Wire cooling device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wire cooling device, which comprises: a cooling cylinder, the cooling cylinder having an inner cavity, the inner cavity is used to load cooling liquid, the lower end and upper end of the cooling cylinder are respectively provided with a wire inlet and a wire outlet; an inner tube, the upper end periphery of the inner tube is sealed and connected to the outer periphery of the wire outlet, a wire passage is provided in the inner tube, and the lower end of the inner tube extends toward the wire inlet; the cooling cylinder is also provided with an air extraction port, the air extraction port is connected to the inner cavity between the outer wall of the inner tube and the inner wall of the cooling cylinder. It can achieve the improvement of the wire belt speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a wire cooling device, which is used for cooling photovoltaic welding strips after tinning, and can also be used for cooling other wires. Background Art

[0002] Photovoltaic welding ribbon is tinned copper ribbon, which is used to connect photovoltaic module cells and is an important raw material in the photovoltaic module welding process.

[0003] When tinning the photovoltaic ribbon, it must pass through a 230-degree Celsius tin melting furnace. After passing through the tin furnace, the temperature of the ribbon can reach over 100 degrees Celsius, and it needs to be cooled before it can be rolled up. The cooling treatment can make the tin layer more uniform and firmly adhered. In reality, cold air cooling and liquid nitrogen cooling are usually used.

[0004] Among them, cold air cooling usually uses inert gas and air conditioning refrigeration, which has the disadvantages of high energy consumption, low cooling efficiency, low contact surface, and high cost, resulting in low belt speed. Liquid nitrogen cooling has a good cooling effect, but it also has the disadvantages of high energy consumption and high cost, and the belt speed is still not very high. Please refer to the reference patents 3 and 4 listed below.

[0005] In addition to using cold air cooling and liquid nitrogen cooling, there are attempts to use liquid cooling, such as cooling by cooling water or other conventional coolants (coolants that do not evaporate quickly), which have good cooling effects, low energy consumption, and low operating costs.

[0006] Reference Patent 2 listed below is a liquid cooling device that uses a spraying method to spray the coolant onto the solder strip. However, the spraying method affects the straightness of the solder strip and affects the strip speed. Therefore, in this case, if the strip speed is very high, the solder strip will shake severely, affecting the previous hot dip coating. In addition, in the spraying method, the coolant cannot fully contact the solder strip, so the cooling effect is still not high.

[0007] Reference Patent 1 listed below is also a liquid cooling device, where the coolant and the solder strip can be fully in contact, thus having a high cooling efficiency. However, the liquid flow formed by the coolant and the airflow generated by the inert gas in the protective tube act on the solder strip, still affecting the strip speed. If the strip speed is high, the solder strip will vibrate violently, thus affecting the preceding hot dip coating. In addition, during the operation of the device, inert gas still needs to be consumed, increasing the operating cost.

[0008] Therefore, improvements are needed.

[0009] Reference Patents:

[0010] 1. Chinese patent "Metal Strip Hot Dip Coating Device", publication number is "CN1403623A";

[0011] 2. Chinese patent "Narrow metal strip hot dip coating device", publication number is "CN1068980A";

[0012] 3. Chinese patent "Plating device and plating method", publication number is "CN108431284A";

[0013] 4. U.S. Patent “Hot dipping method for forming a metal or alloy coating around an elongated body”, publication number is “US4552788A”. Summary of the invention

[0014] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wire cooling device, which solves the problem of increasing the wire belt speed.

[0015] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0016] The present invention provides a wire cooling device, which comprises:

[0017] A cooling cylinder, wherein the cooling cylinder has an inner cavity for carrying cooling liquid, and a wire inlet and a wire outlet are respectively provided at the lower end and the upper end of the cooling cylinder;

[0018] An inner tube, wherein the circumference of the upper end of the inner tube is sealed and connected to the outer circumference of the wire outlet, a wire passage is provided in the inner tube, and the lower end of the inner tube extends toward the wire inlet;

[0019] The cooling cylinder is also provided with an air suction port, which is connected to the inner cavity between the outer wall of the inner tube and the inner wall of the cooling cylinder.

[0020] Optimally, it further comprises a connecting plate, wherein the connecting plate is connected between the inner wall of the cooling cylinder and the inner tube.

[0021] Optimally, a guide hole is provided at both the line inlet and the line outlet, the inner diameter of the guide hole gradually decreases from bottom to top, and the upper end of the guide hole is communicated with the line inlet or the line outlet.

