Method of designing a battery cell plant and a standardized battery cell plant

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a method for designing a battery cell manufacturing plant and a standardized battery cell manufacturing plant. The battery cell manufacturing plant includes a production area and auxiliary building areas located on the first floor. The auxiliary building areas include a production auxiliary building area and at least a portion of a facility auxiliary building area. The method includes the following steps: dividing the production area into multiple modules arranged along the longitudinal direction of the battery cell manufacturing plant according to the different elevations required by the production area; setting the auxiliary building areas on both sides of at least one module relative to the longitudinal direction; designing a uniform column span for each module; and laying out the manufacturing plant along the longitudinal direction based on the uniform column span of each module, including the production area and the corresponding auxiliary building areas. By standardizing the column spans and the layout of the battery cell manufacturing plant to form a standardized battery cell manufacturing plant, the total plant area can be reduced, thereby reducing concrete usage and ultimately reducing carbon footprint emissions. Moreover, the resulting increase in the area of ​​the auxiliary building areas not only accommodates changes in battery cell production processes but also provides the possibility of moving the facility mezzanine to the first floor of the manufacturing plant.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of batteries, and more specifically to a method for designing a battery cell manufacturing plant and a standardized battery cell manufacturing plant. Background Technology

[0002] With social development and technological advancements, new energy technologies are constantly evolving, and correspondingly, the structural forms of battery cell production plants are also continuously being updated. Battery cell production plants mainly include production areas, auxiliary production areas, and facility auxiliary areas. Currently, facility auxiliary areas often utilize mezzanine levels to house plant facilities and equipment, necessitating a second-floor platform. This not only increases the building area of ​​the battery cell production workshop, thus increasing concrete usage and carbon footprint emissions, but also requires hoisting for equipment access and necessitates daily inspections by maintenance personnel on the second-floor mezzanine platform, increasing both plant and equipment investment. Furthermore, the construction of the second-floor facility platform is currently based on the column grid span, leading to a discrepancy between the platform's construction area and the required storage space, often resulting in redundant space.

[0003] Therefore, a method for designing battery cell manufacturing plants is needed to develop standardized plant layouts to at least reduce plant area and thus reduce carbon footprint emissions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this disclosure proposes a method for designing a battery cell factory and a standardized battery cell factory. In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a method for designing a battery cell factory, the battery cell factory including a production area and an auxiliary building area located on the first floor of the factory, the auxiliary building area including a production auxiliary building area and at least a portion of a facility auxiliary building area. The method includes the following steps: dividing the production area into multiple modules arranged along the longitudinal direction of the battery cell factory according to the different elevations required by the production area; setting the auxiliary building areas on both sides of at least one module relative to the longitudinal direction; designing a uniform column span for each module; and arranging the factory layout along the longitudinal direction based on the uniform column span of each module, including the production area and the corresponding auxiliary building areas.

[0005] By standardizing the column spans and layout of battery cell manufacturing facilities to create standardized battery cell plants, the total plant area can be reduced, thereby decreasing the amount of concrete used and ultimately reducing carbon footprint emissions. Furthermore, the resulting increase in auxiliary building area not only accommodates changes in battery cell production processes but also makes it possible to move mezzanine facilities to the ground floor. In addition, eliminating mezzanine auxiliary building areas can significantly reduce investment in plant construction, hoisting equipment, and labor costs for maintenance.

[0006] In one or more embodiments, the factory layout includes reserving a buffer zone downstream of each of the plurality of modules that is compatible with subsequent adjacent modules.

[0007] The factory layout includes reserving a comprehensive reserved area within the corresponding modules of the multiple modules.

[0008] Therefore, this inter-module buffer design and intra-module compatibility design reserve scalability and can cover unplanned changes.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, the division into multiple modules includes: making the multiple modules include Module 1, Module 2, and Module 3, wherein Module 1 includes at least a coating process, Module 2 includes at least a cold pressing process, and Module 3 includes at least a baking process. A first buffer zone suitable for the cold pressing load of the cold pressing process is reserved at the downstream end of Module 1; a second buffer zone suitable for the baking height of the baking process is reserved at the downstream end of Module 2; and a third buffer zone suitable for plant expansion is reserved at the downstream end of Module 3.

[0010] Therefore, the first, second, and third buffer zones can also be used as spare factory space to accommodate changes in cell production processes.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, auxiliary building areas with a uniform elevation are provided on both sides of the transverse direction of the third module.

