JP2570389B2 - Method for manufacturing sodium-sulfur battery - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sodium-sulfur battery, and more particularly, to a method for charging sodium as a cathode active material.

2. Related Art and Problems Thereof A sodium-sulfur battery has a completely sealed structure in which sodium as a cathode active material and sulfur as an anode active material are separated by a solid electrolyte tube having sodium ion conductivity such as β ″ -alumina. In the high-temperature type secondary battery, sodium as a cathode active material is vacuum-filled in a state where it is melted at the same temperature after evacuation from the cathode pipe while keeping the temperature at about 150 ° C. in a solid electrolyte tube in which metal fibers are arranged, After the filling, the upper end of the cathode pipe is sealed, and such a cathode structure is inserted into a battery case also serving as a cathode current collector in which a cylindrical sulfur molded body is housed, and is vacuum-sealed.

In the method for manufacturing a sodium-sulfur battery as described above, a vacuum pump is connected to the cathode pipe through a heat-resistant pipe during pumping, and then the tank is replaced with a sodium tank and filled with sodium. However, there is a disadvantage that it is difficult to perform a fixed amount of filling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks. In addition to fitting or screwing a cathode pipe and a cathode terminal and forming a communication passage communicating between the cathode pipe and the cathode terminal in the solid electrolyte tube, exhaust gas and sodium It is an object of the present invention to obtain a production method that can reliably perform filling of a material.

Constitution of the invention The method for manufacturing a sodium-sulfur battery of the present invention is characterized in that a cathode pipe and a cathode terminal are fitted or screwed together, a communication passage communicating between the cathode pipe and the solid electrolyte tube is formed therebetween, and the cathode terminal is formed. A jig for exhaust and sodium filling is disposed at the upper end of the furnace, and a structure formed by airtightly connecting a sodium tank to the jig is arranged on a pallet to be transferred to a tunnel-type heating furnace. And the jig for piercing the sodium tank is brought into contact with the upper lid of the tank, and a vacuum pump is airtightly connected to the jig for exhaust and sodium filling to connect the sodium tank. The solid electrolyte tube is evacuated through the passage, and when the internal pressure reaches a constant value, the drilling jig is operated to make holes in the upper lid and the lower lid of the sodium tank and melt in the sodium tank. Is filled into the solid electrolyte tube via the cathode pipe.

Example Hereinafter, an example will be described. FIG. 1 is a view showing a method of manufacturing a sodium-sulfur battery according to the present invention. The main part of the sodium-sulfur battery is that an α-alumina ring 2 is joined to the upper end of a solid electrolyte tube 1 by glass soldering. A cathode cover 3 is hot-press bonded to the upper surface of the ring, and an anode cover 4 is hot-pressed to the lower surface. A cathode terminal 5 is welded to the cathode cover 3 and a cathode pipe 6 is inserted so that the lower portion is inserted into the solid electrolyte tube 1. Through. In such a configuration, a communication passage 8 communicating with the solid electrolyte tube 1 is formed in a threaded portion 7 with the cathode pipe 6 inside the cathode terminal 5, and an exhaust / sodium filling treatment is provided at an upper end of the cathode terminal 5. The tool 9 was screwed on and hermetically sealed with an O-ring 10-1, and an aluminum sodium tank 11 filled with a fixed amount of sodium 12 was screwed on the jig 9 and hermetically sealed with an O-ring 10-2. Build the component. After arranging such components on a pallet to be transferred to a tunnel heating furnace not shown,
After being transferred into the heating furnace, the temperature was raised to the sodium filling temperature, the jig 13 for piercing the sodium tank 11 was lowered from above, and an O-ring 10-3 was attached to the upper lid 11-1 of the tank 11.
The joint 14 is hermetically connected to the exhaust / sodium filling jig 9 via an O-ring 10-4. Thus, by the action of the solenoid valve, the joint 14
Is connected to a vacuum pump, and the inside of the solid electrolyte tube 1 is evacuated through the communication passage 8. When the internal pressure in the solid electrolyte tube 1 reaches a constant value, the vacuum gauge operates and the evacuation is stopped by the action of the electromagnetic valve, and the piercing rod 15 in the piercing jig 13 descends by the action of the pneumatic cylinder. A hole is made in the upper lid 11-1 so as to penetrate the sodium tank 11, then a hole is made in the bottom lid 11-2, and the molten sodium 12 is passed through the cathode pipe 6 into the solid electrolyte tube 1. Fill.
At this time, a scattering prevention member 16 is provided on the back surface of the cathode lid 3 so that the filled sodium 12 does not scatter and flow back through the communication path 8. Thereafter, the piercing rod 15 is lifted and stored in the piercing jig 13, which is
After the gas is filled, it also has the function of preventing excess gas from flowing. After the sodium 12 is filled, the joint 14 is switched to the inert gas side by the action of an electromagnetic valve to feed the inert gas into the solid electrolyte tube 1. To obtain the internal pressure that is extruded. Thereafter, the tip of the cathode pipe 6 is sealed under a vacuum to obtain a completed battery.

Effect of the Invention As described in detail in Examples, the sodium-
In the sulfur battery manufacturing method, sodium can be charged without changing the connection between the vacuum pump and the sodium tank, preventing the occurrence of poor airtightness, enabling quantitative filling, and automating the manufacturing process. It is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method for producing a sodium-sulfur battery of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Solid electrolyte tube, 3 ... Cathode lid 5 ... Cathode terminal, 6 ... Cathode pipe 8 ... Communication path, 9 ... Jig for exhaust and sodium filling 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 , 10-4… O-ring 11… Sodium tank, 12… Sodium 13… Drilling jig, 14… Joint 15… Drilled rod, 16… Splash prevention material

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An α-alumina ring is glass soldered to an upper end of a solid electrolyte tube, a cathode lid is hot-pressed to an upper surface of the α-alumina ring, and an anode lid is thermally pressed to a lower surface thereof. At the same time, the cathode pipe is pierced so that the lower part is inserted into the solid electrolyte tube, and the battery case in which the sulfur molded body is mounted on the anode lid is welded to house the solid electrolyte tube in the battery case. In the method for manufacturing a sealed sodium-sulfur battery, the upper outer side of the cathode pipe is fitted or screwed into the inside of the cathode terminal, and the fitting portion or the screwed portion of the cathode terminal or the cathode pipe is vertically inserted. The solid electrolyte tube is formed by providing a groove in the direction, and a jig for discharging and filling sodium is disposed at the upper end of the cathode terminal, and a sodium tank is airtightly fitted to the jig. After arranging the components on the pellets to be transferred to the tunnel-type heating furnace, the structure is transferred to the heating furnace and heated to the sodium filling temperature, and the jig for piercing the sodium tank is placed on the upper lid of the tank. While being in contact with each other, a vacuum pump is airtightly connected to the exhaust and sodium filling jig to exhaust the solid electrolyte tube through the communication passage, and when the internal pressure becomes a constant value, the drilling jig is operated. A hole in a top cover and a bottom cover of a sodium tank, and filling the solid electrolyte tube with sodium melted in the sodium tank via a cathode pipe.