[0022] Optimally, a wind knife is provided outside the outlet.

[0023] Furthermore, the setting of the blowing direction of the wind knife can achieve the effect of blowing the cooling liquid on the surface of the wire back into the inner tube.

[0024] Furthermore, the air outlet of the air knife is annularly wrapped with wire.

[0025] Optimally, the outer wall of the cooling cylinder is provided with fins, and the fins extend far from the outer wall of the cooling cylinder.

[0026] Optimally, it also includes an outer cylinder, which is sleeved on the outer circumference of the cooling cylinder, and a cooling liquid accommodating chamber is formed between the inner wall of the outer cylinder and the outer wall of the cooling cylinder, and the cooling liquid accommodating chamber is used to load cooling liquid.

[0027] Furthermore, a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet are provided on the outer cylinder, a circulation pipe is connected between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, and a circulation pump is provided in the circulation pipe.

[0028] Optimally, the wire entry port is provided with a guide hole, the inner diameter of which gradually decreases in a bottom-up direction, a sealing plug is provided in the guide hole, a wire passing channel is provided in the sealing plug, and the sealing plug is driven by a single-acting cylinder. When the single-acting cylinder is de-aired, the single-acting cylinder can push the sealing plug into the guide hole, and the thrust is large enough to squeeze the wire passing channel in the sealing plug and close it.

[0029] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0030] The wire cooling device of the present invention loads cooling liquid (pure water or other coolant) into the cooling cylinder, and the wire (such as welding strip) flows in from the wire inlet at the lower end and flows out from the wire outlet at the upper end. The wire is fully in contact with the cooling liquid in the cooling cylinder and has a very high cooling efficiency. The high cooling efficiency provides a guarantee for high-speed wire. In addition, the wire is not subject to lateral impact by the coolant or other fluids, so that the wire belt speed can be increased. In order to solve the leakage at the lower end wire inlet, an inner tube is provided in the cooling cylinder, and sealing is achieved by making the cooling liquid level higher than the lower end of the inner tube, and the closed inner cavity between the upper end of the liquid level outside the inner tube and the upper sealing cover is evacuated through the exhaust port, so that the cooling liquid will not leak out from the lower end wire inlet through the pressure difference. In summary, the effect of increasing the wire belt speed is achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in an exemplary and non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the accompanying drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a wire cooling device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram showing half of the structure removed;

[0034] Figure 3 It is an enlarged view of the sealing plug and the accessory structure that drives its movement;

[0035] The reference numerals are described as follows:

[0036] 1. Cooling cylinder; 11. Wire inlet; 12. Wire outlet; 13. Air extraction port; 14. Guide hole; 15. Inner cavity; 151. Sealed cavity; 16. Drain pipe;

[0037] 2. Inner tube; 21. Wire passage;

[0038] 3. Connecting plate; 31. Through hole;

[0039] 4. Wind knife;

[0040] 5. Fins;

[0041] 6. outer cylinder; 61. cooling liquid containing chamber; 62. liquid inlet; 63. liquid outlet;

[0042] 7. Leakage-proof assembly; 71. Sealing plug; 72. Single-acting cylinder; 73. Wedge block; 74. Slide plate; 741. Guide strip; 75. Side plate; 76. Bottom plate; 77. Spring;

[0043] 8. Vacuum generator;

[0044] 9. Solenoid valve;

[0045] 101. Liquid level sensor;

[0046] 102. Wire. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0049] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the wire cooling device includes a cooling cylinder 1 and an outer cylinder 6. After being hot-dip coated with hot-melt tin, the wire 102 (photovoltaic welding ribbon) passes through the cooling cylinder 1 from below and passes through the cooling cylinder 1 from above, and is cooled while passing through the cooling cylinder 1.

[0051] like Figure 2 , Figure 2 for Figure 1 The wire cooling device shown is a three-dimensional schematic diagram after being cut open and the other half is removed.

[0052] The cooling cylinder 1 is made of metal material with good thermal conductivity. The cooling cylinder 1 has sealing covers at the upper and lower ends to achieve internal sealing (except for the inlet 11 and the outlet 12, the rest of the parts are sealed). The cooling cylinder 1 has an inner cavity 15, which is used to load cooling liquid. The liquid level of the cooling liquid is approximately Figure 2 The position indicated by the dotted line at A in the middle. The lower end of the cooling cylinder 1 is provided with a wire inlet 11 (located on the lower end sealing cover), and the upper end is provided with a wire outlet 12 (located on the upper end sealing cover). The wire 102 flows into the inner cavity 15 from the wire inlet 11 and flows out from the wire outlet 12. The wire 102 is fully in contact with the cooling liquid in the inner cavity 15 to achieve the purpose of cooling.

