An automatic device for digesting metal container adhering matter

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of safe digestion and cleaning of the surface metal lithium and metal oxide and diffusion pump oil attachment of lithium refining crucible, and particularly relates to an automatic digestion device for metal container attachment. A joint robot grabs the refining crucible into a digestion reaction tank, the digestion reaction tank is sealed and vacuumized, then is filled with argon for replacement, and the digestion is started by injecting digestion liquid; the joint robot grabs and transports the cleaned crucible to an ultrasonic cleaning device, adds cleaning liquid for ultrasonic cleaning, and then empties and drops dry the cleaning liquid after twice cleaning. The refining crucible is first subjected to digestion treatment, and then is subjected to once stainless steel cleaning liquid and twice ion-free water cleaning, and if unqualified, is returned to the cleaning stage until the refining crucible is qualified. The present application is suitable for clean cleaning of the refining crucible, so as to improve the refining quality of metal lithium.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of safe digestion and cleaning technology of lithium metal, metal oxides and diffusion pump oil deposits on the surface of lithium refining crucibles. Specifically, it relates to an automatic digestion device for metal container deposits, which replaces the digestion and cleaning technology of lithium refining crucibles with robots and systems, so as to improve the removal quality of metal container deposits and fully ensure the personal safety of operators. Background Technology

[0002] During the refining and purification process of lithium metal, the surface of the refining crucibles becomes coated with lithium metal and diffusion pump oil. If an incompletely cleaned crucible is reused, residual lithium oxides and diffusion pump oil will contaminate the material. The oxides absorb moisture and can cause the lithium metal to ignite and burn. The residual diffusion pump oil will oxidize and deteriorate, entering the lithium metal product during refining and affecting product quality. Currently, in industrial applications, the digestion and cleaning of refining crucibles typically involves manually or automatically injecting water or spraying it onto the surface of the crucible in a ventilated environment. This removes the lithium metal and oxides adhering to the surface by reacting with water to form lithium hydroxide. Then, a cleaning agent is added manually or automatically, and the diffusion pump oil is removed by stirring. Finally, the crucible is rinsed with tap water or deionized water. This digestion process generates a large amount of harmful gases. If the lithium metal oxidation is insufficient, it can burn, endangering personnel safety. Furthermore, due to human error, incomplete cleaning of the refining crucibles is inevitable, affecting the quality of subsequent batches of lithium metal. Therefore, in order to eliminate the hidden dangers of harmful gas diffusion, alkali metal deflagration, oil residue, etc., prevent the risk of human injury, and achieve clean cleaning of refining crucibles to improve the refining quality of lithium metal, a device for automatically digesting the deposits on metal containers has been specially developed with the support of automated instrument technology. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic device for digesting deposits on metal containers, suitable for cleaning refining crucibles to improve the refining quality of lithium metal.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] An automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers includes an articulated robot that grabs a refining crucible into a digestion reaction vessel. After the digestion reaction vessel is closed, evacuated, and purged with argon, digestion liquid is injected to start the digestion process. The articulated robot then grabs and transports the digested and cleaned crucible to an ultrasonic cleaning device, adds cleaning liquid for ultrasonic cleaning, and drains the cleaning liquid after two cleaning cycles.

[0006] First, the refining crucible undergoes digestion treatment, followed by a stainless steel cleaning solution and two cleanings with deionized water. If it fails to meet the requirements, it is returned to the cleaning stage until the refining crucible is cleaned to the required standard.

[0007] In the digestion process, when the concentration of the digestion solution is greater than 4 mol / L, the digestion solution needs to be transferred out for subsequent lithium recovery treatment, and then deionized water is added again to be recycled as digestion solution.

