Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Komatsu Corporation

The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

Hiroyuki Nakaishi

Teiji Yamamoto

Akira Hashimoto

Nobuyuki Tokuda

Takashi Kanno

Takefumi Ito

Toshio Shigematsu

Seiji Ogino

Kenichi Hisamatsu

Michiru Kubata

Hirokazu Kaku

Kei Hanafusa

Yasumitsu Tsutsui

Seiji Miyaura

Shinichiro Mukobata

Tomomi Utsumi

Megumi Sato

A bipolar plate arranged to face an electrode along which electrolyte is circulated, the bipolar plate includes a flow passage that is provided on at least one of front and back surfaces of the bipolar plate and along which the electrolyte is circulated. The flow passage provided on the at least one of the front and back surfaces of the bipolar plate includes an introduction path along which the electrolyte is introduced and a discharge path that does not communicate with and is independent of the introduction path and along which the electrolyte is discharged. At least one of the introduction path and the discharge path includes an inclined groove that non-orthogonally intersects a long side and a short side of an imaginary rectangle that includes an outer edge of the bipolar plate.

Bipolar plate, cell stack, and redox flow battery

An electrode for a redox flow battery includes a substrate, a conductive portion applied to a surface of the substrate, and a catalytic portion held by the conductive portion, the conductive portion containing one or more types of elements selected from the group &#x3b1;1 consisting of Sn, Ti, Ta, Ce, In, and Zn, the catalytic portion containing one or more types of elements selected from the group &#x3b2; consisting of Ru, Ir, Pd, Pt, Rh, and Au.

Electrode for redox flow battery, and redox flow batteries

A battery is provided which includes at least one pair of cell frames stacked together and each including a frame body and a bipolar plate, the frame body having a manifold serving as a flow path for a battery fluid, the bipolar plate being disposed inside the frame body; a positive electrode and a negative electrode; and a membrane having a through hole corresponding to the manifold. The battery includes a sealing member including an annular base portion and bifurcated annular leg portions. The annular base portion is disposed along an inner periphery of the through hole, and the bifurcated annular leg portions extend from the annular base portion toward the outside of the through hole in such a manner that the membrane is sandwiched therebetween. The sealing member is interposed between the frame bodies stacked together.

Sealing member with bifurcated annular leg portions and battery using the same

A flow battery includes a cell, a bipolar plate which is in contact with one of a positive electrode and a negative electrode constituting the cell, a current collector plate which has a terminal portion that is led out to the outside of the cell and is electrically connected to the bipolar plate, and a supply/discharge plate which is stacked on the current collector plate and supplies and discharges electrolytes to and from the cell. When the side of the supply/discharge plate facing the current collector plate is regarded as a front surface and the side opposite thereto is regarded as a back surface, the supply/discharge plate has an insertion hole which passes between the front surface and the back surface thereof and into which the terminal portion is inserted, and the terminal portion passes through the insertion hole and extends from the front surface side to the back surface side of the supply/discharge plate to be led out.

Flow battery and supply/discharge plate of flow battery

Provided is a battery cell stack in which the electrical resistance between a current collector plate and an end bipolar plate is unlikely to increase when charging and discharging are repeated. A battery cell stack includes a current collector plate electrically connected to each of a pair of end bipolar plates located at both ends in the stacking direction. In the battery cell stack, two members in contact with each other between the current collector plate and the end bipolar plate are made of materials such that, when an accelerated test satisfying the following conditions 1 to 3 is performed, the electrical resistance value between the current collector plate and the end bipolar plate after the accelerated test is 1.05 times or less the electrical resistance value between the current collector plate and the end bipolar plate before the accelerated test:

Battery cell stack and redox flow battery

An easy-to-assemble battery sealing structure is provided. A cell frame includes a battery plate-like member (bipolar plate), a pair of frames for holding a peripheral portion of bipolar plate therebetween and pressing the peripheral portion from the front and the rear, and an annular packing made of an elastic material. Frames are provided with an annular groove between respective surfaces of the frames facing each other, for accommodating the peripheral portion of bipolar plate. Packing is mounted on the peripheral portion of bipolar plate, arranged in annular groove, and press-contacted between frames and the peripheral portion of bipolar plate. Packing includes a pair of legs for holding the peripheral portion of bipolar plate therebetween, and a base connecting legs together.

