Patent Application
20190319282
This application claims benefit under Japanese Application Number 2018-76864, filed Apr. 12, 2018. The entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
The invention is related to magnesium fuel assemblies and magnesium batteries.
To produce an efficient cell, a structure in which fuel is constantly supplied in succession is required. Japanese Patent Number 5034014 proposes a method of supplying fuel by winding magnesium in a film form onto a reel and rotating the reel. In addition, Japanese Patent Number 5891569 proposes a method of supplying magnesium in a thin plate form by driving a bellows mechanism. In these magnesium batteries, the cell reaction begins when magnesium in film or plate form is inserted into the cell body, and magnesium that has undergone reaction is ejected from the cell body. Reaction is sustained by then inserting new magnesium.
The supply mechanisms shown in Japanese Patent Number 5034014 and Japanese Patent Number 5891569 feature complicated structures, resulting in problems requiring large-scale drive mechanisms.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.
In light of the problems involved, the purpose of the invention is to propose a magnesium fuel assembly that can be continuously supplied by a simple mechanism and a magnesium battery provided with the said magnesium fuel assembly.
The features applied to achieve the above purpose are as follows: the magnesium fuel assembly relating to the first aspect of the invention is provided with a separator formed with liquid-absorbable material, a magnesium plate incorporating magnesium encased in the aforementioned separator and a rotating shaft formed by a semiconductor electrically connected to the aforementioned magnesium plate; the aforementioned rotating axis is arranged to penetrate at a point near the center of the aforementioned magnesium plate and the aforementioned magnesium plate rotates with the aforementioned rotating shaft at its center.
The aforementioned magnesium plate may be circular in shape.
Multiple magnesium plates mentioned above are arranged sharing the aforementioned rotating shaft and the aforementioned multiple magnesium sheets may rotate with the aforementioned rotating shaft at the center.
The aforementioned rotating shaft may be furnished with an operating device.
The aforementioned operating device may be a spring wound onto an elastic body in a spiral.
The features of the magnesium battery relating to the second aspect of the invention are as follows: it consists of the magnesium fuel body relating to the first aspect of the invention, a cathode that is inserted from both sides and is in contact with part of the aforementioned magnesium plate and an electrolytic solution retainer that holds electrolytic solution inside. The aforementioned magnesium plate that serves as fuel moves by rotation of the aforementioned magnesium fuel assembly absorbs the electrolytic solution in the aforementioned electrolytic solution retainer. Then, the said magnesium plate, which is inserted into the aforementioned cathode, produces an electromotive force. After the reaction, the magnesium plate is extracted by rotation of the said cathode, at the same time as an unreacted aforementioned magnesium plate is inserted into the said cathode.
The aforementioned cathode may be fan-shaped.
Multiple aforementioned cathodes may be installed.
The invention makes it possible to provide a magnesium assembly capable of maintaining a continuous supply to the area surrounding the electrode and a magnesium battery consisting of the said magnesium fuel assembly through a simple mechanism.
Details of the embodiments of the invention are described below referring to the drawings.
Firstly, we will describe the configuration of magnesium fuel assembly 100.
Magnesium fuel assembly 101 is a plate formed from metallic magnesium. While in
Separator 102 functions as the separator for the magnesium battery. Formed from material capable of retention by and impregnation of electrolytic solution, separator 102 transmits ions required for oxidation-reduction reaction. For example, materials such as non-woven fabrics or felt may be used. Separator 102 encases magnesium plate 101.
Formed from electrically-conductive material, rotating shaft 103 penetrates separator 102 and magnesium plate 101 and functions as the rotating shaft with separator 102 and magnesium plate 101. At the same time, the shaft is electrically connected to magnesium plate 101 and functions as the anode of the magnesium battery. By serving the dual functions of a rotating shaft and electrode anode, the shaft enables a simple mechanism and can also extract electricity.
An operating device such as a motor is used as the motive force for rotation. The force produced by unwinding of a spring wound in a spiral around an elastic body, for example, can be used as the motive force. This both simplifies the device and makes it possible to adjust rotation by the time taken for the spring to unwind.
Next, we will describe magnesium battery 200, which uses magnesium fuel assembly 100 as fuel.
Magnesium battery 200 is furnished with cathode 300 and electrolyte solution retainer 400 and produces electromotive force with magnesium fuel assembly 100 as its fuel.
Formed from electrically-conductive material, cathode 300 functions as the cathode of magnesium-air cell 200. Cathode 300 supplies electrons to oxygen in the air, which is the cathode active material. While materials such as carbon, metal, manganese compounds or combinations of these may be used as the material to form cathode 300, other materials may also be used. The material should preferably have a large surface area that promotes oxygen reduction to facilitate oxygen absorption.
Next, we will describe an outline configuration of magnesium battery 200 using
The electrolytic solution allows the exchange of ions between magnesium fuel assembly 100 and cathode 300. Water contained in the electrolytic solution is used by cathode 303 in the oxygen reduction reaction. While sodium chloride aqueous solution, for example, can be used as the electrolytic solution, other solution may also be used.
Next, we will describe the method to use magnesium fuel assembly 100 as fuel for magnesium battery 200 using
As shown in
As shown in
In this way, magnesium fuel assembly 100 that serves as fuel for magnesium battery 200 is inserted into and extracted from cathode 300 by rotation centered on rotating shaft 103, thus enabling continuous supply of fuel.
The shapes of cathode 300 may are not limited to those shown in
In addition, as shown in
Descriptions that duplicate those for Embodiment 1 are omitted. In magnesium fuel assembly 500 in Embodiment 2, multiple magnesium plates 101 in the magnesium fuel assembly in Embodiment 1 are installed around rotating shaft 103. Magnesium fuel assembly 500 is furnished with magnesium plate 101, separator 102 that encases magnesium plate 101 and rotating shaft 103, with multiple magnesium plates 101 encased in separator 102 installed around rotating shaft 103. This is shown in the cross-sectional side view drawing in
Next, we will describe magnesium battery 600, which uses magnesium fuel assembly 500.
Furnished with cathode 700 and electrolytic solution retainer 400, magnesium battery 600 produces electromotive force using magnesium assembly 500 as fuel.
In magnesium battery 600, multiple magnesium plates 101 rotate with rotating shaft 103 as the center, so that, like Embodiment 1, after being impregnated with electrolytic solution by electrolytic solution retainer 400, separator 102 is inserted into cathode 700, initiating a cell reaction, and, when magnesium plate 101 has been consumed, it is extracted by repeated rotation and, at the same time, an unreacted magnesium plate 101 is inserted into cathode 700, enabling continuous use.
While this concludes the description of embodiments of the invention, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.
In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. Thus, the sole and exclusive indicator of what is the invention and is intended by the applicants to be the invention, is the set of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent correction. In this regard, although specific claim dependencies are set out in the claims of this application, it is to be noted that the features of the dependent claims of this application may be combined as appropriate with the features of other dependent claims and with the features of the independent claims of this application, and not merely according to the specific dependencies recited in the set of claims. Moreover, although separate embodiments are discussed herein, any combination of embodiments and/or partial embodiments discussed herein may be combined to form further embodiments.
Any definitions expressly set forth herein for terms contained in such claims shall govern the meaning of such terms as used in the claims. Hence, no limitation, element, property, feature, advantage or attribute that is not expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of such claim in any way. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-76864 | Apr 2018 | JP | national |