[0008] In the initial state, the manual placement of the refining crucible to be digested onto the support inside the ultrasonic cleaning device is initiated with a single button press. The furnace lid lifting and rotating device raises the furnace lid of the digestion reaction vessel in a straight line and then rotates it 90° to the right, ensuring that the furnace lid is open and off-center. The articulated robot grabs the crucible into the digestion reaction vessel and activates the furnace lid lifting and rotating device to close the furnace lid. The water ring vacuum pump is activated to create a vacuum between the buffer tank and the digestion reaction vessel, which are connected by pipes. The pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the digestion liquid storage tank is activated, and the suction and discharge pipe lifting device is activated, allowing the digestion liquid in the digestion liquid storage tank to flow from the top of the digestion reaction vessel and be sprayed for digestion treatment. The pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the bottom of the digestion tank is started to introduce the digestion liquid into the digestion liquid storage tank for circulating digestion. After the set digestion time is completed, the pneumatic diaphragm pump is turned off first, followed by the water ring vacuum pump. Then, the pressure relief valve connected to the buffer tank is started. After settling, the furnace lid lifting and rotating device is started to open the furnace lid of the digestion tank. When there is no obvious flow of digestion liquid on the outer wall of the refining crucible, the articulated robot lifts the refining crucible to the tank opening and pours the remaining digestion liquid in the refining crucible back into the digestion tank. After settling, when there is no obvious dripping of digestion liquid at the edge of the refining crucible opening, the articulated robot swings the refining crucible to shake off the adhering liquid droplets. The crucible falls back into the tank, stops swinging within the specified time, and is transferred to the ultrasonic cleaning device. The pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the digestion liquid storage tank is started to inject stainless steel cleaning agent into the ultrasonic cleaning device. Once the stainless steel cleaning agent is completely submerged, the pneumatic diaphragm pump is turned off, and the ultrasonic cleaning device is started. When the temperature reaches the set value, a cleaning cycle is performed according to the set cleaning time. After one cleaning cycle, the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device is started to drain the stainless steel cleaning solution back into the digestion liquid storage tank. When there is no stainless steel cleaning solution in the ultrasonic cleaning device, the pneumatic diaphragm pump is turned off. The pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device is then started to drain the water... The water is injected into the ultrasonic cleaning device, and the temperature is set. When the refining crucible is completely submerged in water, the pneumatic diaphragm pump is turned off, and the ultrasonic cleaning device is started for a second cleaning. After the second cleaning, the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device is started to drain the water directly, and then the pneumatic diaphragm pump is turned off. The pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device is then started to inject water into the ultrasonic cleaning device. When the refining crucible is completely submerged in water, a third cleaning is performed at room temperature. After three cleanings, the crucible is dried, removed, and inspected to see if it is cleaned properly. If it is not cleaned properly, the cleaning process is repeated until the crucible is cleaned properly.

[0009] When the vacuum level reaches an absolute pressure of less than 4000 Pa, start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the digestion fluid storage tank.

[0010] The digestive liquid in the digestive liquid storage tank flows into the top of the digestive reaction tank and is sprayed through nozzles for digestion.

[0011] Replace the digestion solution when the lithium hydroxide concentration in the digestion solution reaches 4 mol / L.

[0012] Then activate the pressure relief valve connected to the buffer tank to ensure that the pressure in the digestion reaction tank is balanced with the external pressure.

[0013] Start the air compressor to dry the crucible.

[0014] The crucible is manually removed and its cleaning is inspected to ensure it is properly cleaned.

[0015] The beneficial effects achieved by this invention are as follows:

[0016] (1) The automatic digestion device for metal container deposits integrates the digestion of metal and metal oxides on the inner and outer surfaces of refining crucibles and the cleaning of oil stains. The articulated robot is used to take the crucible into the digestion reaction vessel. According to the "vacuum impregnation" technology, the vacuum is drawn and the residual air is replaced by argon. The digestion liquid is injected to digest in a vacuum environment, and the hydrogen gas produced by digestion is separated and isolated from the air. This achieves the technical effect of avoiding combustion or even explosion, improving production efficiency and reducing safety risks.

