit (62) is provided so that the remaining power of a battery being discharged can be measured, and the remaining discharge time can be predicted through this.

[0063] Meanwhile, by-product gas may be generated from the electrolyte through an electrochemical reaction with the electrolyte. That is, in one embodiment of the present invention, a sodium chloride aqueous solution, a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution, or distilled water is used as the electrolyte, and if the by-product gas generated in this case is released into the atmosphere as is, it may cause an explosion or air pollution. Therefore, in the present invention, the by-product gas may be separated from the electrolyte through a gas separation unit (40) and stored inside the gas separation unit (40) or in a separate space. In addition, the separated by-product gas may be diluted with air to a concentration below the explosion limit or the allowable limit and then released into the atmosphere through a discharge pipe (51).

[0064] At this time, a blower (50) can be operated to create a flow of air into the atmosphere and to introduce fresh air through the inlet pipe (52).

[0065] In addition, if an electrolyte leak occurs during the discharge process, the electrolyte leak can be detected by the leak detection unit (65). At this time, the leak detection unit (65) is mounted on a collection unit (90) located at the bottom and spaced apart from the electrolytic cell (10) and can detect the electrolyte collected in the collection unit (90). In addition, since the collection unit (90) is formed into a container shape by angle adjustment units (91) installed at the corners and the center, if the electrolyte leaks, the leaked electrolyte can be captured within the collection unit (90).

[0066] And when a leakage of electrolyte is detected, the monitoring control unit (60) can operate the alarm unit (66) to generate an alarm signal.

[0067] In addition, if an unsafe operating characteristic is detected during the discharge process, the main circulation pump (31) can be stopped to stop the discharge operation, and by stopping the main circulation pump (31), the electrolyte from the electrolytic cell (10) flows out naturally by gravity without power supply and is collected in the storage tank (20) or the main circulation pipe (30). As a result, the electrochemical reaction stops as the electrolyte flows out from the electrolytic cell (10), so the discharge operation can be stopped.

[0068]

[0069] As described above, the rights of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but are defined by the scope of the claims, and it is obvious that a person having ordinary skill in the art of the present invention can make various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the rights described in the claims.

Claims

1. In the battery discharge system, An electrolytic cell comprising an electrode portion electrically connected to the electrodes of a battery, which is composed of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a first supply port through which electrolyte is introduced at the bottom, and a first discharge port through which electrolyte is discharged at the top, thereby inducing an electrochemical reaction between the electrode portion and the electrolyte penetrating the inside; A storage tank containing the electrolyte; and A battery discharge system using an electrolyte circulation method, characterized by comprising a main circulation pipe and a main circulation pump that circulate the electrolyte contained in the storage tank to the electrolytic tank.

2. In paragraph 1, A battery discharge system using an electrolyte circulation method, characterized in that it further includes a gas separation unit that separates gas generated in the electrolytic cell and releases it into the atmosphere.

3. In paragraph 1, A battery discharge system of an electrolyte circulation type, characterized in that it further comprises a monitoring control unit having a switching unit that selectively conducts and cuts off current between the electrodes of the battery and the electrode unit, a power measuring unit that measures the remaining power of the battery connected to the electrode unit, a concentration measuring unit that measures the concentration of the electrolyte, and a temperature measuring unit that measures the temperature of the electrolyte.

4. In paragraph 1, The above storage tank further includes a second supply port and a second discharge port for external circulation of the received electrolyte, A cooler for cooling the electrolyte; and A battery discharge system of an electrolyte circulation type, characterized in that it further includes an auxiliary circulation pipe and an auxiliary circulation pump that circulate the electrolyte contained in the storage tank to the cooler.

5. In paragraph 3, It further includes a leakage detection unit formed at the lower side of the electrolytic cell to detect leakage of the electrolyte; A battery discharge system using an electrolyte circulation method, characterized in that the monitoring control unit further includes an alarm unit that generates an alarm signal according to the detection result of the leak detection unit.

6. In paragraph 1, The above electrolytic cell, A battery discharge system of an electrolyte circulation type, characterized by comprising a body having a first supply port formed at the bottom and a first discharge port formed at the top, an electrode portion having a detachable fastening portion formed through the body but connected to an electrode of the battery on the outside, and a protective member coupled to the outside of the body to prevent external contact of the fastening portion.

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