SPIRAL-WOUND CONVECTION BATTERY AND METHODS OF OPERATION
A salt ion battery stores consumed reagents in an electrolyte contained in a storage vessel. The electrolyte flows from electrode to counter-electrode through a flow permeable separator that has a filter support. In the most-preferred embodiment the filter support is at least partly coated with an ion exchange polymer.
1 . A salt ions convection battery device having a discharge state comprised of a salt dissolved in a liquid electrolyte comprising:
an anode electrode layer permeable to flow,
a cathode electrode layer permeable to flow,
a flow-permeable separator layer between said anode and cathode electrode layers,
an electrolyte storage vessel, and
a means to circulate the electrolyte in a cycle within said electrolyte storage vessel between said anode electrode layer and said cathode electrode layer through said flow-permeable separator layer.
2 . The device of claim 1 further comprising a heat exchange means functionally connected to said electrolyte storage vessel to passively transfer heat from said electrolyte storage vessel to the surroundings.
3 . The device of claim 2 wherein said heat exchange means is a series of conductive plates with edges connected to said electrolyte storage vessel to form cooling fins.
4 . The device of claim 1 having a discharge state comprising said electrolyte storage vessel containing a mixture of salt crystals and salt dissolved in electrolyte.
5 . The device of claim 1 where the dissolved salt has a metal cation of at least one metal of the group lithium, sodium, potassium, zinc, and magnesium.
6 . The device of claim 1 where anode electrode layer has a porosity between 0.6 and 0.9 and a BET surface area between 500 and 5000 m2/g.
7 . The device of claim 1 further comprising an adsorption column functionally located such that flow proceeds from at least one positive electrode to the adsorption column to the storage vessel.
8 . The device of claim 1 further comprising an electrolyte containing a reactive salt and a non-reactive salt wherein said non-reactive salt has a concentration greater than 10% by weight in the electrolyte.
9 . The devise of claim 1 wherein said electrolyte contains more than one salt having a reactive ion in common.
10 . A flow-permeable separator for a convection battery comprising:
an inner structure that functionally filters electrolyte as it flows between electrodes; and
an ion exchange coating on said inner structure.
11 . The separator of claim 10 whereas the ion exchange coating contains more than 0.5% by mass of a metal selected from the group lithium, sodium, potassium, zinc, and magnesium.
12 . The separator of claim 10 having a filter surface area for flow through the separator greater than the cross-sectional area of the cell.
13 . The separator of claim 11 where said inner structure has a corrugated filter surface.
14 . A method for synthesizing a battery electrode separator device comprising:
coating a filter media with a solution containing the desired coating; and
evaporation of volatile components from the solution.
15 . The method of claim 14 wherein volatile components evaporate from the solution after the solution is coated on the filter media.
16 . The method of claim 15 wherein components of said solution react to form a polymer.
17 . A method for creating a flow-permeable electrode comprising:
adding a fiber of thickness between 0.005 and 0.5 mm in diameter to an electrode mix;
setting the electrode mix;
converting said fiber to a fluid; and
removal of said fluid to form paths.