[0053] like Figure 2 Since the lower line inlet 11 is connected to the outside, in order to prevent the cooling liquid from flowing out of the line inlet 11, an inner tube 2 and a vacuum generator 8 are further provided in this example. The upper end periphery of the inner tube 2 is sealed and connected to the outer periphery of the line outlet 12. The lower end of the inner tube 2 extends downward for a certain length, specifically toward the line inlet 11. A line passage 21 is provided in the inner tube 2, and the wire 102 flows through the line passage 21. By loading enough cooling liquid, the cooling liquid is immersed in the lower end of the inner tube 2. In this way, the upper inner cavity 15 between the outer wall of the inner tube 2 and the inner wall of the cooling tube 1 is a closed cavity 151, or the inner cavity 15 between the outer wall of the inner tube 2 above the liquid level and the inner wall of the cooling tube 1 is a closed cavity 151. An air extraction port 13 is provided on the upper end sealing cover of the cooling tube 1, and the air extraction port 13 is connected to the above-mentioned closed cavity 151. A vacuum generator 8 is connected to the air extraction port 13 and is used for vacuuming so as to put the sealed cavity 151 in a negative pressure state. A negative pressure sensor (not shown in the figure) is provided in the vacuum generator 8. When the negative pressure sensor detects that the set value is reached, the vacuuming is stopped.

[0054] Since the closed cavity 151 is in a negative pressure state, after a sufficiently large pressure difference is formed, the cooling liquid will not flow out from the line inlet 11 , so that the cooling liquid stays in the cooling cylinder 1 .

[0055] In order to stabilize the inner tube 2, a connecting plate 3 is provided between the inner tube 2 and the inner wall of the cooling tube 1. The connecting plate 3 is provided with at least one through hole 31 for liquid or gas to flow. The connecting plate 3 is plate-shaped, and in other embodiments, the connecting plate 3 can also be replaced by a rod-shaped connecting member.

[0056] The lower end of the inner tube 2 extends downward, that is, extends toward the wire inlet 11. The lower end of the inner tube 2 is relatively close to the wire inlet 11, so that it is easier to receive the wire 102 flowing in from the wire inlet 11, making it easier to thread the wire at the beginning of the operation. In other embodiments, the lower end of the inner tube 2 can also be provided with an expansion opening (such as a trumpet-shaped opening) to facilitate the threading operation.

[0057] A guide hole 14 is provided on the inner side of the upper end of the inner tube 2. The inner diameter of the guide hole 14 gradually decreases from bottom to top, and is roughly conical. The upper end of the guide hole 14 communicates with the wire outlet 12. The provision of the guide hole 14 is conducive to threading at the beginning of the operation, so that the wire 102 is guided into the wire outlet 12. The same principle is also provided at the wire inlet 11. The inner diameter of the guide hole 14 also gradually decreases from bottom to top, and is roughly conical. The upper end communicates with the wire inlet 11.

[0058] like Figure 2 , an air knife 4 is arranged outside the outlet 12, and the air knife 4 can dry the surface of the wire 102. In this example, the blowing direction of the air knife 4 is basically set downward, and the liquid on the surface of the wire flows back to the inner tube 2 under the dual action of the air knife and the negative pressure siphon effect of the inner tube 2, so that the cooling liquid on the surface of the wire 102 is recycled into the cooling tube 1, thereby reducing the consumption of cooling liquid. In order to make the blowing more uniform, the outlet of the air knife 4 is annularly wrapped around the wire.

[0059] In this example, in order to add cooling liquid to the cooling cylinder 1, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 A liquid adding pipe controlled by a solenoid valve 9 is provided on the upper sealing cover of the cooling cylinder 1. Figure 2 The inner wall of the cooling cylinder 1 is provided with a liquid level sensor 101, and the liquid level sensor 101 is connected to the electromagnetic valve 9. When the liquid level is low, the liquid level sensor 101 transmits the detection signal to the electromagnetic valve 9, and the electromagnetic valve 9 opens the liquid adding pipe to add liquid until the liquid level reaches about the height of the liquid level sensor 101.

