Electrochemical generator operating device with a zinc negative electrode
AssigneeT.R.E.G.I.E.
InventorGuy Bronoel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrochemical generator operating device having a zinc electrode of the type known as a scattered electrode using a fluid containing alkaline electrolyte and particles which come in contact with the negative upper face of a flat bipolar current collector when the fluid is not in circulation. The fluid is circulated through the use of an intermittent operating pump and is guided through a plurality of horizontal parallel pipes with a rectangular section in such a manner so that the operation is intermittent both during the recharge and the discharge phases and is further characterized by the fact that the off time of the pump is greater than the on time.
Claims13
An electric storage battery having a plurality of electrochemical generator operating devices each having a zinc negative electrode and operating in a charge and a recharge phase with each of said devices comprising:
- a plurality of approximately horizontal parallel pipes (15) having a rectangular cross section whose lower face consists of a negative upper face (6) of a flat bipolar current collector (3) and wherein a upper face of each of said parallel pipes includes a separator (4) and whose lateral faces are made of an inert material resistant to an alkaline medium;
- a positive electrode;
- a fluid capable of circulating in said plurality of horizontal pipes wherein said fluid includes a alkaline electrolyte charged with zinc salts and a plurality of spherical-shaped particles with said particles having a core made of a material resistant to electrochemical attack and which core is at least partially coated with a conductive coating whereby the density of said particles is greater than that of said electrolyte and whereby said particles come into contact by sedimentation with said negative upper face of said flat bipolar current collector when said fluid consisting of said alkaline electrolyte and said particles is not in circulation and wherein said particles are charged with zinc at said collector;
- wherein each of said plurality of operating devices are superposed vertically on one another so that said horizontal pipes of each operating device are superposed on the horizontal pipes of another operating device and wherein each of said superposed pipes are connected to each other by transfer pipes for transferring said fluid successively to each of said superposed pipes and wherein the output of said fluid from an upper element is opposite the input of the fluid in the element immediately below said upper element and whereby said fluid at the input of said upper element is discharged and recovered so that said particles of said fluid entrained by the flow of said electrolyte make a zig-zag parallel back and forth travel in successive elements in said vertically disposed devices by the continuous contact of said particles against the negative face of said current collector of each of said elements;
- and wherein said electric storage battery further comprises;
- intermittent pump means for intermittently circulating said fluid into said plurality of horizontal parallel pipes of each of said operating devices wherein said intermittent pump means operates according to a periodic off-on cycle during both said recharge and said discharge phases of said device in such a manner that the off time of said pump is greater than the on time of said pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.