Abstract: A composition for prolonging battery life by reducing water loss and the degradation of properties due to dendritic precipitation, is refreshingly added to a battery electrolyte. By the refreshment of the composition, battery cycle life is substantially increased while degradation of the internal battery components is substantially reduced.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for activating and sealing a storage battery in an uncontrolled atmosphere. A tubular structure is coupled to a fill port of the battery, the battery is evacuated by connecting the tubular structure to a source of vacuum, and the battery is thereafter filled by connecting the tubular structure to a source of pressurized electrolytic fluid. After the battery has been evacuated and filled, a check valve, slideably positioned in the passage through which the battery has been evacuated and thereafter filled is driven along the passage into a press fit with a valve seat defined proximate the fill port of the battery to seal the battery from contaminants while allowing escape of gas from the interior of the battery housing.

Abstract: A lid for accumulator batteries has one or more holes to receive a device to ensure the circulation of electrolyte during the first charge and a second device to ensure the re-fill of electrolyte during the other charges. The lid is equipped with one or more channels each having one end facing the surface of the one or more holes and the opposite end coupled with at least one duct on the inner vertical wall of the container.

Abstract: A portable system of inter-connected smaller and larger canisters for near simultaneous vacuum and liquid transfer free from any external power. Captured vacuum in the canisters is employed for waste liquid extraction and a subsequent pressure transfer may take place without any liquid being exposed to the atmosphere. A mechanical manifold is adapted to receive the canisters, and one or more canisters may be physically connected to the manifold and are left in place as a user drives to another site location. An intermediate canister in the system is fitted with either manual or a self tending valve for the vacuum and pressure modes of the system.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing an electrochemical cell comprising the steps of providing an electrode and applying electrolyte to the electrode using an ink-jet printer. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an ink-jet printing process is utilized to print the electrolyte onto the surface of the electrodes and separators or the electrode/separator bilayers. The ink-jet printing accurately meters and uniformly distributes the electrolyte throughout the pore structure of the separator and the electrode without contaminating the cell gasket. Preferably, a drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head is used to facilitate the electrolyte printing process. The ink-jet printing head is electronically pulsed to form and eject the electrolyte droplets from a nozzle of printing-head. The volume and the distribution of each electrolyte droplet are accurately determined and controlled by varying the pulse width and the pulse frequency of the printing head.

Abstract: An automatic re-fill device includes a body portion adapted to be secured in the accumulator lid and a tubular element having a lower float portion and being slidable within the body. The tubular element has a closure device within the body and a membrane at an upper portion thereof for increasing upward pushing force to close the closure when the float is lifted by the liquid in the accumulator.

Abstract: The optimum electrolyte level sensing method and the automatic topping up apparatus for storage wet cell are disclosed. The difference in the conductivities between the distilled water and the electrolyte is utilized. An injection outlet portion (15), an adjust ring (14), and two wires are used to detect the optimum electrolyte level to supply distilled water to storage cells. The feedback control to maintain the constant optimum electrolyte level of storage cells is carried out by a single microprocessor.

Abstract: Apparatus operable to charge a controlled volume of an electrolyte through a filling opening into a battery case is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an electrolyte charging station, a manifold head having a vacuum outlet and a vacuum passageway connected to the vacuum outlet, an electrolyte reservoir and an electrolyte passageway connected to the reservoir, a manifold positioner operable to move the manifold head to and to support the head in a first position, in a second battery case evacuating position, and in a third battery case filling position, and a valve having a fluid discharge which is surrounded by a tube and is in fluid communication with the filling opening of a battery in the charging station when the manifold is in the second position and when the manifold is in the third position, and is spaced from the battery in the charging station when the manifold is in the first position.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolytic secondary battery has a seal whose transparency and permeability with respect to external gas or moisture can be suppressed to a low level and which has high reliability. The nonaqueous electrolytic secondary battery has an electrolytic solution injection port (32) for injecting a nonaqueous electrolytic solution and an expansion plug (4) for air-tightly sealing the electrolytic solution injection port. A metal seal (2) is arranged between the electrolytic solution injection port (32) and the expansion plug (4). The metal seal (2) is of a metal containing aluminum as a main component, or a stainless steel, and the expansion plug (4) is of stainless steel.

Abstract: A normally sealed multi-cell, lead-acid battery of the starved electrolyte type has each cell filled with a metered quantity of electrolyte by drawing down a vacuum on one or more of the cells; releasing the vacuum; and simultaneously drawing, through a filling port in the lid of each cell under vacuum, the metered quantity of electrolyte. Each cell houses a cell pack comprising at least one porous positive plate; at least one porous negative plate; and a porous, relatively fragile microfiber glass mat separator interleaved between the plates. A deflector platform, integral with the lid and having a deflecting surface, is positioned between the filling port and the cell pack of each cell of the battery. During filling, the electrolyte impinges upon the deflecting surface and is deflected laterally so that the electrolyte does not directly impinge upon and damage the cell pack.

Abstract: An adapter funnel for an electrolyte feeder of a battery includes a plurality of adjacent connected chambers, each of which has an upper tube having an acute head at the top thereof and a lower tube fixed therein. The lower tube having a diameter less than that of the upper tube thus limiting the rate of flow of the electrolyte from the electrolyte feeder through the upper tube, the lower tube, and to the battery.

Abstract: The compositions are derived from Bi.sub.4 V.sub.2 O.sub.11 and are characterized by the fact that at least one of the elements present is substituted, the substituting element(s) being such that the structural nature of the gamma phase of Bi.sub.4 V.sub.2 O.sub.11 is maintained, as well as the equilibrium of the loads.

