Recombinator for the re-acidification of an electrolyte stream in a flowing electrolyte zinc-bromine battery

A gas handling unit for use with a flowing-electrolyte zinc-bromine battery having a positive electrolyte loop, a negative electrolyte loop, and electrode stacks, comprising:

• a sealed gas chamber;
• means for receiving hydrogen into the sealed gas chamber from one of the positive and the negative electrolyte loops;
• means for receiving bromine into the sealed gas chamber from one of the positive and the negative electrolyte loops;
• means for reacting at least a portion of the hydrogen and bromine into hydrogen bromide;
• means for maintaining gaseous products, including unreacted hydrogen, within the sealed gas chamber;
• and
• means for distributing the hydrogen bromide and the unreacted bromine back to at least one of the positive and the negative electrolyte loops for the reacidification of same.

A method for re-acidifying an electrolyte in a flowing electrolyte zinc-bromine battery, comprising the steps of:

• introducing hydrogen into a reaction chamber;
• introducing an electrolyte stream at least partially comprising aqueous bromine into the reaction chamber;
• controlling the delivery of the electrolyte stream into the reaction chamber in such a way so as to increase the residence time of the electrolyte stream within the reaction chamber;
• reacting the bromine with the hydrogen to create a reaction product;
• reintegrating the reaction product with at least one of an electrolyte stream or an electrolyte reservoir of the zinc-bromine batter for reacidification of same.