Vanadium Electrolyte Reduction Without Dissolution Additives

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for producing vanadium electrolytes require complex processes and chemical additives to enhance dissolution properties, which can reduce purity and affect battery performance, and fail to efficiently electrolytically reduce pentavalent vanadium ions to the desired valence states for vanadium batteries.

Innovation Solution

An electrolytic reduction system comprising a separating device and an electrolytic tank, which separates a mixture of vanadium pentoxide and sulfuric acid to obtain a solution of pentavalent vanadium ions, and then reduces these ions to tetravalent and trivalent vanadium ions through electrolysis, eliminating the need for additional additives and simplifying the process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If chemical additives are added to improve dissolution properties of vanadium pentoxide, then dissolution efficiency is improved, but purity of the electrolyte is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedissolution efficiencyVSAvoidpurity of electrolyte

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and removes the harmful chemical additives from the dissolution process by using a separating device that physically separates vanadium pentoxide particles from the sulfuric acid solution without requiring any chemical additives, thereby maintaining high purity electrolyte while achieving efficient dissolution

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention replaces the chemical method (using additives to improve dissolution) with a mechanical separation method (using a separating device to physically separate solid vanadium pentoxide from liquid sulfuric acid), eliminating the need for chemical additives and preserving electrolyte purity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Manufacturing precision

If traditional electrolytic reduction method is used to reduce pentavalent vanadium ions, then vanadium electrolyte is produced, but the process is complex and requires multiple steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevalence state controlVSAvoidprocess complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention combines the separating function and electrolytic reduction function into a single integrated electrolytic tank system, where the separating device directly feeds into the electrolytic tank, eliminating the need for separate purification steps and simplifying the overall process while maintaining precise control over vanadium ion valence states

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The separating device performs preliminary separation of vanadium pentoxide from sulfuric acid before electrolysis, preparing a clean feed solution that enables more efficient and simpler electrolytic reduction to achieve the desired 3.5-valent vanadium electrolyte

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

This method effectively produces a vanadium electrolyte with improved efficiency and purity by directly reducing pentavalent vanadium ions to the required valence states without the need for chemical additives, simplifying the process and enhancing the performance of vanadium batteries.

Implementation Method 1

a separating device... configured to separate a mixture consisting of a vanadium pentoxide solid and a sulfuric acid solution

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSolid-liquid separation: Sedimentation

Implementation Method 2

The electrolytic tank is configured to reduce the pentavalent vanadium ions in the vanadium solution to tetravalent vanadium ions and trivalent vanadium ions

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectrolytic reduction: Electrolysis

Data Source

PatentUS12166253B2Electrolytic reduction system and method of vanadium electrolyte

Publication Date: 2024.12.10 ATOMIC ENERGY COUNCIL INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH

AI summary

Disclosed are an electrolytic reduction system of a vanadium electrolyte and a method for producing the electrolyte. The electrolytic reduction system includes a separating device and an electrolytic tank. The separating device is configured to separate a mixture consisting of a vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) solid and a sulfate acid solution, thereby obtaining a vanadium solution from a liquid discharging port of the separating device and a vanadium solid from a solid discharging port. The vanadium solution includes pentavalent vanadium ions. The electrolytic tank connects to the liquid discharging port of the separating device to contain the vanadium solution. In the method for producing the vanadium electrolyte, other chemical reagents are unnecessarily to be added into the mixture, and the vanadium solution is subjected to an electrolytic reduction process, such that the pentavalent vanadium ions are reduced to tetravalent vanadium ions and trivalent vanadium ions in the electrolytic tank.