Redox Shuttle Additive for Controlled Battery Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Energy storage systems in vehicles and other applications pose safety risks due to high voltage and energy content, making controlled discharge challenging, especially after accidents or damage, where traditional methods fail to safely discharge batteries without risking personnel or causing fires.
Innovation Solution
An energy storage arrangement with a redox shuttle additive is used, which is released into the electrolyte to oxidize at the cathode and reduce at the anode, allowing for controlled discharge without an external circuit, using a triggerable release device to connect the electrodes and manage the discharge process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electrical discharge methods are used, then the energy store can be discharged under normal conditions, but the method fails when the energy control circuit is damaged or main contactors cannot be switched
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a redox shuttle additive as an intermediary substance that mediates the discharge process. This additive chemically shuttles electrons between the cathode and anode, enabling discharge without requiring functional electrical circuits or contactors. The redox shuttle acts as a chemical intermediary that bypasses the damaged electrical control system entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical discharge system (contactors, switches, circuits) with a chemical discharge mechanism. Instead of using electrical switches to close circuits, the system uses redox chemical reactions to transfer electrons, substituting the mechanical/electrical control system with a purely chemical process.
2Reliability
If the energy store is left charged after damage, then the voltage remains available for future use, but the high voltage and energy content create safety hazards for personnel and environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful high voltage and stored energy into a beneficial discharge process. The redox shuttle additive enables the stored energy to be safely released through controlled chemical reactions, transforming the hazard of stored energy into a controlled energy discharge that protects personnel while still allowing energy recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The energy store discharges itself through the redox shuttle mechanism without requiring external intervention or complex recovery equipment. The redox additive enables the battery to self-discharge through internal chemical reactions, making the safety function self-service rather than requiring external active management systems.
3Reliability
If the main contactors are opened to protect the energy store, then the system is protected from further damage, but the energy store can no longer be discharged and voltage reaches damaged housing
Solution Approach 1:
The redox shuttle additive serves as a chemical intermediary that enables electron transfer between electrodes without requiring closed electrical circuits. This intermediary chemical mechanism allows the system to bypass the opened contactors and damaged electrical pathways, directly facilitating discharge through chemical rather than electrical means.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of discharge mechanism from electrical (requiring closed circuits and contactor switching) to chemical (using redox reactions). This parameter change allows the system to discharge energy even when electrical pathways are interrupted, transforming the discharge process from circuit-dependent to chemistry-dependent.
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 safe and controlled discharge of energy storage systems, reducing hazards and allowing for safe handling and recovery of batteries, even after damage or accidents, by utilizing substances with suitable redox potentials to manage the electrical connection and discharge process.
Implementation Method 1
the redox shuttle additive is released into the electrolyte of the energy store in such a way that the electrodes of the energy store are in contact with the redox shuttle additive present in the electrolyte and the energy store is partially or completely discharged by the redox shuttle additive being oxidized at the cathode and being reduced at the anode
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement and a method for the controlled discharge of an energy store using redox shuttle additives and to the use of redox shuttle additives for the controlled discharge of an energy store. The energy store arrangement comprises a storage container with a redox shuttle additive which is dispensed into the electrolytes of the energy store upon triggering a dispensing device such that the energy store is partly or completely discharged, wherein the redox shuttle additive is oxidized on the cathode and reduced on the anode. The redox shuttle additive has a redox potential which is less than or equal to the potential of the partially or completely discharged cathode and greater than or equal to the potential of the partially or completely discharged anode.