GB2129197A - Electric storage cells - Google Patents

Electric storage cells Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2129197A
GB2129197A GB08230960A GB8230960A GB2129197A GB 2129197 A GB2129197 A GB 2129197A GB 08230960 A GB08230960 A GB 08230960A GB 8230960 A GB8230960 A GB 8230960A GB 2129197 A GB2129197 A GB 2129197A
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United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
electrode member
cell
adjacent
folds
cells
Prior art date
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Granted
Application number
GB08230960A
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GB2129197B (en
Inventor
Ernest James Pearson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Chloride Group Ltd
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Chloride Group Ltd
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Chloride Group Ltd filed Critical Chloride Group Ltd
Priority to GB08230960A priority Critical patent/GB2129197B/en
Publication of GB2129197A publication Critical patent/GB2129197A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2129197B publication Critical patent/GB2129197B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M10/00Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M10/04Construction or manufacture in general
    • H01M10/0431Cells with wound or folded electrodes
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M10/00Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M10/06Lead-acid accumulators
    • H01M10/12Construction or manufacture
    • H01M10/125Cells or batteries with wound or folded electrodes
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M10/00Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M10/34Gastight accumulators
    • H01M10/342Gastight lead accumulators
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M50/00Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
    • H01M50/10Primary casings; Jackets or wrappings
    • H01M50/102Primary casings; Jackets or wrappings characterised by their shape or physical structure
    • H01M50/103Primary casings; Jackets or wrappings characterised by their shape or physical structure prismatic or rectangular
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02EREDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/10Energy storage using batteries
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02PCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P70/00Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
    • Y02P70/50Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Secondary Cells (AREA)

