A preparation method and system for internally formed phase change gel

Abstract

The present invention discloses a preparation method and system for an internally formed phase change gel. The preparation steps include: S1, filling a liquid phase change material into a flexible packaging material using a filling machine to form a flexible material; S2, heating and pressurizing the flexible material for packaging in a packaging device. In addition, a corresponding preparation system is also disclosed. In the present invention, the flowing and low-temperature phase change material is filled into the flexible packaging material before heating, and then packaged into any shape according to the different shapes of the molds in the packaging device. The filling is easier, and internal partitioning can be carried out using the mold shape, so that the packaged material has a certain strength.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of the production of phase change materials, and particularly relates to a preparation method and system for internally formed phase change gels. Background Art

[0002] Phase change materials have the functions of heat storage or cold storage because they can absorb or release a large amount of heat during the phase change process. However, the manufacture of gel-phase change materials is limited by the problems of filling and encapsulation, resulting in low production efficiency. The current production process mainly involves first selecting a packaging material with a fixed shape, such as a plastic shell or a plastic bag, and then injecting the gel-phase change material into the plastic shell or bag under a certain pressure. For example, a "phase change material filling device" disclosed in a Chinese patent document with the publication number CN109928099A. In its filling process, the phase change material is heated and melted, and at the same time, a stirrer works to accelerate the melting rate of the phase change material. The melted liquid phase change material flows into the discharge area of the storage tank through the circular hollow holes on the sieve plate, and finally is output through the discharge port to achieve the filling of the phase change material for the phase change heat storage device. The disadvantages of this filling device and filling method are as follows: for internally formed phase change gels, if the viscosity of the gel material is too high so that the gel is difficult to flow, or even the gel body has a reticular structure with each other so that it is difficult to cut, or when the packaging volume for encapsulation is small, it is very difficult to fill from the outside at this time, resulting in low production efficiency and low product qualification rate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to overcome the problem that the existing preparation methods and equipment for phase change gels are prone to low production efficiency due to the too high viscosity of the gel material during filling, the present invention provides a preparation method and system for internally formed phase change gels that are not limited by the viscosity of the gel material during filling.

[0004] A further object of the present invention is to fill the phase change material in a flexible packaging material and encapsulate it into any shape according to the different shapes of the molds in the encapsulation device, making the filling easier and enabling internal zoning using the mold shapes.

[0005] The present invention is achieved by the following technical solutions: A preparation method for internally formed phase change gels, the preparation steps including:

[0006] S1, using a filling machine to fill a liquid phase change material into a flexible packaging material to form a flexible material;

[0007] S2, heating and pressurizing and encapsulating the flexible material in an encapsulation device.

[0008] Before heating, the phase change material with low flowing temperature is filled into the flexible encapsulation material, and then it is encapsulated into any shape according to the different shapes of the molds in the encapsulation device. The filling is easier, and the internal partition can be carried out according to the mold shape, so that the encapsulated material has a certain strength and is less likely to leak; only the process sequence is changed without adding processes, thus simplifying the process difficulty.

[0009] Preferably, between the preparation step S1 and the preparation step S2, there is also a step S11: preheating the flexible material in a preheating device to reduce the heating time during encapsulation.

[0010] Preferably, the preparation steps further include:

[0011] S3, cooling the encapsulated material with cold air in a cooling system, and recycling the hot air after cooling into the preheating device.

[0012] The cooled hot air is used to preheat the filled flexible material to recover heat energy.

[0013] Preferably, the hot air after cooling in the preparation step S3 enters a mixer after being recycled into the preheating device. The hot air after preheating the flexible material still has a certain temperature, preheating the phase change material in the mixer, and while further recovering heat energy, the heat gradient formed by the flow direction of the hot air is also beneficial to the recovery of heat energy.

[0014] Preferably, before the preparation step S1, there is also a step S0: uniformly mixing the phase change material and the additive materials in a mixer. The additive materials include crosslinking agents, thermal conductive agents, flame retardants, etc., and need to be mixed with the phase change material in advance.

[0015] A preparation system for internally formed phase change gel is prepared by using the preparation method of internally formed phase change gel. Valves are provided on one side of the cooling device and the preheating device close to the encapsulation device. The encapsulation device includes a lower encapsulation part for receiving the flexible material. A guide rail is provided under the lower encapsulation part, and an upper encapsulation part that can approach or move away from the lower encapsulation part is provided above the lower encapsulation part. A mold is provided on one side of the upper encapsulation part facing the lower encapsulation part.

