Systems and methods for battery manufacturing processes

Abstract

The invention provides a system and a method for a battery manufacturing process. A system for a battery manufacturing process includes a housing defining a chamber adapted to receive an electrode substrate; a vacuum system fluidly coupled to the housing and operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction; and an inductive dry cooling system, the inductive dry cooling system comprising one or more coils disposed in the chamber. The one or more coils are operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation and to reduce a temperature of the electrode substrate during a cooling operation. The system also includes a control system configured to control the vacuum system and the induction drying cooling system during the drying operation and the cooling operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a system and / or method for performing a battery manufacturing process, and more particularly, to a system and / or method for a drying phase of a battery manufacturing process. Background Art

[0002] The battery manufacturing process can generally include an electrode preparation process, a cell assembly process, and a battery electrochemical activation process. The electrode preparation process may include a coating stage (also referred to as a wet film method / stage), during which a liquid mixture (i.e., a liquid solution) is used to coat the electrode on a metal foil to form an anode and a cathode. Prior to the cell assembly process, the liquid solution is removed in the main drying stage and the auxiliary drying stage. In the main drying operation, most of the liquid solution is removed from the electrode. The electrodes are then stacked and cut into defined cell sizes. In the auxiliary drying stage, the stacked electrodes (i.e., electrode substrates) are heated to remove any residual moisture. According to the auxiliary drying stage of the electrode preparation process, the electrodes are provided to the cell assembly process. Summary of the invention

[0003] In one form, the present disclosure relates to a system for a battery manufacturing process. The system includes: a housing defining a chamber suitable for receiving an electrode substrate; a vacuum system fluidly connected to the housing and operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction; and an induction drying and cooling system including one or more coils disposed in the chamber. The one or more coils are operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation and to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate during a cooling operation. The system also includes a control system configured to control the vacuum system and the induction drying and cooling system during a drying operation and a cooling operation.

[0004] In one form, the present disclosure relates to a system for a battery manufacturing process. The system includes: a housing defining a chamber suitable for receiving an electrode substrate; a vacuum system fluidly connected to the housing and operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction; and an induction drying and cooling system comprising one or more coils disposed in the chamber. The one or more coils are operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation. The system also includes a control system configured to control the vacuum system and the induction drying and cooling system during a drying operation. For the drying operation, the control system is configured to control power to the one or more coils until the desired thermal distribution of the electrode substrate is obtained, and activate the vacuum system to cause suction in the chamber to remove air from the chamber.

[0005] In one form, the present disclosure relates to a system for a battery manufacturing process. The system includes a vacuum system, an induction drying and cooling system, and a control system. The vacuum system is fluidly connected to a housing defining a chamber suitable for receiving an electrode substrate, and is operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction. The induction drying and cooling system includes one or more coils disposed in the chamber. The one or more coils define an internal fluid path and are operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation and to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate during a subsequent cooling operation. The control system is configured to control power to the one or more coils during the drying operation until the desired thermal distribution of the electrode substrate is obtained, and activate the vacuum system to cause suction in the chamber to remove air from the chamber, and stop power to the one or more coils during the cooling operation, and circulate the coolant through the internal fluid path. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is a process flow diagram of a battery manufacturing process according to the present disclosure;

[0007] Figure 2 A system for performing an auxiliary drying operation of an electrode substrate according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0008] Figure 3 An example coil of an induction dry cooling system according to the present disclosure is shown;

[0009] Figure 4 shows the internal fluid path of a coil according to the present disclosure; and

[0010] Figure 5 is a process flow diagram of a drying operation and a cooling operation according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the present invention that can be implemented in various forms and alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be enlarged or minimized to show details of specific components. Therefore, the specific structural details and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to adopt the present invention in various ways.

[0012] Advances in battery manufacturing have provided improved tooling and automation that can significantly benefit high-demand and high-manufacturing rate industries such as, but not limited to, electric vehicles.

[0013] refer to Figure 1, the example battery manufacturing process 100 includes an electrode preparation process 102, a battery cell assembly process 104, and a battery electrochemical activation process 106. In a non-limiting example, the electrode preparation process 102 includes: a mixing stage 102A, the mixing stage is used to mix raw materials (such as active metals, solvents and other chemicals) to form an anode and a cathode; a coating stage 102B, the coating stage is used to form an anode and a cathode by applying a corresponding liquid mixture (i.e., a liquid solution) to an electrode, which can be a sheet of material (e.g., aluminum); a main drying stage 102C, the main drying stage is used to remove moisture and dry most of the liquid solution; a calendaring-slitting stage 102D, the calendaring-slitting stage is used to wind the electrode and cut the electrode into a predefined size to form an electrode stack (i.e., one or more electrode substrates); and an auxiliary drying stage 102E, the auxiliary drying stage is used to remove any remaining moisture from the electrode substrate.

