JPH09161766A - Electrolyte circulating device for lead-acid battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the reduction of the capability of a battery by providing a discharging means for the gas generated from an electrolyte above the electrolyte in an electrolyte tank. SOLUTION: The electrolyte E in an electrolyte tank 3 is fed to a battery 7 by the first conduit 4 and an injection pump 5. The electrolyte E in the battery 7 is again returned to the electrolyte tank 3 by the second pipe 8 and a discharge pump 9. The hydrogen gas generated in the battery 7 is sent together, and it is collected at the upper section of the air layer A of the electrolyte tank 3. The gas is discharged by a gas discharging means 16 above the tank 3. The gas generated from the electrolyte E and accumulated in the electrolyte tank 3 is also discharged by the discharging means 16. The quantity of the gas again mixed in the electrolyte E is reduced, gas rarely exists between a positive electrode and a negative electrode in the battery 7, and the chemical reaction between the electrodes is not impaired. The reduction of the capability of the battery 7 can be suppressed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electrolytic solution circulating device for a lead storage battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a conventional lead-acid battery (main part).
First, the configuration will be described. Lead acid battery 100
Is an anode plate 101 ... (... indicates a plurality, the same applies hereinafter)
, And the cathode plate 102 facing these anode plates 101.
, A separator 103 separating the anode plate 101 and the cathode plate 102, and the anode plate 101 and the cathode plate 10.
2 ... and separator 103 ...
An electrolytic solution 105 filled in the electrolytic cell 104, a liquid port stopper 106 provided on the upper part of the electrolytic cell 104, and an anode (not shown).
It consists of a cathode terminal. In addition, 107 is a ventilation hole.

The anode plate 101 is a grid body made of lead-antimony alloy or the like and filled with lead dioxide as an active material in the eyes. The cathode plate 102 is a lattice body made of lead / antimony alloy or the like, in which spongy lead is filled as an active material in the eyes. The separator 103 is a porous body, and the electrolytic solution 105
It is possible to freely pass dilute sulfuric acid.

Next, the operation will be described. When a load is connected to the anode / cathode terminals of the charged lead storage battery 100, the lead storage battery 100 is in a discharged state. At this time, the lead dioxide of the anode plate 101 and the spongy lead of the cathode plate 102 chemically react with dilute sulfuric acid which is the electrolytic solution 105 to produce lead sulfate at the anode and cathode, and at the same time water is formed. When this reaction is represented by the chemical formula,
It becomes like the following chemical formula 1.

[0005]

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When the discharge is continued, the amount of water in the electrolytic solution 105 increases, the electrolytic solution 105 is gradually diluted, and the specific gravity becomes small.

When the lead-acid battery 100 after discharging is charged, the anode / cathode plates 101 and 102 are converted into lead sulfate by discharging.
Separates sulfuric acid and returns to lead dioxide on the anode plate 101 and to spongy lead on the cathode plate 102. Sulfuric acid is generated, so the specific gravity returns to the original value. At this time, the water in the electrolytic solution 105 is electrolyzed, oxygen gas is generated from the anode, and hydrogen gas is generated from the cathode.
8 goes down. The generated gas is the vent hole 1 of the liquid mouth plug 106.
It is discharged from 07 to the outside. This reaction is represented by the chemical formula below.

[0008]

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[0009] Conventionally, a lead storage battery electrolyte circulating apparatus for circulating the electrolyte by connecting the lead storage battery, the electrolyte injection pump, the electrolyte discharge pump, and the electrolyte tank by a communication pipe is, for example, There is Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 51-28328 “Electrolyte circulating type lead storage battery”. In this publication, in order to prevent the active material of the lead-acid battery from falling off, a liquid-permeable and elastic separator is inserted into the electrolyte chamber in a compressed state, and suction circulation is performed during charging.
The gas is not accumulated in the separator by the press-fit circulation during discharge.