[0016] After the flexible material is conveyed to the end of the preheating device, first, the valve of the preheating device is opened, and the valve of the cooling device is closed. The lower encapsulation part slides to one side of the preheating device through the guide rail, and the flexible material is placed on the lower encapsulation part by the robotic arm; then, after the upper encapsulation part and the mold approach the lower encapsulation part, the mold is pressed against the flexible material for pressure heating and gelation; finally, the upper encapsulation part and the mold move upward, and the lower encapsulation part carries the gelled material and slides to one side of the cooling device through the guide rail to wait for the next process. The mold is installed on the upper encapsulation part, which is convenient for replacing the mold; the setting of the guide rail enables the lower encapsulation part to move, so that the cooling device, the encapsulation device and the preheating device can be kept as far away as possible to reduce mutual interference.

[0017] Preferably, heating devices capable of adjusting temperature and pressure are provided inside both the upper encapsulation part and the lower encapsulation part. The upper encapsulation part and the lower encapsulation part are made of metal materials, and the temperature and pressure are set through the heating devices, which is convenient for gelation of phase change materials with different properties. The temperature is selected between 100 - 200 °C, preferably 120 °C, the time is selected between 10 - 60 min, preferably 30 min. The pressure is set within the range of 1 - 3 Mpa, preferably 2 Mpa. After gelation in the later stage of preparation and before cooling, vacuum pumping is selected, and the vacuum degree ≤ 0.01 Mpa.

[0018] Preferably, a heat insulation cover is provided outside the encapsulation device. Since the temperature is the highest in the encapsulation step, the heat insulation cover is beneficial to reducing heat loss. The heat insulation cover material is a combination of aluminosilicate cotton and metal plate.

[0019] Preferably, the air duct provided in the cooling system is located above the encapsulation material, and the hot air after cooling enters the preheating device and passes under the filled material, which is beneficial to temperature conduction.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0021] Before heating, the flowing low-temperature phase change material is filled into the flexible encapsulation material, and then it is encapsulated into any shape according to the different shapes of the molds in the encapsulation device. The filling is easier, and the internal partition can be carried out using the mold shape, so that the encapsulated material has a certain strength and is less likely to leak; only the process sequence is changed without adding processes, thus simplifying the process difficulty. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic overall side view of Embodiment 1;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of different states of the encapsulation device in steps S21 - S23 of Embodiment 2.

[0024] In the figure: a mixer 1, a filling machine 2, a preheating device 3, a lower packaging part 41, a guide rail 42, an upper packaging part 43, a mold 44, a heat-insulating cover 45, a cooling device 5, a conveyor belt 6, and an air duct 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention easy to understand, the following further describes how the present invention is implemented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0026] Embodiment 1, as Figure 1 As shown, a preparation system of an internally formed phase change gel comprises:

[0027] A mixer 1 is used to evenly mix the phase change material and the cross-linking agent, the thermal conductive agent, the flame retardant and other materials;

[0028] Filling machine 2, used for filling liquid phase change material into flexible material;

[0029] Preheating device 3, pipeline structure, preheats the flexible material, and a valve is provided on the side close to the packaging device;

[0030] A packaging device for performing heating and pressurizing packaging;

[0031] The cooling device 5 has a pipeline structure and uses a fan for cooling, and a valve is provided on the side close to the packaging device;

[0032] Control device to automatically control the entire production process;

[0033] The conveyor belt 6 is used to convey the material in the preheating device 3 and the cooling device 5 .

[0034] Wherein, the packaging device comprises:

[0035] The lower packaging member 41 is used to receive and transport the flexible material and is provided with a heating device capable of adjusting temperature and pressure;

[0036] A guide rail 42, used to drive the lower packaging member 41;

[0037] The upper package 43 is used to mount the mold 44 and is provided with a heating device capable of adjusting the temperature and pressure;

[0038] The mold 44 is used to pressurize, heat, package and gel the flexible material, and the interior is divided into 3-10 sections by metal reinforcement ribs to complete internal molding; the "internal molding" here mainly includes the gelation process, in which the initial liquid phase change material changes into a gel state under heating and pressure; at the same time, the gelation process is carried out in a certain shape mold 44, so that the inside of the gel material and the flexible packaging material are prepared into a certain shape.

[0039] The heat insulation cover 45 is beneficial to reducing heat loss because the temperature is the highest during the encapsulation step. The heat insulation cover 45 is made of a combination of aluminosilicate cotton and metal plate, and is provided with a valve to facilitate the feeding of materials.

[0040] Among them, the upper encapsulation part 43 and the lower encapsulation part 41 are made of 316 metal material, and the outer shape dimensions are rectangular or circular, and the area ≤ 1 m 2 .

[0041] In addition, an air duct 7 is provided, and the air duct 7 sequentially passes above the conveyor belt 6 in the cooling device 5, around to below the conveyor belt 6 in the preheating device 3, and into the mixer 1.