[0014] If not dried, the liquid solution may have an adverse effect on the battery, and therefore, two different drying methods are implemented at different stages of the battery manufacturing process 100. The main drying stage 102C is suitable for removing most of the moisture, and a large / long drying line can be used to remove the liquid solution from the electrode. In a non-limiting example, the drying line used for the main drying stage 102C can use an infrared heat source or a convection heat source, such as heated gas.

[0015] The auxiliary drying stage 102E removes residual liquid solutions, such as those inside the porous electrode due to capillary forces, and is typically done in a clean room. In a conventional auxiliary drying stage, the electrode substrate is dried in a batch process in a vacuum oven and includes three steps: heating to dry the electrode substrate; vacuum soaking to aspirate and remove particles that may be a byproduct of the heating step; and cooling to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate. Vacuum drying can use relatively large amounts of space and energy to operate, and a gigawatt-rated battery factory requires many vacuum ovens.

[0016] The battery manufacturing process 100 is only an example process, and the present disclosure may be implemented in other suitable processes. In a non-limiting example, the calendering-slitting stage 102D may be divided into multiple stages, so that the auxiliary drying stage 102E is performed after the electrode is wound but before the electrode is cut into sheets. Therefore, as described herein, the auxiliary drying stage 102E may be configured to dry electrode substrates having different forms, such as but not limited to electrode rolls, electrode sheets.

[0017] In one form, the present disclosure is directed to a battery manufacturing system having an auxiliary drying stage that employs a vacuum induction heating system to heat and cool an electrode substrate. As described herein, the vacuum induction heating system uses induction to heat the electrode substrate to remove residual liquid solution on the electrode substrate, and employs the cooling convection feature of the vacuum induction heating system to actively cool the electrode substrate.

[0018] refer to Figure 2 The example of the vacuum induction heating system 200 includes a housing 202 , a vacuum system 204 , an induction dry cooling (IDC) system 206 , a cooling system 208 , and a dry cooling (DC) controller 209 .

[0019] The housing 202 defines a chamber 210 for receiving an electrode substrate 212. In one form, the housing is thermally insulating to prevent thermal energy from being transferred between the chamber 210 and the environment external to the housing 202.

[0020] The vacuum system 204 is operable to remove particles in the chamber 210 via suction, and in one form, includes a vacuum pump 214, a conduit 216, and a container 218. The conduit 216 extends into the chamber 210 and is connected to the container 218. In operation, the vacuum pump 214 creates a low pressure in the chamber 210, or in other words, creates a suction force that draws fluid (e.g., air) and particles from the chamber 219 through the conduit 216 and to the container 218. The container 218 can also be connected to a filtration device to process the air and / or particles sucked from the chamber 210.

[0021] The vacuum system 204 may include other components such as, but not limited to, a vacuum controller 220 and a pressure sensor 222 disposed in the chamber 210 for monitoring the pressure within the chamber 210. In one form, the vacuum controller 220 is configured to activate and control the vacuum pump 214 based on data from the pressure sensor 222 and identified parameters (e.g., the parameters may include a desired pressure, a duration for which the pressure is maintained).

[0022] The IDC system 206 (which may also be referred to as an induction heating and cooling system) is operable to heat the electrode substrate 212 using induction. In one form, the IDC system 206 includes one or more coils 224 (hereinafter "coils 224"), a power supply 226, a coolant supply 228 for cooling the coils 224, and an IDC controller 230 configured to control the induction heating process. In one form, the power supply 226 is electrically coupled to the coils 224 via electrical connectors 231A, 231B and is operable to provide power to the coils 224. In a non-limiting example, the power supply 226 is connected to a main power source and includes a power converter (e.g., a buck converter or a step-down converter) and other electronic devices to adjust the power to provide a high-frequency alternating current (AC).

[0023] The coil 224 is adapted to be non-contactly close to the electrode substrate 212 to heat the electrode substrate 212 using induction. More specifically, the coil 224, as an inductor, generates a magnetic field when power is applied. The magnetic field induces a current in the electrode substrate 212 that flows on the surface of the substrate 212. When the current encounters resistance, the resistivity or resistance of the electrode substrate 212 causes heat accumulation. As the electrode substrate 212 heats, the natural resistance generally increases, thereby forming more heat to raise the temperature of the electrode substrate 212.