[0010]

However, since the conventional apparatus is not configured to sufficiently discharge the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas accumulated in the electrolytic solution tank, these hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas are reused as the electrolytic solution. It returns to the lead-acid battery mixedly, and it becomes a bubble and intervenes between the electrolytic solution and the positive / cathode plate, which hinders the chemical reaction between the electrolytic solution and the active material, and reduces the capacity of the lead-acid battery. There is. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolytic solution circulating device for a lead storage battery, which prevents gas generated from the electrolytic solution from being mixed with the electrolytic solution again.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a discharge means for discharging a gas generated from the electrolytic solution above the electrolytic solution in the electrolytic solution tank. The gas generated from the electrolytic solution is discharged to the outside by the discharging means. Since the generated gas does not return to the electrolytic solution, it is possible to suppress deterioration in the capacity of the lead storage battery.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings should be viewed in the direction of reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrolytic solution circulating device for a lead storage battery according to the present invention, and an electrolytic solution circulating device 1 for a lead storage battery (hereinafter referred to as “circulating device 1”) is an electrolytic solution E in an electrolytic solution tank 3. (See FIG. 2), the first conduit 4 and the first conduit 4
The injection pump 5 installed in the lead storage battery 5 supplies the lead storage battery 7 through the flow meter 6 for measuring the flow rate of the electrolyte solution provided downstream of the injection pump 5 to supply the electrolyte solution E in the lead storage battery 7 to the second position. Conduit 8
Also, the discharge pump 9 provided in the second conduit 8 returns it to the electrolytic solution tank 3 via a flow meter 12 provided downstream of the discharge pump 9 for measuring the flow rate of the electrolytic solution. Reference numeral 14 is a cover for preventing dispersion of the electrolytic solution, which is formed by combining transparent plates, 13 is a door for maintaining the lead storage battery 7, 2 is a base of the circulation device 1, and 15 is a lead storage battery 7
It is a tray for placing. The cover 14 may cover the entire circulation device 1.

The electrolyte tank 3 has an intake pipe 17 (see FIG. 2) as a means 16 for discharging the gas generated from the electrolyte E.
The exhaust pipe 18 and a fan 19 provided in the exhaust pipe 18 are provided. The discharge capacity (output) of the discharge pump 9 is larger than the injection capacity (output) of the injection pump 5.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view (cross-sectional view) of the circulation device according to the present invention. In the lead storage battery 7, the second conduit 8 is connected to the upper part and the first conduit 4 is connected to the lower part for each cell C. 2 Vents 22 ... (... indicates a plurality, the same applies hereinafter) for each cell C in the vicinity of the connection portion with the conduit 8. The vent holes 22 can prevent the inside of each cell C from becoming extremely negative pressure.
The suction port 8a of the second conduit 8 connected to the discharge pump 9 is
For each cell C, the upper limit level U of the electrolyte solution surface S of the lead storage battery 7
And the lower limit level L.

The electrolytic solution tank 3 has an air layer A above the internal electrolytic solution E, an intake pipe 17 which faces the air layer A to take in outside air, and an exhaust gas for forcibly discharging the gas inside. The pipe 18 and the fan 19 installed in the exhaust pipe 18
And The electrolytic solution tank 3 has a bottle shape with a small cross-sectional area in order to collect the gas generated from the electrolytic solution E in the upper part.

The inlet 4a of the first conduit 4 connected to the electrolytic solution tank 3 is installed near the bottom of the electrolytic solution tank 3, and the outlet 8b of the second conduit 8 is installed in the air layer A. Due to the arrangement of the suction port 4a and the discharge port 8b, the gas contained in the electrolytic solution E returned to the electrolytic solution tank 3 is easily discharged to the air layer A when the electrolytic solution E is discharged from the discharge port 8b, Further, even if gas is mixed in the electrolytic solution E in the electrolytic solution tank 3, it is difficult to be sucked through the suction port 4a.

The circulation device 1 receives flow rate signals F1 and F2 from the flow meters 6 and 12, and sends drive signals D1 and D2 to the water supply / drainage pumps 5 and 9 in accordance with these flow rate signals F1 and F2.
An electrolytic solution flow rate control unit 24 for adjusting the outputs of the water supply / drainage pumps 5 and 9 is provided.