[0017] (2) The articulated robot is used to realize the fully automatic transfer of the digestion crucible to the ultrasonic cleaning process. The ultrasonic cleaning system adopts a three-in-one cleaning technology of "ultrasonic cleaning", "special cleaning agent" and "cleaning agent heating" to achieve better cleaning and digestion requirements, ensure the cleanliness of the surface of the refining crucible, and ensure the quality of the lithium metal product after the refining crucible is reused. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 A front view of an automatic device for digesting deposits on metal containers;

[0019] Figure 2 A top view of an automatic device for digesting deposits on metal containers;

[0020] Figure 3 Here is a flowchart of the crucible digestion and cleaning process;

[0021] In the diagram: 1. Furnace lid lifting and rotating device; 2. Digestion reaction vessel; 3. Buffer tank; 4. Digestion liquid storage tank; 5. Digestion device platform; 6. Digestion liquid storage tank platform; 7. Water ring vacuum pump; 8. Suction and discharge pipe lifting device; 9. Articulated robot; 10. Ultrasonic cleaning device; 11. Pump valve. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] This invention discloses a fully automated integrated device for digestion and cleaning of lithium refining crucibles. It employs a fully enclosed "vacuum impregnation" technology to separate and isolate the hydrogen produced during digestion from the air, preventing combustion or even explosion and ensuring digestion safety. Simultaneously, it utilizes a three-in-one cleaning technology combining "ultrasonic cleaning," "special cleaning agent," and "cleaning agent heating," significantly improving cleaning efficiency. The entire digestion and cleaning process is automated using a six-axis robotic system, fulfilling the function of safely digesting and cleaning the surface of the refining crucible. Furthermore, the control system features data recording, storage, and indicator display, and can provide alarm functions for abnormal data, ensuring reliable safe and stable operation of the equipment.

[0024] An automatic device for digesting deposits on metal containers comprises two parts. The first part is the digestion stage, which mainly involves injecting digestion liquid into the refining crucible under vacuum to digest the deposits. The second part is the cleaning stage, which mainly involves ultrasonically cleaning the digested refining crucible with a stainless steel cleaning agent. The main equipment involved includes a furnace cover lifting and rotating device, a digestion reaction tank device, a buffer tank device, a digestion liquid storage tank (cleaning liquid storage tank), a digestion device platform, a digestion liquid storage tank platform, a water ring vacuum pump, a suction and discharge pipe lifting device, an articulated robot, an ultrasonic cleaning device, and a pump and valve device.

[0025] As shown in the flowchart, the refining crucible is first digested, then cleaned three times (once with stainless steel cleaning solution and twice with deionized water). If it fails to meet the requirements, it returns to the cleaning stage until the crucible is cleaned to the required standard. During the digestion process, if the concentration of the digestion solution is greater than 4 mol / L, the digestion solution needs to be transferred out for subsequent lithium recovery treatment, and then deionized water is added again to recycle the digestion solution.

[0026] An automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers includes a furnace lid lifting and rotating device, a digestion reaction tank device, a buffer tank device, a digestion liquid storage tank (cleaning liquid storage tank), a digestion device platform, a digestion liquid storage tank platform, a vacuum system, a suction and discharge pipe lifting device, an articulated robot, an ultrasonic cleaning device, and a pump and valve device.

[0027] The refining crucible digestion process is as follows: An articulated robot picks up the refining crucible from the cleaning machine support and places it into the digestion reaction vessel. After the digestion reaction vessel is closed, evacuated, and purged with argon, digestion solution is injected to begin digestion. The articulated robot then picks up and transfers the digested and cleaned crucible to an ultrasonic cleaner, adds cleaning solution, and performs ultrasonic cleaning. After two cleaning cycles, the cleaning solution is drained, and the crucible is allowed to drip dry. The specific cleaning process is as follows:

[0028] In the initial stage, the refining crucible to be digested is placed on the support inside the ultrasonic cleaner by hand, and the device is started with one button.