[0060] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 In order to enhance the cooling effect, fins 5 are provided on the outer wall of the cooling cylinder 1. The fins 5 extend far from the outer wall of the cooling cylinder 1. The fins 5 are made of a material with good thermal conductivity such as a metal material. The fins 5 allow the heat of the wire absorbed by the cooling liquid to be dissipated faster. In this example, a plurality of fins 5 are provided, which are distributed in a divergent shape along the circumferential direction. In other embodiments, the fins 5 can also be in other shapes, such as spirally wrapped around the outer wall of the cooling cylinder 1.

[0061] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 In order to further enhance the cooling effect, an outer cylinder 6 is further provided in this example. The outer cylinder 6 is sleeved on the outer circumference of the cooling cylinder 1, and a cooling liquid receiving chamber 61 is formed between the inner wall of the outer cylinder 6 and the outer wall of the cooling cylinder 1. The cooling liquid receiving chamber 61 is used to load cooling liquid, and the heat in the cooling cylinder 1 can be taken away by the cooling liquid.

[0062] In order to further enhance the cooling effect, the cooling liquid in the outer tube 6 is arranged in a circulating flow form. Figure 2 The outer cylinder 6 is provided with a liquid inlet 62 and a liquid outlet 63. Liquid is introduced from the liquid inlet 62 and discharged from the liquid outlet 63. A circulation pipe (not shown) is connected between the liquid inlet 62 and the liquid outlet 63, and a circulation pump (not shown) is provided in the circulation pipe. The cooling liquid in the outer cylinder 6 is circulated by the circulation pump, so that the heated cooling liquid closer to the cooling cylinder 1 is quickly taken away, thereby quickly taking away the heat on the outer surface of the cooling cylinder 1, thereby accelerating the heat dissipation of the cooling cylinder 1. When the cooling liquid in the outer cylinder 6 flows, the liquid in the cooling cylinder 1 is still in a static state, and the flow of the cooling liquid in the outer cylinder 6 will not disturb the wire 102, thereby facilitating the high-speed flow of the wire 102.

[0063] like Figure 2 In this example, a leak-proof assembly 7 including a sealing plug 71 is further provided at the guide hole 14 at the lower end. The sealing plug 71 is inserted into the guide hole 14. A threading hole is provided in the sealing plug 71 for the wire 102 to pass through. When the sealing plug 71 is pushed upward, due to the squeezing of the inner wall of the guide hole 14, the threading hole in the sealing plug 71 is closed (if there is a wire, it is closed by holding the wire tightly), so as to achieve the purpose of sealing, so that the cooling liquid in the cooling cylinder 1 does not leak out.

[0064] like Figure 3 The sealing plug 71 is driven by the single-acting cylinder 72 to move up and down. Specifically, the driving end of the single-acting cylinder 72 is provided with a wedge block 73; the sealing plug 71 is connected to a slide plate 74, and the slide plate 74 is slid up and down through a guide bar 741 and is arranged between the side plates 75 on both sides (for the convenience of showing the guide bar 741, Figure 3 The side plate 75 on one side is removed, and a guide groove matching the guide strip 741 is provided in the side plate 75, which is not shown in the figure); a spring 77 is provided between the slide plate 74 and the sealing cover at the lower end of the cooling cylinder 1, and the spring 77 drives the slide plate 74 to move downward, so that the sealing plug 71 is loosened from the guide hole 14; a bottom plate 76 is also fixedly provided between the side plates 75 on both sides. If the single-acting cylinder 72 drives the wedge block 73 to extend forward between the slide plate 74 and the bottom plate 76 (at this time, the single-acting cylinder 72 is in the air-off state), the slide plate 74 is lifted upward, and then the sealing plug 71 is lifted upward, and the sealing plug 71 squeezes the guide hole 14 (see Figure 2), so that the threading hole in the sealing plug 71 is closed to prevent leakage. If the single-acting cylinder 72 drives the wedge block 73 to retreat (the single-acting cylinder 72 is in a ventilated state at this time), the spring 77 causes the slide plate 74 to move downward, so that the sealing plug 71 is loosened from the guide hole 14, and the threading can be threaded into the sealing plug 71. In the event of an unexpected situation such as power failure or gas failure, the single-acting cylinder 72 is cut off. At this time, the spring inside the single-acting cylinder 72 drives the wedge block 73 forward, so that the sealing plug 71 moves upward to close the wire inlet 11 to prevent leakage, thereby improving the ability to cope with unexpected situations such as power failure or gas failure. The cooling liquid in the cooling cylinder 1 can be discharged from the drain pipe 16.