The operation of the circulation device described above will be described below. The electrolytic solution E stored in the electrolytic solution tank 3 is supplied to the injection pump 5
Is sucked from the suction port 4a of the first conduit 4, passes through the flow meter 6, and is supplied into the lead storage battery 7 from the discharge port 4b of each cell C of the first conduit 4 between the electrode plates in the cell C. The separator (corresponding to reference numeral 103 in FIG. 3) rises and is sucked by the discharge pump 9 from the suction port 8a of the second conduit 8 installed between the upper limit level U and the lower limit level L of the electrolytic solution E above the electrode plate. After passing through the flow meter 12, the liquid is discharged from the discharge port 8b in the electrolytic solution tank 3.

Although the output of the discharge pump 9 is set higher than that of the injection pump 5, the flow rate of the electrolytic solution is controlled by the flowmeters 6 and 12 provided downstream of the injection / discharge pumps 5 and 9 during circulation of the electrolytic solution E. When the flow rate of the flow meter 12 downstream of the discharge pump 9 is less than or equal to that of the flow meter 6 downstream of the injection pump 5, the outputs of the pumps 5 and 9 are adjusted to measure the flow rate of the flow meter 12 based on the measurement results. To increase. In this way, the electrolytic solution surface S of each cell C in the lead storage battery 7 can be maintained between the upper limit level U and the lower limit level L of the electrolytic solution E.

Therefore, the electrolytic solution surface S does not drop below the lower limit level L, the contact area between the electrolytic solution E and the anode or cathode does not decrease, and the capacity of the lead storage battery 7 does not decrease. Further, the electrolytic solution surface S does not rise above the upper limit level U, and the electrolytic solution E leaks from the upper portion of the lead storage battery 7 or the electrolytic solution E
The gas in the cell does not cause an abnormal increase in the pressure in the cell.

The hydrogen gas generated in the lead storage battery is circulated together with the electrolytic solution E and sent into the electrolytic solution tank 3, where it is collected above the air layer A of the electrolytic solution tank 3. Here, the intake pipe 1 which is the gas discharge means 16 provided above the electrolyte tank 3
7, the exhaust pipe 18 and the fan 19 provided in the exhaust pipe 18 exhaust the gas. Electrolyte E accumulated in the electrolyte tank 3
The gas generated from the gas is also discharged by this discharge means 16.

In this way, by discharging the gas generated from the electrolytic solution E to the outside by the discharging means 16, the electrolytic solution E is discharged.
The amount of gas mixed again in the lead storage battery 7 is reduced, the gas is less likely to be present between the anode and the cathode in the lead storage battery 7, the chemical reaction between the two electrodes is not hindered, and the deterioration of the capacity of the lead storage battery 7 can be suppressed. .

[0023]

The present invention has the following effects due to the above configuration. In the electrolytic solution circulating device for a lead storage battery according to claim 1, since the discharging means for discharging the gas generated from the electrolytic solution is provided above the electrolytic solution in the electrolytic solution tank, the gas generated from the electrolytic solution is discharged by the discharging means. The amount of gas discharged outside and mixed again in the electrolytic solution decreases. Therefore, it becomes difficult for gas to intervene between the anode and the cathode in the lead storage battery, the chemical reaction between the electrolytic solution and the active materials of both electrodes is not hindered, and the capacity of the lead storage battery can be fully exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrolyte circulating device for a lead storage battery according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (cross-sectional view) of a circulation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a conventional lead-acid battery (main part)

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Electrolyte circulation device for lead-acid battery, 3 ... Electrolyte tank, 4
… First conduit, 5… Injection pump, 7… Lead storage battery, 8… Second
Conduit, 9 ... Discharge pump, 16 ... Discharge means, 17 ... Intake pipe, 18 ... Exhaust pipe, 19 ... Fan, A ... Air layer, E ... Electrolyte.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electrolytic solution in an electrolytic solution tank is supplied to a lead storage battery by a first conduit and an injection pump installed in this conduit, and the electrolytic solution in the lead storage battery is installed in a second conduit and this conduit. In the electrolytic solution circulating device for returning the electrolytic solution to the electrolytic solution tank by the discharge pump, a discharging means for discharging a gas generated from the electrolytic solution is provided above the electrolytic solution in the electrolytic solution tank. Electrolyte circulation device.