[0024] Induction heating is a non-contact method for heating the electrode substrate 212 without having to heat the entire chamber 210. That is, induction heating directly heats the electrode substrate 212 and raises the temperature of the electrode substrate 212 in a much shorter period of time than other heating methods (such as infrared). In one form, the coil 224 is disposed as close to the electrode substrate 212 as possible without contacting the electrode substrate 212.

[0025] exist Figure 2 In the embodiment, the coil 224 is configured as a planar coil arranged parallel to the substrate 212. However, the coil 224 may be configured in various other ways. In a non-limiting example, Figure 3 Another example coil is shown, and specifically shows coil 324 wrapped around an electrode.

[0026] The physical properties of the coil 224, such as the material, shape, and size of the coil 224, are designed to provide a strong magnetic field and control the thermal distribution of the electrode substrate 212 to provide a uniform temperature during the heating process, which further provides a uniform thermal distribution of the electrode substrate 212. The selection of the physical properties may be affected by various factors, including but not limited to the composition of the electrode substrate 212, the material of the box (not shown) holding the electrode substrate 212, and / or the structure of the electrode substrate 112.

[0027] Continue to refer Figure 2 And refer to Figure 4, the coolant supply 228 is operable to circulate a coolant through the coil 224. Specifically, in one form, the coil 224 defines an internal fluid path 400 that extends from one end of the coil 224 to the other end of the coil 224. In a non-limiting example, the coolant supply 228 is connected to the coil 224 via connectors 232A and 232B, and specifically to the internal fluid path 400. The coolant circulates in the coil 224 during the heating process to cool the coil 224, and with the cooling fluid circulating therein, the coil 224 can provide a strong magnetic field that induces induction heat within the electrode substrate 212. In addition, the coil 224 itself is cooled to suppress or reduce any resistive heat generated on the tool parts associated with the coil 224.

[0028] The coolant supply device 228 may also operate during a cooling operation of the electrode substrate 212. That is, with the power to the coil 224 turned off, the coolant circulates through the coil 224 to absorb heat from the electrode substrate 212, thereby lowering the temperature of the electrode substrate 212. Therefore, the coil 224 may function as a heat exchanger to transfer heat from the electrode substrate 212 to the coolant flowing in the coil 224.

[0029] In a non-limiting example, the coolant supply 228 may include, among other components, a reservoir for the coolant, a pump for circulating the coolant through the coils 224 , and a condenser for reducing the temperature of the coolant returning from the coils 224 .

[0030] The IDC controller 230 is configured to control the IDC system 206, and in particular the induction heating process, by, for example, operating the power supply 226 to control power to the coil 224 and operating the coolant supply 228 to circulate a fluid through the coil. In one form, the IDC controller 230 receives data related to the temperature of the electrode substrate 212 and can adjust power to the coil 224 (i.e., increase or decrease power to the coil 224) to obtain a desired thermal profile of the electrode substrate 212.

[0031] In some applications, the cooling system 208 is configured to inject a coolant (e.g., nitrogen) into the chamber 210 of the housing 202 to help cool the electrode substrate 212. In one form, the cooling system 208 includes a conduit 234 and a nozzle 236 to fluidly couple to the housing 202. The nozzle 236 is connected to a vent of the chamber 210 to inject the coolant into the chamber 210. It should be readily understood that other coolants may be used to cool the electrode substrate 212, and the present disclosure should not be limited to nitrogen.

[0032] The DC controller 209 is configured to control the vacuum system 204, the IDC system 206, and the cooling system 208 to heat the electrode substrate 212 during the drying operation and to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate 212 during the cooling operation. In some variations, the DC controller 209 is configured to communicate with the vacuum controller 220 and the IDC controller 230 to provide commands for operating the respective devices.

[0033] The DC controller 209, the IDC controller 230, and the vacuum controller 220 may collectively form a control system for the vacuum induction heating system 200. Although the DC controller 209, the IDC controller 230, and the vacuum controller 220 are described as performing specific functions, the controllers 209, 230, and 220 may be configured in various suitable ways to collectively perform the functions described herein. In a non-limiting example, the vacuum controller 220 is described as monitoring and adjusting the pressure in the chamber 210 based on data from the pressure sensor 222, however, the DC controller 209 may receive data from the pressure sensor 222 to monitor the pressure, and then transmit commands to the vacuum controller 220 to adjust the operating settings of the vacuum pump 214.

