# US 2018/0323480 A1 · Electrochemical Stack Direct Heat To Electricity Generator

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- Number: US 2018/0323480 A1
- Document ID: US20180323480A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/973,770
- Filed: 2018-05-08
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-08
- Assignees: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Applicants: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Inventors: Lin Xu; Patrick Alan Linford; Carl Vernette Thompson, II; Yang Shao-Horn
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323480A1

## CPC

- H01M 10/441: {for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially}
- H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
- H01M 10/425: {Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00)}
- H01M 10/443: {in response to temperature}
- H01G 9/21: Temperature-sensitive devices
- H01M 2010/4271: {Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing}
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01G: CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE (selection of specified materials as dielectric H01B3/00; capacitors having potential barriers H10D1/62, H10K10/10)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A thermogalvanic electrochemical system includes two battery sources connected together in a switchable circuit to provide electric current to an electrical load in the circuit. The battery sources are located in a thermal environment having a varying temperature, and each battery source has a corresponding electrical potential that varies with temperature of the thermal environment. A power management processor operates the circuit to: form a closed circuit at a first temperature with current flow from a first battery source through the electrical load to a second battery source until reaching a first thermal equilibrium, and then form an open circuit, then form a closed circuit at a second temperature with current flow from the second battery source through the electrical load to the first current source until reaching a second thermal equilibrium, and then form an open circuit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A thermogalvanic electrochemical system configured to convert environmental heat differences into electrical work, the system comprising:
two battery sources connected together in a switchable circuit to provide electric current to an electrical load in the circuit, wherein the battery sources are located in a thermal environment having a varying temperature, and wherein each battery source is characterized by a corresponding electrical potential that varies by thermogalvanic effect with temperature of the thermal environment; and
a power management processor employing at least one hardware implemented computer processor to execute program instructions to operate the switchable circuit to:
(a) form a closed circuit at a first temperature with current flow from a first battery source through the electrical load to a second battery source until reaching a first thermal equilibrium,
(b) form an open circuit without current flow through the electrical load after reaching the first thermal equilibrium,
(c) form a closed circuit at a second temperature with current flow from the second battery source through the electrical load to the first current source until reaching a second thermal equilibrium, and
(d) form an open circuit without current flow through the electrical load after reaching the second thermal equilibrium.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the thermal environment comprises a common thermal environment around both battery sources with a common environment temperature varying over time.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the thermal environment comprises a dual temperature environment with each battery source located in its own separate temperature environment, and wherein the temperatures in each separate temperature environment vary over time separately and independently of the other temperature.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the battery sources comprise charge-free lithium ion batteries.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the battery sources are configured to operate as Thermally Regenerative Electrochemical Cycle (TREC) cells.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the battery sources are configured to operate as charge-free cells.

### Claim 7

A computer-implemented method employing at least one hardware implemented computer processor for operating a thermogalvanic electrochemical system to convert environmental heat differences into electrical work, the method comprising:
operating the at least one hardware processor to execute program instructions to:
control a switchable circuit connecting together two battery sources so as to provide electric current to an electrical load in the circuit,
wherein the battery sources are located in a thermal environment having a varying temperature,
wherein each battery source is characterized by a corresponding electrical potential that varies by thermogalvanic effect with temperature of the thermal environment, and
wherein controlling the switchable circuit includes:
(a) forming a closed circuit at a first temperature with current flow from a first battery source through the electrical load to a second battery source until reaching a first thermal equilibrium,
(b) forming an open circuit without current flow through the electrical load after reaching the first thermal equilibrium,
(c) forming a closed circuit at a second temperature with current flow from the second battery source through the electrical load to the first current source until reaching a second thermal equilibrium, and
(d) forming an open circuit without current flow through the electrical load after reaching the second thermal equilibrium.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the thermal environment comprises a common thermal environment around both battery sources with a common environment temperature varying over time.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the thermal environment comprises a dual temperature environment with each battery source located in its own separate temperature environment, and wherein the temperatures in each separate temperature environment vary over time separately and independently of the other temperature.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the battery sources comprise charge-free lithium ion batteries.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the battery sources are configured to operate as Thermally Regenerative Electrochemical Cycle (TREC) cells.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the battery sources are configured to operate as charge-free cells.