[0029] The furnace cover lifting and rotating device 1 lifts the furnace cover of the digestion reaction vessel in a straight line and then rotates it 90° to the right to ensure that the furnace cover is open and off-center. The articulated robot 9 grabs the crucible into the digestion reaction vessel 2 and starts the furnace cover lifting and rotating device 1 to close the furnace cover of the digestion reaction vessel.

[0030] Start the water ring vacuum pump 7 to draw a vacuum into the buffer tank 3 and the digestion reaction tank 2 connected by the pipeline. When the vacuum degree reaches an absolute pressure of less than 4000Pa, start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the digestion liquid storage tank 4 and start the suction and discharge pipe lifting device 8 to allow the digestion liquid in the digestion liquid storage tank to flow into the top of the digestion reaction tank 2 and be sprayed through the nozzle for digestion treatment.

[0031] Start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the bottom of digestion reactor 2 to introduce the digestion solution into digestion solution storage tank 4 for circulating digestion. Set the digestion time. When the lithium hydroxide concentration in the digestion solution reaches 4 mol / L, the digestion solution needs to be replaced.

[0032] After the set digestion time is completed, first turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump, then turn off the water ring vacuum pump 7, and then start the pressure relief valve connected to the buffer tank 3 to ensure that the pressure in the digestion reaction tank 2 is balanced with the outside pressure.

[0033] After settling, the furnace cover lifting and rotating device 1 is activated to open the furnace cover of the digestion reaction vessel 2. When there is no obvious flow of digestion liquid on the outer wall of the refining crucible, the articulated robot 9 lifts the refining crucible to the mouth of the vessel and pours the residual digestion liquid in the refining crucible back into the digestion reaction vessel.

[0034] After standing for a period of time, when there is no obvious dripping of digestive liquid at the edge of the refining crucible, the articulated robot 9 swings the refining crucible slightly to shake off the adhering liquid droplets back into the crucible. The swinging stops within a specified time, and the refining crucible is transferred to the ultrasonic cleaning device 10.

[0035] Start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the digestion fluid storage tank 4 to inject the stainless steel cleaning agent into the ultrasonic cleaning device 10. When the stainless steel cleaning agent is completely submerged, turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump and start the ultrasonic cleaning device 10. When the temperature reaches the set value, perform a cleaning cycle according to the set cleaning time.

[0036] After one cleaning cycle, start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaner to drain the stainless steel cleaning solution back into the digestion solution storage tank 4. When there is no stainless steel cleaning solution in the ultrasonic cleaning device 10, turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump.

[0037] Start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device 10 to inject water into the ultrasonic cleaning device 10, and set the temperature value. When the refining crucible is completely submerged in water, turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump and start the ultrasonic cleaning device 10 for secondary cleaning.

[0038] After the second cleaning, start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaner device 10, drain the water directly, and then turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump.

[0039] Start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaner to inject water into the ultrasonic cleaning device 10. When the refining crucible is completely submerged in water, perform the third cleaning at room temperature.

[0040] After three cleaning cycles, the air compressor is started to dry the crucible. The crucible is then manually removed and inspected to see if it has been cleaned properly. If it has not been cleaned properly, the cleaning process is repeated until the crucible is cleaned properly.

Claims

1. An automatic device for digesting deposits on metal containers, characterized in that: The articulated robot grabs the refining crucible into the digestion reaction vessel. After the digestion reaction vessel is closed and evacuated, it is purged with argon and then injected with digestion liquid to start digestion. The articulated robot grabs and transports the digested and cleaned crucible to the ultrasonic cleaning device, adds cleaning liquid for ultrasonic cleaning, and after two cleanings, the cleaning liquid is drained and the crucible is dripped dry.

2. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 1, characterized in that: First, the refining crucible undergoes digestion treatment, followed by a stainless steel cleaning solution and two cleanings with deionized water. If it fails to meet the requirements, it is returned to the cleaning stage until the refining crucible is cleaned to the required standard.

3. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the digestion process, when the concentration of the digestion solution is greater than 4 mol / L, the digestion solution needs to be transferred out for subsequent lithium recovery treatment, and then deionized water is added again for recycling.

4. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the initial state, the manual placement of the refining crucible to be digested onto the support inside the ultrasonic cleaning device is initiated with a single button press. The furnace lid lifting and rotating device raises the furnace lid of the digestion reaction vessel in a straight line and then rotates it 90° to the right, ensuring that the furnace lid is open and off-center. The articulated robot grabs the crucible into the digestion reaction vessel and activates the furnace lid lifting and rotating device to close the furnace lid. The water ring vacuum pump is activated to create a vacuum between the buffer tank and the digestion reaction vessel, which are connected by pipes. The pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the digestion liquid storage tank is activated, and the suction and discharge pipe lifting device is activated, allowing the digestion liquid in the digestion liquid storage tank to flow from the top of the digestion reaction vessel and be sprayed for digestion treatment. Start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the bottom of the digestion tank to introduce the digestion liquid into the digestion liquid storage tank for circulation digestion. After the set digestion time is over, first turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump, then turn off the water ring vacuum pump, and then start the pressure relief valve connected to the buffer tank. After settling, start the furnace cover lifting and rotating device to open the furnace cover of the digestion tank. When there is no obvious flow of digestion liquid on the outer wall of the refining crucible, the articulated robot lifts the refining crucible to the tank opening and pours the residual digestion liquid in the refining crucible back into the digestion tank. Settle. When there is no obvious dripping of digestion liquid at the edge of the refining crucible opening, the articulated robot swings the refining crucible to shake off the adhering liquid droplets back into the tank. Stop swinging within the specified time and transfer the refining crucible to the ultrasonic cleaning device. Start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the digestion fluid storage tank to inject stainless steel cleaning agent into the ultrasonic cleaning device. Once the stainless steel is completely submerged in the cleaning agent, turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump and start the ultrasonic cleaning device. After the temperature reaches the set value, perform one cleaning cycle according to the set cleaning time. After one cleaning cycle, start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device to drain the stainless steel cleaning solution back into the digestion fluid storage tank. When there is no stainless steel cleaning solution in the ultrasonic cleaning device, turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump. Then, start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device to inject water into the ultrasonic cleaning device and set the temperature value. When the refining crucible is completely submerged in water, turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump and start the ultrasonic cleaning device for a second cleaning. After the second cleaning, start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device to drain the water directly, then turn off the pneumatic diaphragm pump. Start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the ultrasonic cleaning device to inject water into the ultrasonic cleaning device. When the refining crucible is completely submerged in water, perform a third cleaning at room temperature. After three cleanings, dry the crucible, remove it, and check whether the crucible is cleaned properly. If it is not cleaned properly, re-enter the cleaning stage and repeat the cleaning steps until the crucible is cleaned properly.

5. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the vacuum level reaches an absolute pressure of less than 4000 Pa, start the pneumatic diaphragm pump connected to the digestion fluid storage tank.

6. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 4, characterized in that: The digestive liquid in the digestive liquid storage tank flows into the top of the digestive reaction tank and is sprayed through nozzles for digestion.

7. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 4, characterized in that: Replace the digestion solution when the lithium hydroxide concentration in the digestion solution reaches 4 mol / L.

8. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 4, characterized in that: Then activate the pressure relief valve connected to the buffer tank to ensure that the pressure in the digestion reaction tank is balanced with the external pressure.

9. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 4, characterized in that: Start the air compressor to dry the crucible.

10. The automatic digestion device for deposits on metal containers according to claim 4, characterized in that: The crucible is manually removed and its cleaning is inspected to ensure it is properly cleaned.

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