[0042] Embodiment 2, a method for preparing an inner-molded phase change gel, and the preparation steps include:

[0043] S0: Mix the phase change material and the additive materials evenly in the mixer 1

[0044] S1, use a filling machine 2 to fill the liquid phase change material into the flexible encapsulation material to form a flexible material;

[0045] S11: Preheat the flexible material on the conveyor belt 6 in the preheating device 3.

[0046] S2, the robotic arm places the preheated flexible material on the encapsulation device, and heats and presses the flexible material in the encapsulation device;

[0047] S3, place the encapsulated material on the moving belt 6 of the cooling system with the robotic arm, and use cold air for cooling in the cooling system. The hot air after cooling is sequentially recycled into the preheating device 3 and the mixer 1.

[0048] The cooled hot air is used to preheat the filled flexible material and recover heat energy. The heat gradient formed by the flow direction of the hot air is also beneficial to the recovery of heat energy.

[0049] Among them, as Figure 2 shown, step S2 includes:

[0050] S21, open the valve of the preheating device 3, close the valve of the cooling device 5, and the lower encapsulation part 41 slides to one side of the preheating device 3 through the guide rail 42, and the flexible material is placed on the lower encapsulation part 41 by the robotic arm;

[0051] S22, the lower encapsulation part 41 moves below the upper encapsulation part 43, and after the upper encapsulation part 43 and the mold 44 approach the lower encapsulation part 41, the mold 44 is pressed against the flexible material to perform pressure heating and gelation;

[0052] In S23, the upper encapsulation part 43 and the mold 44 move upward, and the lower encapsulation part 41 slides the gelled material through the guide rail 42 to the side of the cooling device 5 to wait for the next process.

[0053] Among them, the temperature during gelation is selected between 100 - 200 °C, preferably 120 °C, the time is selected between 10 - 60 min, preferably 30 min. The pressure is set within the range of 1 - 3 Mpa, preferably 2 Mpa. After gelation in the later stage of preparation and before cooling, vacuum pumping is selected, and the vacuum degree ≤ 0.01 Mpa.

[0054] The mold 44 is installed on the upper encapsulation part 43, which is convenient for replacing the mold 44; the setting of the guide rail 42 enables the lower encapsulation part 41 to move, so that the cooling device 5, the encapsulation device and the preheating device 3 can be as far away as possible to reduce mutual interference.

Claims

1. A preparation method of an internally formed phase change gel, characterized in that, The preparation steps include: S1. Using a filling machine to fill a liquid phase change material into a flexible packaging material to form a flexible material; S2. Heating and pressing the flexible material for encapsulation in an encapsulation device; S22: After the upper encapsulation part and the mold approach the lower encapsulation part, the mold is pressed against the flexible material for pressurized heating and gelation. The interior is divided into 3 - 10 zones by metal reinforcing ribs to complete internal molding. The gelation process is carried out in the mold so that both the gel material and the flexible packaging material can be internally partitioned using the shape of the mold.

2. The preparation method of the inner-molded phase change gel according to claim 1, wherein: Between the preparation step S1 and the preparation step S2, there is also a step S11: Preheating the flexible material in a preheating device.

3. The preparation method of the inner-molded phase change gel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The preparation steps further include: S3. Cooling the encapsulated material with cold air in a cooling system, and recycling the hot air after cooling into the preheating device.

4. The preparation method of the inner-formed phase change gel according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hot air after cooling in the preparation step S3 enters a mixer after being recycled into the preheating device.

5. The preparation method of the inner-formed phase change gel according to claim 1, wherein: Before the preparation step S1, there is also a step S0: Mixing the phase change material and the additive materials evenly in a mixer.

6. A preparation system for an internally formed phase change gel, characterized in that: Prepared by using the preparation method of the internally molded phase change gel according to any one of the above claims 1 - 5, a valve is provided on one side of the cooling device and the preheating device close to the encapsulation device. The encapsulation device includes a lower encapsulation part for receiving the flexible material. A guide rail is provided under the lower encapsulation part, and an upper encapsulation part capable of approaching or departing from the lower encapsulation part is provided above the lower encapsulation part. A mold is provided on the side of the upper encapsulation part facing the lower encapsulation part.

7. The preparation system for the internal forming phase change gel according to claim 6, wherein: Heating devices capable of adjusting temperature and pressure are provided inside both the upper encapsulation part and the lower encapsulation part.

8. The preparation system of the inner-molded phase change gel according to claim 7, characterized in that: A heat insulation cover is provided outside the encapsulation device.

9. The preparation system for the internally formed phase change gel according to claim 6 or 7 or 8, characterized in that: The air duct provided in the cooling device is located above the encapsulation material, and the hot air after cooling enters the preheating device and passes under the filled material.

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