Abstract

A lead acid cell comprises a container 2 closed by a lid 10 and contains a single positive electrode member 4 separated from a single negative electrode member 6 by separator material. Each electrode member is of sheet form with n folds in it, with n=2 or more, thereby dividing each electrode member into n+1 electrodes which are arranged to be of alternating polarity. Each electrode member has n/2, when n is an even number, or (n+1)/2, when n is an odd number, of consecutive folds of one sense, the remaining folds being consecutive and of the opposite sense. Each electrode member has a connector member 8 situated adjacent the central fold, when n is an odd number, or adjacent the n/2th fold from one or the other end of the electrode member, when n is an even number. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electric storage cells The present invention relates to electric storage cells and batteries of such cells and is concerned particularly, though not exclusively, with such cells and batteries of lead acid type.
The invention is concerned with cells and batteries of both conventional flooded electrolyte type and also the type containing substantially no mobile, electrolyte, e.g. of recombination type.
Recombination cells and batteries are those in which the amount of electrolyte present is restricted so that there is substantially no free unabsorbed electrolyte in the cells and the gasses evolved during operation or charging are induced to recombine within the battery Conventionally, when assembling cells of either recombination or flooded electrolyte type, it is necessary either before or after placing the plates in their final container to form plate straps connecting together plates of the same polarity.
When assembling batteries, it is also necessary to form intercell connectors connecting together the plate straps of opposite polarity in adjacent cells.
These two steps are frequently combined, but nevertheless the formation of plate straps and intercell connectors is a time consuming and thus expensive procedure which utilises a substantial amount of metal, i.e. lead or lead alloy in a lead acid cell or battery, and the metal of the plate straps and intercell connectors has a certain resistivity which contributes to the total internal resistance of the battery.
It is desirable to be able to eliminate the step of forming plate straps and the only way in which this can be done altogether is for all the electrodes of each polarity in a cell to be integral with one another. This may be realised by providing each cell with a single electrode member of each polarity and folding each of these once to divide it into two electrodes which are intercalated with those of the opposite polarity.
No plate straps need be formed in a cell of this construction, but the cell has only four electrodes and thus has a limited capacity. If the cell is to have a higher capacity it must be provided with a greater number of electrodes, but at the same time it is desirable firstly that the cell should have an overall substantially rectangular shape so as to facilitate its accommodation in a conventionally shaped container and secondly that the current collector associated with each electrode member should be situated substantially half way along the length of the latter so as to optimise the distribution of current flows within it and minimise the length of current paths within it.If each electrode member is given a large number of folds in the manner of a concertina and its folds are then intercalated with those of an electrode member of opposite polarity the resultant structure will comprise two electrodes of one polarity adjacent to one another alternating with two electrodes of the opposite polarity. It might be thought that a larger capacity cell having only one electrode member of each polarity could be manufactured by simply spirally winding the two elongate electrode members separated by separator material and then squashing the resultant structure flat to give it a shape suitable for accommodation in a rectangular section cell container.However, it will be appreciated that with the current collectors situated substantially half way along the length of the elongate electrode members these current collectors would of necessity not be situated on the outer peripheral edge of the wound structure and it would therefore be inconvenient to connect these current collectors to the terminals of the cell and even more inconvenient to connect them to similar current collectors in an adjacent cell to form intercell connectors.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an electric storage cell which has only one electrode member of each polarity, each of which is folded twice or more so that the cell contains at least three electrodes of each polarity with the current collectors of each electrode member being situated substantially half way along the length of the associated electrode member but nevertheless on the outer edge of the cell structure to facilitate its connection to a cell terminal or to a similar connector member of an adjacent cell. It is also an object to provide such a cell whose overall plan section may be substantially rectangular to facilitate its accommodation in a conventional rectangularly shaped outer container.
According to the present invention an electric storage cell comprises a container closed by a lid and containing a single positive electrode member separated from a single negative electrode member by separator material, each electrode member being of substantially sheet form with n folds in it, with n equal to 2 or more thereby dividing each electrode member into n+1 electrodes which are arranged to be of alternating polarity, each electrode member having n/2, when n is an even number, or (n+1)/2, when n is an odd number, of consecutive folds of one sense, the remaining folds being consecutive and of the opposite sense, each electrode member further having a connector member situated adjacent the central fold, when n is an odd number, or adjacent the n/2th fold from one or the other end of the electrode member, when n is an even number.
Thus the cell in accordance with the present invention contains only one electrode member of each polarity, each of which has two or more folds in it to define three or more electrodes, which are preferably substantially parallel, of the same polarity which alternate with electrodes of opposite polarity and are separated therefrom by separator material. By reason of the fact that all the electrodes of each polarity are integral, no plate straps are required. It will be appreciated that the connector member or current collectors are each connected to a respective terminal of the cell.
The electrode members can thus be considered effectively to be spirally wound in one sense for substantially half their length and then spirally wound in the opposite sense for the remainder of their length following which the resultant structure is pressed flat, though the two winding operations may be performed whilst maintaining the areas of the individual electrodes substantially planar thereby removing the necessity of subsequently flattening the resultant structure.
This configuration results in the connector members being situated substantially half way along the length of the associated electrode members but nevertheless situated adjacent the outer edge of the cell thereby facilitating their connection to terminals of the cell or to similar connector members of adjacent cells.
For mechanical ease of folding it is preferred that the connector members are not situated precisely on a fold since this would necessitate folding them also and they are therefore preferably spaced somewhat from the fold to which they are adjacent, e.g. between 5 and 15 mm away from that fold. In fact, geometrical considerations dictate that the connector members are in practice not situated precisely half way along the length of their electrode member. Thus in the case in which each electrode member has an odd number of folds, e.g. three folds, the associated connector member is situated adjacent the central fold, that is to say adjacent the second fold. By virtue of the fact that the central fold is half way along the length of the electrode member the connector member is thus somewhat displaced from the longitudinal centre point of the electrode member.When each electrode member has an even number of folds, e.g. four folds, the associated connector member will be situated adjacent either the second fold or third fold when starting from one end of the electrode member and thus again, in either event, somewhat displaced from the longitudinal centre point of the electrode member. It will be appreciated that if the electrode member has four folds, the third fold from one end is the second fold from the other end and thus the connector member is adjacent the n/2th fold, that is to say the second fold, starting from one or the other end of the electrode member.