Abstract: A battery assembly has a battery case and a battery acid container, wherein the battery case has a number of sockets on an upper central part thereof and the battery acid container has a number of adjacent vessels. Each socket has a central post with crossed bridge linked therebetween to form apertures that surround the central post. Each vessel has a neck with a hat-like plug for inserting into the opening of the neck and an air vent between every two adjacent vessels. The hat-like plug has a weak portion which is easily torn apart upon insertion in the socket to fill battery acid therethrough and a reinforced portion for retaining the torn part affixed to the plug. A cover has a number of annular plugs to seal the sockets.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, inlet and outlet manifolds for a forced electrolyte flow battery, the manifolds having nonuniform cross-sections. The inlet manifold extends along the base of the battery cells and tapers from a large cross-section at the inlet end thereof to a small cross-section at the closed opposite end of the manifold. The outlet manifold has electrolyte outlets at either end of the manifold and tapers from a small cross-section at the middle of the manifold to large cross-sections at the electrolyte outlets of the manifolds. The inlet and outlets to and from the inlet and outlet manifolds are arranged, respectively, such that the header connected to the inlet manifold is larger in cross-section than the cross-section of the inlet manifold at that point and the headers connected to the outlet manifold are larger in cross-section than the cross-sections of the outlet manifold at that point.

Abstract: A method of charging a battery with electrolyte, utilizing a container having a supply of electrolyte therein and a number of outlet spouts which are simultaneously inserted into the battery cells while the battery is on its side such that when the battery is moved to upright position the electrolyte simultaneously pours into the battery cells from the spouts respectively. The container has a plurality of cells communicating with the spouts respectively and a conduit in the container interconnects all of the cells of the container.

Abstract: The present invention provides method and apparatus for the automatic recirculation of battery electrolyte from industrial and similar batteries. The invention employs a vacuum system to remove electrolyte from a cell of the battery, transfer it to a central location where it can be treated, and then return it to the battery for its continued use. The invention lends itself to many forms of electrolyte treatment, including temperature adjustment, filtering, and removal of excess gases. The invention may be readily employed on virtually all industrial batteries with minimal modification and effort, and it greatly decreases maintenance time and expense for such batteries while increasing their flexibility and uses.

Abstract: An electrolyte feeder for battery including an electrolyte container, said container comprising a shell body filled with an electrolyte in a plurality of spaced cell units, equal in number to the number of individual cells in a dry changed storage battery, each of said shell bodies having a filling tube, said filling tubes being spaced to coincide with the spacing between filling ports of said battery to enable the filling tubes to fit into the corresponding one of the filling ports, a thin film being formed at a tip end of the filling tube, and said thin film sealing up each shell body.

Abstract: Electrochemical cell containers having an improved seal arrangement including a polymeric member carrying a metal pin in a base extending therethrough.

Abstract: An electrolyte container for simultaneously filling electrolyte into the individual cells of a multi-cell dry-charged storage battery comprising a shell body having a plurality of spaced cell units, corresponding in number to the battery to be filled and each containing the quantity of electrolyte required to fill the corresponding battery cell, each container cell unit including a flow regulator, a sealed tip and a cutting line between the tip and flow regulator for cutting and removing the tip when the container is to be used to fill the cells of a dry-charged battery.

Abstract: Electrochemical cell containers having an improved seal arrangement including a polymeric member carrying a metal pin in a bore extending therethrough.

Abstract: An improved porous cathode structure for use in a battery having a reactive metal electrode and flowed electrolyte. The cathode is preferably formed of an electrically conducting porous material with categorically active surface at an interface with the electrolyte. Alternatively, the cathode may be of an electrochemically reducible porous material and defines an active surface.Structure is provided for delivering electrochemically reducible cathode reactant material continuously through the cathode to the cathode active surface during operation of the battery. The reactant material is delivered in an amount required to be reduced at the active surface to maintain high energy discharge rate with minimum amount of reactant material being utilized. The reactant material, in the illustrated embodiment, is provided from a storage supply and delivered to the porous cathode as needed during operation of the battery.

Abstract: A process for carrying out chemical and/or electrochemical reactions in a reaction chamber traversed by a suspension of particles in a fluid is improved due to the fact that the suspension emerging from the chamber is separated into two fractions: a "concentrated fraction" comprising the greater part or all of the particles and a "fluid fraction" comprising the greater part or all of the fluid. The "fluid fraction" is introduced into a reservoir. A flow of the fluid from the reservoir is combined with the "concentrated fraction" in order to form a suspension, which is then introduced into the reaction chamber.

Abstract: In a reactive metal-water electrochemical cell, a configuration utilizing waste heat and evolved hydrogen gas for pumping electrolyte through the cell. More particularly, the cell is in a vertical, hollow tubular configuration with the reactive anode being bonded to the interior surface of the tube casing and a coiled metal screen cathode being positioned within the tubular cell and containing the anode over essentially its full working surface. As the anode is consumed in operation, by reaction with an aqueous electrolyte filling the interior cavity of the tubular configuration, the coil configuration of the cathode forces it to expand and maintain contact with the anode. During operation, evolved waste heat and gas cause a flow of electrolyte through the interior of the cell.

Abstract: A secondary battery comprising: (A) discharge and charge zones containing alkali metal/sulfur cells, the cells in said discharge zone being adapted to operate in a discharge mode and having an electrode which is more readily wet by molten sulfur than by molten polysulfide salts of said alkali metal, and the cells in the charge zone being adapted to operate in a charge mode and having an electrode which is more readily wet by molten polysulfide salts of said alkali metal than by molten sulfur; (B) a storage zone adapted to store molten sulfur and molten polysulfide salts from said cells; (C) means for transporting reactant materials including molten sulfur and molten polysulfide salts of said alkali metal beween said storage zone and said charge and discharge zones; and (D) means for transporting molten alkali metal from said charge zone to said discharge zone.