[0034] In one form, the DC controller 209 is configured to store a drying operation software application 240 (ie, drying operation application) for performing drying operations and a cooling operation software application 242 (ie, cooling operation application) for performing cooling operations. Figure 5 , an example dry cooling procedure 500 is provided and includes a drying operation 502 and a cooling operation 504 .

[0035] In the case where the electrode substrate 212 in the chamber 210 has a coil 224, at step 506, the DC controller 209 is configured to turn on the induction heater. That is, the DC controller 209 activates the IDC system 206 to heat the electrode substrate 212 to a desired heat distribution by causing the power supply 226 to provide power to the coil 224. The IDC system 206 may be activated in various suitable ways to perform a drying operation. In a non-limiting example, the DC controller 209 may provide a desired power set point of the power supply 226 to the IDC controller 230, which in turn controls the power supply 226 to apply power to the coil 224 based on the desired power set point. In another example, the DC controller 209 transmits a command to the IDC controller 209 to perform an induction drying operation that may be pre-programmed in the IDC controller 209 and includes a preset power set point for the power supply 226.

[0036] At step 508, the DC controller 209 obtains the thermal distribution of the electrode substrate 212. For example, referring to Figure 2One or more temperature sensors 244 are provided to monitor the temperature of the electrode substrate 212. The temperature sensor may include a thermal imaging camera. The electrode substrate 212 is heated to have a desired thermal distribution (ie, uniform temperature).

[0037] Once the desired heat profile is obtained, the electrode substrate 212 may be controlled under the desired heat profile for a selected period of time, or alternatively, the DC controller 209 proceeds to step 510 to remove particles from the chamber 210. Specifically, the DC controller 209 activates the vacuum system 204 to create a low pressure in the chamber 210 and suck air / particles from the chamber 210. In a non-limiting example, the DC controller 209 may transmit a command to the vacuum controller 220 to start the evacuation process, which command may be pre-programmed in the vacuum controller 220 and include preset parameters, such as, but not limited to, a desired pressure level in the chamber 210.

[0038] During step 510, the DC controller 209 may shut down power to the coil 224 to stop the electromagnetic field, stop the circulation of the coolant in the coil 224, or both de-energize and stop the circulation of the coil 224. That is, based on the characteristics of the vacuum induction heating system 200 that may be evaluated during setup or testing, the IDC system 206 may be deactivated and / or at least a portion of the IDC system 206 may be active when particles are removed. For example, if additional moisture can be removed via induction heating, the IDC system 206 may remain active. In another example, if induction heating is beneficial during a portion of the particle removal step, power is provided to the coil 224. In yet another example, if a reduced power set point is provided to the coil 224, the coolant supply 228 may be shut down. Although specific examples are provided, the IDC system 206 may be operated in a variety of suitable ways during step 510 and should not be limited to the examples provided herein.

[0039] Completion of evacuation of particles may be determined in a variety of suitable ways. In a non-limiting example, evacuation may be performed at one or more pressure set points for a predefined time period, where the predefined time period is determined using a computational model and / or experimentation. In yet another example, a sensor is provided at a downstream processing region that detects particles in the air, and if no particles are detected within a certain time period, evacuation of the system is considered complete.

[0040] Once completed, the vacuum system 204 is deactivated and the electrode substrate 212 is cooled during a cooling operation 504. Using induction, the electrode substrate 212 is the primary (if not the only) component that is hot (i.e., at or near the desired thermal profile). If the coil 224 is still receiving power, in one example, the DC controller 209 turns off power to the coil 224 at step 512 by requesting the IDC controller 230 to turn off power to the coil 224. If the coil 224 is already off at the end of step 510, step 512 can be removed.

[0041] In one form, the DC controller 209 performs a cooling operation by injecting a coolant (e.g., nitrogen) into the chamber 210 at step 514, and circulates the coolant through the coil 224 at step 516. That is, at 514, the DC controller 209 causes the cooling system 208 to inject a cooling gas into the chamber 210, which may be provided during at least a portion of the cooling operation.

[0042] At step 516, the coil 224 of the IDC system 206 near the electrode substrate 212 operates as a heat exchanger to cool the electrode substrate 212 by causing the coolant to absorb heat from the electrode substrate 212. The coolant heated from the coil 224 is cooled to a desired temperature before being recirculated through the coil 224. The DC controller 209 monitors the temperature of the electrode substrate 212, and once it reaches the desired cooling set point, the cooling system 208 is controlled to stop injecting cooling gas, and the coolant is no longer circulated in the coil 224. The electrode substrate 212 is transferred from the chamber 210 to the battery cell assembly process.