The present invention is applicable to a cell of any desired capacity and the "double wound" construction of the cell ensures that regardless of the number of folds in each electrode member the advantages referred to above are still obtained. As mentioned above, the cell may be of conventional flooded electrolyte type in which case the separator material may also be of conventional type, e.g. microporous PVC in the case of a lead acid cell. Alternatively, the battery can be of the type containing substantially no mobile electrolyte, e.g. of recombination type containing substantially no free unabsorbed electrolyte, the separator material comprising compressible fibrous absorbent material, e.g. microfine glass fibre material.
The present invention is applicable also to an electric storage battery comprising two or more such cells, and in this event the positioning of the connector members on an exterior surface of the associated cell facilitates the electrical interconnection of adjacent cells. Thus in the case of a multicell battery, each adjacent pair of cells will be separated by a respective intercell partition and one connector member in each end cell will be connected to a battery terminal and each remaining connector member will be connected to a connector member of opposite polarity in an adjacent cell.By reason of the fact that the cells do not include plate straps connecting together plates of the same polarity but merely have a single connector member, e.g. an upstanding lug, of each polarity, each connected pair of connector members is conveniently directly connected by welding to form an intercell connection which is very much simpler and more rapid than the conventional method of forming intercell connectors by casting.
If the battery is of flooded electrolyte type, it is necessary to electrolytically seal adjacent cells from one another to prevent the flow of intercell ionic leakage currents which degreade the battery's performance and reduce its service life.
In this case, the battery container preferably has integral intercell partitions which are sealed to the battery lid and the or each intercell connector constituted by a welded pair of connector members will be sealed to the intercell partition over or through which it passes. In this case, the or each intercell partition is conveniently provided with a preformed hole and the associated pair of connector members is conveniently connected togetherthrough this hole by the method referred to as "extrusion/fusion" whereby the two connector members are forced into contact through the hole in the intercell partition and an electric current is then passed through them to fuse them together and at the same time seal the hole in the partition.
If the battery is of the type containing substantially no mobile electrolyte, it is believed that there is a substantially diminished risk of intercell ionic leakage currents occurring, the reason for which is believed to be that there is substantially no free electrolyte available for the conduction of such intercell ionic leakage currents. This freedom permits the cells of a battery in accordance with the present invention of the type containing substantially no mobile electrolyte not to be sealed from each other and for the intercell connectors not to be sealed to the intercell partitions, though the latter are still necessary so as to avoid adjacent cells directly contacting one another thereby causing internal short circuit currents to flow within the battery.
Thus in a preferred form of the invention in which the battery is of recombination type, each cell is contained within a respective plastics bag, the material of the plastics bags of the or each pair of adjacent cells constituting the intercell partition between those cells. In this construction, adjacent cells are separated from one another by the palstics bags but are not sealed from one another.
In this case, the intercell connectors constituted by connected pairs of connector members may simply pass over the intercell partitions or alternatively they may be connected, e.g. welded, together directly through the material of the plastics bags.
Further features and details of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of two specific embodiments which is given by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a single lead acid cell in accordance with the present invention of which the lid is shown to one side and the separator material has been omitted for the sake of clarity; and Figure 2 is a perspective view of a two cell four volt lead acid battery of recombination type of which the lid has been omitted altogether.
The cell seen in figure 1 comprises a rectangular section container 2 of polypropylene or like material containing a single positive electrode member 4 and a single negative electrode member 6. Each electrode member has three vertically extending folds of substantially 1 80C formed in it which are substantially equispaced along its length and thus divide it into three integral electrodes. Each electrode member has two folds of one sense adjacent to one another and the third fold is of the opposite sense.
The individual electrodes are so arranged that they are of alternating polarity and they are separated by conventional separators, e.g. of microporous PVC, which have been omitted for the sake of clarity. Each electrode member has a single upstanding connector member 8 constituted by an upstanding intetral lug situated adjacent its central fold. Each lug is situated about 15 mm from its associated fold and is so situated with respect to that fold that it projects upwardly from one or other outermost end electrode of the cell. It will be appreciated that in practice the electrode members are a relatively close fit within the container and with each other and the separator material and the spaces between the electrode members have been somewhat exaggerated in the Figure for the sake of clarity.
The electrode members may be formed in any convenient manner, e.g. by casting or by expanding a sheet of lead or lead alloy and subsequently cutting it up into the desired shape and the metal grids of the electrode members may be of any conventional alloy composition.
The positive and negative electrode grids bear positive and negative active electrode material respectively of conventional composition.
In use, the container 2 is sealed by a rectangular section lid 10 provided with a conventional removable vented filling plug 12 through which sulphuric acid electrolyte may be added to the cell and through which gas evolved during charging of the cell may be vented to the atmosphere. The lid also affords two upstanding cell terminals 14 to each of which a respective connector member 8 is connected in any conventional manner.
The battery shown in Figure 2 comprises two series connected cells, each of which is of similar construction to the cell illustrated in Figure 1.
However, the battery of this embodiment is of recombination type and the electrodes are therefore separated by fibrous absorbent compressible separator material, in this case microfine glass fibre material, and each cell contains substantially no free unabsorbed electrolyte. The two cells must be separted by an intercell partition to prevent physical contact between them, and whilst this partition may be integral with the container 2, in the present embodiment the electrodes of each cell are contained within a respective open-topped plastics bag 16 and the engaging walls of the two plastics bags constitute the intercell partition between the two cells.
One terminal connector in each end cell is connected to the terminals of the battery projecting from the battery lid which is sealed to the container. The lid and terminals have been omitted for the sake of clarity. The two remaining connector members 8 are connected together to form an intercell connector, and in this embodiment they are connected simply by welding them together above the tops of the two plastics bags constituting the intercell partition.
Thus whilst the two cells are prevented by the intercell partition from directly contacting one another, the intercell partition terminates short of the battery lid and the two cells thus communicate with a common gas space beneath the lid. However, due to the fact that there is substantially no free unabsorbed electrolyte in the cells there is believed to be no substantial risk of intercell ionic leakage currents occurring.
In the two embodiments described above the or each cell includes four electrodes of each polarity afforded by a single electrode member with three folds in it. It will be appreciated that if a greater capacity is required this may be achieved quite simply by providing longer electrode members and forming more folds in them. Thus if the or each cell should have eight electrodes of each polarity, the two electrode members will have seven folds formed in them. In this event each electrode member will have three consecutive folds of one sense followed by four folds of the opposite sense and the associated connector member will be adjacent the third or fourth fold, depending on the end from which one counts. Regardless of the number of the folds in the electrode members the connector members are always situated substantially adjacent the longitudinal centre point of the electrode members and are always situated on one or other end electrode of the cell thereby facilitating connection to a terminal or a similar adjacent cell.