Battery sealing structure, electrolyte circulation type battery cell frame, electrolyte circulation type battery cell stack, and electrolyte circulation type battery

Redox flow battery cell stack

This invention provides a cell stack for a redox flow battery that can provide battery efficiencies with high reliability over a long term, without any adhesive bonding between a bipolar plate and electrodes. In the cell stackfor the redox flow battery of a cell frame, electrodesand a membranebeing stacked in layers, the cell framecomprises a frameA and a bipolar platearranged inside of the frameA, and the electrodesare put into close contact with the bipolar plateby a clamping force, without being adhesively bonded to the bipolar plate. It is preferable that when the electrodesare compressed to a thickness corresponding to a level difference between the frameA and the bipolar plate, repulsive force of the electrodes is in the range of more than 15 kPa to less than 150 kPa (more than 0.153 kgf/cmto less than 1.53 kgf/cm).

Cell stack for redox flow battery

This invention provides a cell frame for a redox flow battery that prevents leakage of electrolyte out of the cell frame and also provides a good workability in assembling the redox flow battery. Also, this invention provides a redox flow battery using the cell frame. In the cell framefor the redox flow batterycomprising a bipolar plateand a framefitted around a periphery of the bipolar plate, the framehas, on each side thereof, an inner seal and an outer seal to press-contact with a membrane and also seal electrolyte. The framehas, on each side thereof, an inner seal grooveand an outer seal groovefor placing therein the inner seal and the outer seal, respectively, to prevent the electrolyte from leaking out, and O-rings are placed in the respective seal grooves.

Cell stack for redox flow battery, and redox flow battery

The present invention provides electrolyte that can suppress reduction of battery efficiencies and capacities with increased cycles of charge/discharge of the battery, a method for producing the same, and a redox flow battery using the same electrolyte. The redox flow battery uses the electrolyte having a NHcontent of not more than 20 ppm and a relation of Si concentration (ppm)&#xd7;electrolyte quantity (m)/electrode area (m) of less than 5 ppm&#xb7;m/m. By limiting a quantity of contaminants in the electrolyte, a clogging of carbon electrodes to cause reduction of the battery performances with increased charge/discharge operations can be suppressed.

Electrolyte for redox flow battery, and redox flow battery

A seal assembly has simple assembly structures, and provides secure sealing effects. A crawler-track connection structure allows the seal assembly to be easily mounted, and securely prevents overflow of a lubricant and the like to the outside. A pair of seal rings () and () individually having lip portions () and () are disposed such that each of the lip portions () and () protrudes in a direction opposing an axial direction, and a load seal ring () is compressed and inserted between the pair of seal rings () and (). The load seal ring () exerts reaction forces on the pair of lip portions () and () outwardly in the axial direction.

Seal assembly and crawler-track connection structure

An link of a caterpillar which is allowed to maintain stabilized durability for a long period. The fixing structure has a link, and a pin inserted into a pin inserting bore formed in the link. A peripherally extending concave groove formed on the end portion of the pin and an opening periphery conjugate to forms an annular space. In order to limit relative escaping motion of the pin in the off-opening side (toward receding direction), a escape limiting ring is fitted into the annular space. The hardness of the bottom surface of the peripherally extending concave groove is lowered than the surface hardness of a link engaging portion of the pin.

Fixing structure for fixing a pin to a link in a caterpillar

A pressure receiving surface ( ) having a diameter gradually decreasing in an axially inward direction is formed at an outer end portion of a pin ( ), whereas a pressing portion ( ) is formed at a circumferential edge of an opening of a pin insertion hole ( ) of a link ( ). A retaining ring ( ) is formed with a friction surface ( ) to be press-contacted to the pressure receiving surface ( ) when a force is applied from the pressing portion ( ) upon development of a relative movement in a disengaging direction. The retaining ring ( ) and the pressure receiving surface ( ) share a greater area of contact than in the prior art, providing sufficient friction. This makes possible to provide a fastening structure of the link and the pin of a crawler belt which can be assembled by simple operation at a low cost, without requiring a high machining accuracy, and thus can be manufactured at a low cost.

Fixing structure between links and pins in crawler

In a travelling crawler belt in which a pair of left and right links are connected by pins respectively press-fitted into the corresponding links, a fixing end surface of the pin or the links is continuously and locally pressed and deformed in an axial direction of the pin from the fixing end surface, along an inner or outer peripheral portion of an opening of a pin-press-fit hole. Then, a part of the opening peripheral portion of the end of the pin or the link is enlarged or reduced in diameter, so that the diametrically increased or reduced portion is retained and fixed to a mating retaining space. With this fixing method, it is possible to easily and strongly couple the links and the pin, and to obtain a fixing structure of the links and the pin for a crawler belt capable of sufficiently securing a holding force of the pin in the axial direction. When the pin is fixed at the time of the assembling of the pin, an existing press can be used without requiring any exclusive machine, and it is possible to easily and reliably assemble the links and the pin for the crawler belt.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Hiroyuki Nakaishi