[0043] It should be readily appreciated that the dry cooling procedure 500 can be configured in a variety of suitable ways and should not be limited to the procedures provided herein. For example, step 514 for spraying coolant can be removed. In another example, as part of the cooling operation, the coolant may not be circulated in the coil 224 (i.e., step 516 is removed). In yet another example, the coolant may be circulated during at least a portion of the cooling operation.

[0044] The vacuum induction heating system 200 of the present disclosure allows energy to be efficiently transferred to the electrode substrate 212 in a vacuum to raise the temperature of the substrate 212 without physical contact. The system 200 provides a more uniform distribution of heat through the substrate 212 and can be strategically adjusted to allow only components within the substrate to be heated. For example, the carbon used in battery electrodes is typically microporous and captures most of the residual moisture that then needs to be vacuum dried. The induction heating process can be tailored to specifically heat the carbon in the electrode to increase the rate of releasing moisture stuck in the pores of the carbon particles, without applying direct heat to the polymer binder that is also in the electrode structure.

[0045] Although exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms of the present invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are descriptive rather than restrictive terms, and it should be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, the features of the various embodiments of implementation may be combined to form other embodiments of the present invention.

[0046] In this application, the terms "controller" and / or "module" may refer to, be part of, or include: an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinatorial logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system on a chip.

[0047] The term "memory" is a subset of the term "computer-readable medium". The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein does not encompass transient electrical or electromagnetic signals propagated through a medium (such as on a carrier wave); therefore, the term "computer-readable medium" may be considered to be tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory tangible computer-readable media are non-volatile memory circuits (such as flash memory circuits, erasable programmable read-only memory circuits, or mask read-only circuits), volatile memory circuits (such as static random access memory circuits or dynamic random access memory circuits), magnetic storage media (such as analog or digital tape or hard drives), and optical storage media (such as CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs).

[0048] The apparatus and methods described in this application may be implemented partially or completely by a special-purpose computer, which is created by configuring a general-purpose computer to perform one or more specific functions embodied in a computer program. The functional blocks, flow chart components, and other elements described above are used as software specifications, which can be translated into a computer program by routine work of a technician or programmer.

[0049] As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical "or", and should not be construed to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0050] According to the present invention, a system for a battery manufacturing process is provided, the system comprising: a shell defining a chamber suitable for receiving an electrode substrate; a vacuum system fluidly connected to the shell and operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction; an induction drying and cooling system comprising one or more coils arranged in the chamber, wherein the one or more coils are operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation and to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate during a cooling operation; and a control system configured to control the vacuum system and the induction drying and cooling system during a drying operation and a cooling operation.

[0051] According to one embodiment, for the drying operation, the control system is configured to control power to the one or more coils until a desired thermal profile of the electrode substrate is obtained, and activate the vacuum system to induce suction in the chamber.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the one or more coils define an internal fluid path; and during at least a portion of the drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control a temperature of the one or more coils.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the one or more coils define an internal fluid path, and for a cooling operation, the control system is configured to stop power to the one or more coils, and during at least a portion of the cooling operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the one or more coils are adapted to be in contactless proximity to the electrode substrate to induce a current at the electrode substrate during a drying operation.

[0055] According to one embodiment, one or more coils define an internal fluid path, and during at least a portion of a drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control the temperature of the one or more coils, and for a cooling operation, the control system is configured to stop power to the one or more coils, and during at least a portion of the cooling operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the invention also features a cooling system fluidly coupled to the housing to inject coolant into the chamber, wherein the control system is configured to control the cooling system to inject coolant into the chamber during a cooling operation.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the coolant is nitrogen.

[0058] According to the present invention, a system for a battery manufacturing process is provided, the system having: a shell defining a chamber suitable for receiving an electrode substrate; a vacuum system fluidly connected to the shell and operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction; an induction drying and cooling system comprising one or more coils disposed in the chamber, wherein the one or more coils are operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation; and a control system configured to control power to the one or more coils during the drying operation until a desired thermal distribution of the electrode substrate is obtained, and to activate the vacuum system to cause suction in the chamber to remove air from the chamber.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the one or more coils define an internal fluid path; and during at least a portion of the drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control a temperature of the one or more coils.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the one or more coils are adapted to be in contactless proximity to the electrode substrate to induce a current at the electrode substrate during a drying operation.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the control system is configured to control the vacuum system and the induction dry cooling system to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate during the cooling operation.