Claims (7)

Claims
1. An electric storage cell comprising a container closed by a lid and containing a single positive electrode member separated from a single negative electrode member by separator material, each electrode member being of substantially sheet form with n folds in it, with n equal to 2 or more, thereby dividing each electrode member into n+1 electrodes which are arranged to be of alternating polarity, each electrode member having n/2, when n is an even number, or (n+1)/2, when n is an odd number, of consecutive folds of one sense, the remaining folds being consecutive and of the opposite sense, each electrode member further having a connector member situated adjacent the central fold, when n is an odd number, or adjacent the n/2th fold from one or the other end of the electrode member, when n is an even number.
2. A cell as claimed in Claim 1 which is of recombination type containing substantially no free unabsorbed electrolyte, the separator material comprising compressible fibrous absorbent material.
3. An electric storage battery comprising two or more cells as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 within a common container, each adjacent pair of cells being separated by a respective intercell partition and one connector member in each end cell being connected to a battery terminal and each remaining connector member being connected to a connector member of opposite polarity in an adjacent cell.
4. A battery as claimed in Claim 3 in which each connected pair of connector members is directly connected by welding.
5. A battery as claimed in Claim 3 or 4 when dependent on Claim 2 in which each cell is contained within a respective plastics bag, the material of the plastics bags of the or each pair of adjacent cells constituting the intercell partition between those cells.
6. An electric storage cell substantially as specifically herein described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
7. An electric storage battery substantially as specifically herein described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
GB08230960A 1982-10-29 1982-10-29 Electric storage cells Expired GB2129197B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08230960A GB2129197B (en) 1982-10-29 1982-10-29 Electric storage cells

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08230960A GB2129197B (en) 1982-10-29 1982-10-29 Electric storage cells

Publications (2)

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GB2129197A true GB2129197A (en) 1984-05-10
GB2129197B GB2129197B (en) 1985-12-04

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1101230A1 (en) * 1998-04-15 2001-05-23 Energy Storage Systems Pty, Ltd Charge storage devices
EP1306911A2 (en) * 2001-09-24 2003-05-02 NBT GmbH Sealed accumulator
CN111976160A (en) * 2019-05-23 2020-11-24 大族激光科技产业集团股份有限公司 Adapter sheet feeding method and device

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1101230A1 (en) * 1998-04-15 2001-05-23 Energy Storage Systems Pty, Ltd Charge storage devices
EP1101230A4 (en) * 1998-04-15 2007-01-10 Charge storage devices
EP1306911A2 (en) * 2001-09-24 2003-05-02 NBT GmbH Sealed accumulator
EP1306911A3 (en) * 2001-09-24 2005-05-18 VARTA Automotive Systems GmbH Sealed accumulator
CN111976160A (en) * 2019-05-23 2020-11-24 大族激光科技产业集团股份有限公司 Adapter sheet feeding method and device
CN111976160B (en) * 2019-05-23 2023-08-04 深圳市大族锂电智能装备有限公司 Method and device for feeding switching sheet

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2129197B (en) 1985-12-04

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