[0065] The working process is as follows:

[0066] 1. After the power is turned on, the single-acting cylinder 72 is cut off from air, the single-acting cylinder 72 remains in the extended state, and the sealing plug 71 blocks the line inlet 11;

[0067] 2. The liquid level sensor 101 alarms for low water level and transmits the signal to the solenoid valve 9. The solenoid valve 9 opens the liquid adding pipe and adds cooling liquid to the cooling cylinder 1 until the cooling liquid reaches the level of the liquid level sensor 101;

[0068] 3. The vacuum generator 8 is started (it can be started at the same time as the solenoid valve 9, or it can be started after a period of liquid addition). When the negative pressure sensor in the vacuum generator 8 detects that the pressure reaches the set value, the single-acting cylinder 72 is started (air is supplied to the single-acting cylinder 72), so that the single-acting cylinder 72 retracts, and the sealing plug 71 is ejected by the spring 77.

[0069] Fourth, insert the wire 102 into the sealing plug 71, and make the wire 102 pass through the wire inlet 11, the wire outlet 12 and the air knife 4 in sequence;

[0070] 5. After the threading operation is completed, the tin coating (the tin coating device is arranged below the wire cooling device in this example) and cooling can be carried out in an automated and continuous manner.

[0071] The beneficial effects of this example are:

[0072] Since the cooling liquid in the cooling cylinder 1 is in a static state, it does not form a lateral impact on the wire 102, which is conducive to the high-speed flow of the wire 102. The wire 102 is fully in contact with the cooling liquid in the cooling cylinder 1, so it has a high cooling efficiency. With the help of the flowing cooling liquid in the outer cylinder 6 and the fins 5 on the outer wall of the cooling cylinder 1, the cooling efficiency is further improved, thereby ensuring the high-speed flow of the wire 102. The significant progress achieved in this example is: the belt speed of the wire 102 is greatly improved, thereby improving the production efficiency.

[0073] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the contents of the present invention and implement them accordingly. They cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wire cooling device, characterized in that it include: A cooling cylinder (1), the cooling cylinder (1) having an inner cavity (15), the inner cavity (15) being used to load cooling liquid, the lower end and the upper end of the cooling cylinder (1) being respectively provided with a line inlet (11) and a line outlet (12), the line inlet (11) and the line outlet (12) being both provided with a guide hole (14), the inner diameter of the guide hole (14) gradually decreasing in a bottom-up direction, the upper end of the guide hole (14) being in contact with the line inlet (11) or the line outlet (12), 2), an air knife (4) is arranged outside the wire outlet (12), a sealing plug (71) is arranged in the guide hole (14), a threading hole is arranged in the sealing plug (71), the sealing plug (71) is driven by a single-acting cylinder (72), when the single-acting cylinder (72) is shut off, the single-acting cylinder (72) can push the sealing plug (71) into the guide hole (14), and the thrust is large enough to squeeze the threading hole in the sealing plug (71) to close; An inner tube (2), the upper end periphery of the inner tube (2) being sealedly connected to the outer periphery of the wire outlet (12), a wire passage (21) being provided in the inner tube (2), and the lower end of the inner tube (2) extending toward the wire inlet (11); The cooling cylinder (1) is also provided with an air extraction port (13), the air extraction port (13) being connected to the inner cavity (15) between the outer wall of the inner tube (2) and the inner wall of the cooling cylinder (1).

2. The wire cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a connecting plate (3), wherein the connecting plate (3) is connected between the inner wall of the cooling cylinder (1) and the inner tube (2).

3. The wire cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The setting of the blowing direction of the wind knife (4) can achieve the effect of blowing the cooling liquid on the surface of the wire back into the inner tube (2).

4. The wire cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The air outlet of the air knife (4) is annularly wrapped with wire.

5. The wire cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall of the cooling cylinder (1) is provided with fins (5), and the fins (5) extend away from the outer wall of the cooling cylinder (1).

6. The wire cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an outer cylinder (6), the outer cylinder (6) being sleeved on the outer circumference of the cooling cylinder (1), a cooling liquid containing chamber (61) being formed between the inner wall of the outer cylinder (6) and the outer wall of the cooling cylinder (1), the cooling liquid containing chamber (61) being used for loading cooling liquid.

7. The wire cooling device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer cylinder (6) is provided with a liquid inlet (62) and a liquid outlet (63), a circulation pipe is connected between the liquid inlet (62) and the liquid outlet (63), and a circulation pump is provided in the circulation pipe.

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