Battery Electrolyte Heating with Mixing Plates
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Lead-acid batteries face significant capacity drops due to temperature variations and acid stratification, which affects their performance and lifespan, especially when heated slowly, risking electrode damage from uneven heat distribution.
Innovation Solution
A thermally mixed liquid electrolyte battery heater assembly with rail-shaped heating elements and a plate-shaped mixing device that creates a vertical flow channel to heat the electrolyte without direct contact with electrodes, using overflow plates with progressively larger holes to ensure thorough mixing and prevent overheating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery is heated slowly to avoid electrode damage, then the heating process is safe for electrodes, but the heating time becomes too long and battery performance is not restored quickly enough
Solution Approach 1:
The heating process is segmented into two distinct phases: a rapid initial heating phase that quickly raises battery temperature to operational levels, followed by a gentle mixing phase that prevents electrode damage. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both fast heating and electrode safety by applying different heating intensities at different time intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system operates periodically with alternating high-intensity heating pulses and mixing cycles. During high-intensity phases, rapid heating occurs; during mixing phases, the electrolyte is agitated to distribute heat evenly and prevent localized overheating. This periodic action enables quick overall heating while protecting electrodes through intermittent cooling/mixing periods.
2Loss of time
If the battery is heated rapidly to restore performance quickly, then the heating time is reduced, but the electrodes may be damaged due to uneven heat distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The electrolyte serves as an intermediary medium that transfers heat from the heating element to the electrodes indirectly. Rather than heating electrodes directly, the system heats the electrolyte which then circulates and transfers thermal energy uniformly to all electrode surfaces, preventing localized overheating while maintaining rapid overall heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses hydraulic principles by circulating the liquid electrolyte through the battery structure to distribute heat. The mobile electrolyte acts as a heat transfer fluid, continuously moving to carry thermal energy from the heating source to all parts of the battery, enabling rapid and uniform heating without hot spots that could damage electrodes.
3Productivity
If the heating element is placed directly in contact with the battery base, then heating efficiency is maximized, but acid stratification occurs causing uneven acid concentration and electrode corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static heating arrangement to a dynamic one by incorporating electrolyte circulation. The electrolyte is continuously moved and mixed during heating, creating dynamic conditions that prevent stratification. This dynamic approach maintains high heating efficiency while ensuring uniform acid distribution throughout the battery, preventing corrosion and extending lifespan.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing action continues throughout the entire heating process rather than being separate or intermittent. This continuous mixing ensures that as heat is transferred to the electrolyte, the acid concentration remains uniform throughout, preventing stratification. The continuous useful action of mixing maintains both heating efficiency and battery health simultaneously.
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
Enables rapid heating of the battery without damaging the electrodes, maintaining performance and preventing stratification, allowing for quick warming while ensuring the electrolyte is evenly distributed and cooled, thus maintaining battery health.
Implementation Method 1
two electrically heatable heating rails 8a, 8b
Implementation Method 2
the upward convection flow of the electrolyte 3 that develops
Implementation Method 3
an electrolyte flow circuit is thus created on each side of the housing under which the heating rails 8a, 8b are arranged, which causes thorough mixing of the electrolyte
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a liquid electrolyte battery which can be heated on the edges by two heating elements arranged on the housing base. Said battery contains a flat mixing device which comprises the following characteristics: two first plates (4a, 4b) that are arranged between the housing base (1e) and the lower edge (2a) of the electrodes (2) such that a central flow opening (5) remains free; two second plates (4c, 4d) that are arranged between the vertical housing walls and the lateral edges of the electrodes and that are connected to the first plates (4a, 4b); two overflow plates (4e, 4f) that are arranged a few millimeters above the electrolyte level (3a), the outer edges of the overflow plates (4e, 4f) being connected to the upper edges of the two plates (4c, 4d) and the inner edges of the overflow plates (4e, 4f) being arranged at a distance from each other and that opens an inlet (6) for the electrolytes.