US 12,451,528 B2
In-situ electrolyte preparation in flow battery
Weina Li, South Glastonbury, CT (US); and Michael L. Perry, Glastonbury, CT (US)
Assigned to RTX CORPORATION, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Feb. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/171,272.
Application 17/171,272 is a continuation of application No. 14/892,586, abandoned, previously published as PCT/US2013/042174, filed on May 22, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2021/0167433 A1, Jun. 3, 2021
Int. Cl. H01M 10/44 (2006.01); H01M 8/18 (2006.01); H01M 8/20 (2006.01); H01M 10/0563 (2010.01); H02J 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC H01M 10/446 (2013.01) [H01M 8/188 (2013.01); H01M 8/20 (2013.01); H01M 10/0563 (2013.01); H02J 7/00 (2013.01); H01M 2300/002 (2013.01); Y02E 60/50 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of in-situ electrolyte preparation in a flow battery, the method comprising:
(a) providing equal parts of a vanadium-based electrolyte solution having vanadium ions of predominantly vanadium V4+ to a first electrode and a second electrode of at least one cell of a flow battery, the second electrode being spaced apart from the first electrode, with an electrolyte separator layer arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode;
(b) while the vanadium-based electrolyte solution is in the at least one cell of the flow battery, converting the vanadium V4+ in the vanadium-based electrolyte solution at the first electrode to vanadium V3+ and converting the vanadium V4+ in the vanadium-based electrolyte solution at the second electrode to vanadium V5+ by providing electrical energy through an electric circuit to the first electrode and the second electrode;
(c) after said step (b), while the vanadium-based electrolyte solution is in the at least one cell of the flow battery, providing a reducing agent to the vanadium-based electrolyte solution of the second electrolyte to reduce the vanadium V5+ to vanadium V4+; and
(d) after said step (c), while the vanadium-based electrolyte solution is in the at least one cell of the flow battery, establishing the flow battery to be in a fully charged state by converting the vanadium V3+ of said step (b) in the vanadium-based electrolyte solution at the first electrode to vanadium V2+ and converting the vanadium V4+ of said step (c) in the vanadium-based electrolyte solution at the second electrode to vanadium V5+ by providing electrical energy through the electric circuit to the first electrode and the second electrode.