[0062] According to one embodiment, one or more coils define an internal fluid path, and during at least a portion of a drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control the temperature of the one or more coils, and for a cooling operation, the control system is configured to stop power to the one or more coils, and during at least a portion of the cooling operation, the control system is configured to circulate the coolant through the internal fluid path.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by: a cooling system fluidly coupled to the housing to inject coolant into the chamber, wherein the control system is configured to control the cooling system to inject coolant into the chamber during at least a portion of the cooling operation.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the coolant is nitrogen.

[0065] According to the present invention, a system for a battery manufacturing process is provided, the system having: a vacuum system, the vacuum system being fluidly connected to a housing defining a chamber suitable for receiving an electrode substrate and being operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction; an induction drying and cooling system, the induction drying and cooling system comprising one or more coils disposed in the chamber, the one or more coils defining an internal fluid path and being operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation and to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate during a subsequent cooling operation; and a control system, the control system being configured to control power to the one or more coils during the drying operation until a desired thermal distribution of the electrode substrate is obtained, and to activate the vacuum system to cause suction in the chamber to remove air from the chamber, and to stop power to the one or more coils and circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path during a cooling operation.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the invention also features a cooling system fluidly coupled to the housing to inject coolant into the chamber, wherein the control system is configured to control the cooling system to inject coolant into the chamber during at least some of the cooling operation.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the coolant is nitrogen.

[0068] According to one embodiment, during at least a portion of the drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control the temperature of the one or more coils.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the one or more coils are adapted to be in contactless proximity to the electrode substrate to induce a current at the electrode substrate during a drying operation.

Claims

1. A system for a battery manufacturing process, comprising: a housing defining a chamber adapted to receive the electrode substrate; a vacuum system fluidly coupled to the housing and operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction; an induction dry cooling system comprising one or more coils disposed in the chamber, wherein the one or more coils are operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation and to reduce a temperature of the electrode substrate during a cooling operation; as well as A control system is configured to control the vacuum system and the induction drying and cooling system during the drying and cooling operations.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein for the drying operation, the control system is configured to: controlling power to the one or more coils until a desired thermal profile of the electrode substrate is obtained, and The vacuum system is activated to induce suction in the chamber.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein: The one or more coils define an internal fluid path; and During at least a portion of the drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control a temperature of the one or more coils.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein: The one or more coils define an internal fluid path, For the cooling operation, the control system is configured to stop power to the one or more coils, and During at least a portion of the cooling operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more coils are adapted to contactlessly approach the electrode substrate to induce a current at the electrode substrate during the drying operation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein: The one or more coils define an internal fluid path, During at least a portion of the drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control a temperature of the one or more coils, For the cooling operation, the control system is configured to stop power to the one or more coils, and During at least a portion of the cooling operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to reduce the temperature of the electrode substrate.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a cooling system fluidly coupled to the housing to inject coolant into the chamber, Wherein the control system is configured to control the cooling system to inject the coolant into the chamber during the cooling operation.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the coolant is nitrogen.

9. A system for a battery manufacturing process, comprising: a housing defining a chamber adapted to receive the electrode substrate; a vacuum system fluidly coupled to the housing and operable to remove particles in the chamber via suction; an induction dry cooling system comprising one or more coils disposed in the chamber, wherein the one or more coils are operable to heat the electrode substrate via induction during a drying operation; as well as A control system is configured to control power to the one or more coils during the drying operation until a desired thermal profile of the electrode substrate is obtained, and activate the vacuum system to cause suction in the chamber to remove air from the chamber.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein: The one or more coils define an internal fluid path; and During at least a portion of the drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control a temperature of the one or more coils.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more coils are adapted to contactlessly approach the electrode substrate to induce a current at the electrode substrate during the drying operation.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the control system is configured to control the vacuum system and the induction drying cooling system to reduce a temperature of the electrode substrate during a cooling operation.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein: The one or more coils define an internal fluid path, During at least a portion of the drying operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path to control a temperature of the one or more coils, For the cooling operation, the control system is configured to stop power to the one or more coils, and During at least a portion of the cooling operation, the control system is configured to circulate a coolant through the internal fluid path.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a cooling system fluidly coupled to the housing to inject coolant into the chamber, Wherein the control system is configured to control the cooling system to inject the coolant into the chamber during at least a portion of the cooling operation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the coolant is nitrogen.

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