Patent ID: 8492052

Claim:
An electrochemical cell comprising: a fuel electrode; an oxidant electrode spaced from the fuel electrode; an ionically conductive medium contacting the electrodes; the fuel electrode and the oxidant electrode being configured to, during discharge, oxidize a metal fuel at the fuel electrode and reduce an oxidant at the oxidant electrode to generate a discharge potential difference therebetween for application to a load; an electrode holder comprising a cavity for holding the fuel electrode, at least one inlet connected to the cavity on one side of the cavity and configured to supply the ionically conductive medium to the cavity, and at least one outlet connected to the cavity on an opposite side of the cavity as the at least one inlet and configured to allow the ionically conductive medium to flow out of the cavity; and a plurality of spacers extending across the fuel electrode and the cavity in a spaced relation from each other to define a plurality of flow lanes in the cavity so that the ionically conductive medium flows into each flow lane via the at least one inlet, across the fuel electrode, and out of the flow lane via the at least one outlet, wherein the fuel electrode comprises a plurality of permeable bodies in spaced relation and wherein the plurality of spacers are provided in between the permeable bodies to allow the ionically conductive medium to permeate through the permeable bodies and to flow across the permeable bodies in the flow lanes, further comprising a charging electrode, wherein the fuel electrode and the charging electrode are configured to, during re-charge, reduce a reducible species of the fuel to electrodeposit the fuel on the fuel electrode and oxidize an oxidizable species of the oxidant by application of a re-charge potential difference therebetween from a power source.