Method for reducing gas pressure in an electrochemical cell
AssigneeGTE Products Corporation
InventorsNikola Marincic, Robert C. McDonald
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for treating carbon-containing cathodes of a primary electrochemical cell for the purpose of reducing the gas pressure in the cell during open circuit and during discharge of the cell. The method of the invention includes purging the carbon-containing cathodes of the cell with sulfur dioxide or thionyl chloride gas to displace water and insoluble gases (oxygen and nitrogen, and argon or helium) entrapped within the carbon of the carbon-containing cathodes. The purge gas is soluble in an electrolytic solution including liquid thionyl chloride as is employed to activate the cell for use in discharge.
Claims18
A method comprising the steps of:
- providing an electrochemical cell including a plurality of electrodes but lacking an electrolytic solution, said electrodes including a carbon-containing electrode in which water is absorbed in the carbon of said carbon-containing electrode;
- evacuating the electrochemical cell;
- and
- purging the cell with a purge fluid soluble in the electrolytic solution to be used in the cell and operable to displace water absorbed in the carbon of the carbon-containing electrode.
A method comprising the steps of:
- providing an electrochemical cell including a plurality of electrodes but lacking an electrolytic solution, said electrodes including a carbon-containing cathode in which water and an insoluble gas are entrapped in the carbon of said cathode;
- evacuating the electrochemical cell;
- and
- purging the cell with a purge fluid soluble in the electrolytic solution to be used in the cell and operable to displace water and insoluble gas entrapped in the carbon of the carbon-containing electrode.
A method for reducing the internal gas pressure of a primary electrochemical cell during the lifetime of the cell comprising the steps of:
- providing a primary electrochemical cell including a plurality of electrodes but lacking an electrolytic solution, said electrodes including a plurality of carbon-containing cathodes in which water and an insoluble inert gas are entrapped in the carbon of the carbon-containing cathodes, the carbon of each carbon-containing cathode comprising an aggregation of porous, semi-rigid carbon globules;
- evacuating the electrochemical cell;
- and
- purging the cell with a purge gas soluble in the electrolytic solution to be used in the cell and operable to displace water and insoluble gas entrapped in the carbon of the carbon-containing electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.