Air Cell Reaction Product Sump for Pressure Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Air battery systems experience a decrease in power output and an increase in inner pressure due to the expansion of the electrolytic solution as reaction products are deposited during discharge, leading to volume increases.
Innovation Solution
An air battery system with a reaction product sump that is elastically deformable to absorb pressure increases, featuring a bellows structure that stores reaction products and maintains system stability by allowing the structure to expand and shrink accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a conventional air battery structure is used, then the battery can operate initially, but the power output decreases and inner pressure increases during discharge due to reaction product accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The air battery is divided into distinct functional regions: an electrolytic solution storage region, a reaction product sump region, and a reaction region. This segmentation allows reaction products to be isolated in the sump, preventing them from interfering with the electrochemical reactions and maintaining consistent power output throughout discharge.
Solution Approach 2:
A partition wall with a porous membrane acts as an intermediary between the reaction products and the electrolytic solution. The porous membrane allows ion transport necessary for battery operation while physically separating reaction products from the active electrolyte, preventing performance degradation.
2Stress or pressure
If a conventional air battery structure is used, then the battery can operate initially, but inner pressure increases during discharge due to electrolytic solution expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is segmented into regions that can accommodate volume changes independently. The reaction product sump is designed with elastic deformability, allowing it to expand and contract as electrolytic solution volume changes during discharge, thereby maintaining constant inner pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sump's elastic deformability parameter changes in response to pressure variations. As electrolytic solution expands during discharge, the sump elastically deforms to accommodate the volume increase, preventing pressure buildup while maintaining system integrity.
3Productivity
If reaction products are allowed to accumulate in the battery, then discharge capacity increases, but volume expansion causes pressure increase and performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The battery structure separates the reaction region from the sump region, allowing reaction products to accumulate in the sump without occupying space needed for active electrolyte. This enables sustained high discharge capacity while managing volume expansion through the elastic sump design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents decreases in power output and inner pressure increases, ensuring consistent performance even as reaction products accumulate, by effectively managing the volume expansion and pressure within the system.
Implementation Method 1
the reaction product sump comprises an expandable/shrinkable structure, which is a bellows structure, and which elastically deforms according to an increase of the inner pressure due to production of the reaction product
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A decrease in power output an increase in inner pressure during discharge are prevented even when deposition of the reaction product increases with the discharge and the volume of the electrolytic solution increases with progress of the reaction. An air battery system of the present invention includes: an air battery 20 and a reservoir tank 50 to reserve electrolytic solution to be supplied to the air battery 20, wherein a reaction product sump 10 to store reaction product produced in the air battery 20 is provided between the air battery 20 and the reservoir tank 50.