[0012] Therefore, the sufficiently high uniform elevation of the auxiliary building area makes it easy to eliminate the auxiliary building area set up in the form of a mezzanine, thereby greatly saving investment in factory construction, hoisting equipment and manpower maintenance costs.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, dividing the space into multiple modules includes: ensuring that the multiple modules include at least Module 2 and Module 3, wherein Module 2 includes a cold pressing section, a die-cutting section, a winding section, and an assembly section, and Module 3 includes a baking section, a liquid injection section, a small drying section, a testing section, and a packaging section. The factory layout includes: ensuring that Module 2 and Module 3 have the same uniform column span; setting a uniform elevation for the cold pressing section, die-cutting section, winding section, and assembly section of Module 2; setting a uniform elevation for the baking section, liquid injection section, small drying section, testing section, and packaging section of Module 3; and / or ensuring that the uniform elevation of the auxiliary building area is consistent with the uniform elevation of the corresponding production area.

[0014] Therefore, this modular division and factory layout facilitates standardized and modular design and construction.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, designing a uniform column span includes: defining the minimum module unit based on the number of devices required for coating, cold pressing, and die-cutting processes for a certain number of different types of cells; and performing module size analysis based on the auxiliary space required for the corresponding processes and the minimum module unit to determine the initial column span range.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the auxiliary space required for the corresponding process includes at least column space, AGV channel space, oven partition space, and multiple anti-collision spaces.

[0017] The preliminary column span range obtained in this way can be used directly or indirectly as a reference for determining the uniform column span during standardized design.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, designing a uniform column span further includes: performing an economic analysis based on the preliminary column span range to determine the economic column span range.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, determining the economic column span range includes: plotting an economic column span curve based on the unit cost of civil engineering for concrete and steel structures corresponding to each column span size; plotting an equipment area curve based on each column span size and the required equipment area; fitting the economic column span curve and the equipment area curve to obtain a comprehensive cost curve; and determining the economic column span range based on the comprehensive cost curve.

[0020] The resulting economic column span range is used directly or indirectly as a reference for determining the uniform column span during standardized design.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, designing a uniform column span further includes: performing a process compatibility analysis based on the economic column span range to obtain a compatible column span range.

[0022] In one or more embodiments, performing process compatibility analysis based on the economic column span includes considering at least one of new processes, new technologies, equipment miniaturization, equipment integration, guy wire type, and fire protection factors to perform the process compatibility analysis.

[0023] Therefore, by conducting process compatibility analysis and considering space utilization, the compatible column span range of the corresponding process can be determined, which can be used directly or indirectly as a reference for determining the uniform column span during standardized design.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, designing a uniform column span further includes: optimizing based on the range of compatible column spans to obtain an optimized column span for use as the corresponding uniform column span.

[0025] In one or more embodiments, optimization based on the compatible rear column span range includes optimization through economic span optimization, layout optimization, and equipment size optimization to obtain the optimized column span.

[0026] Therefore, by optimizing the column span to obtain an optimized column span for the corresponding module, the space utilization rate of the factory building can be improved and the building area of ​​the factory building can be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of concrete used and thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions in a comprehensive way.

[0027] On the other hand, a standardized battery cell plant is provided, which is formed by the method according to the present disclosure, such that the standardized battery cell plant includes a production area and an auxiliary building area with a corresponding uniform column-span layout.

[0028] Therefore, by standardizing the layout of battery cell manufacturing facilities through unified column spans, the total factory area can be reduced, thereby reducing concrete usage and ultimately reducing carbon footprint emissions. Moreover, the resulting increase in auxiliary building area can accommodate changes in battery cell production processes and also provides the possibility of moving the facilities mezzanine to the ground floor of the factory. Attached Figure Description

[0029] These and various other advantages and benefits of this disclosure will become clear to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 The schematic illustration shows the layout of multiple modules in a standardized cell manufacturing facility designed according to the method of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2 The diagram shows a comparison between customized and standardized designs for cell manufacturing plants in response to process innovations.

[0032] Figure 3 A comparison diagram of the mezzanine layouts for customized and standardized designs is shown.

[0033] Figure 4 A diagram is shown illustrating the definition of the smallest unit of a module for a coating process according to the method of this disclosure.

[0034] Figure 5 A diagram is shown illustrating the definition of the smallest module unit for a cold pressing process according to the method of this disclosure.

[0035] Figure 6 A diagram is shown illustrating the definition of the smallest unit of a module for a die-cutting process according to the method of this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 7 The economic column span curve used for economic column span analysis is shown.

[0037] Figure 8The equipment area curves used for economic column span analysis are shown.

[0038] Figure 9 The overall cost curve used for economical column span analysis is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The embodiments of the technical solutions disclosed herein will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical solutions disclosed herein and are therefore intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure; the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims and foregoing description of the drawings of this disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0041] In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, technical terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number, specific order, or primary or secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly defined.

[0042] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0043] In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0044] In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, the technical terms such as "longitudinal" and "lateral" used to indicate orientation or positional relationship based on the accompanying drawings are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of this disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0045] In this disclosure, the design of a battery cell manufacturing plant based on existing technology is referred to as "customized design," and thus, a "customized battery cell manufacturing plant." A "customized battery cell manufacturing plant" is a battery cell manufacturing plant designed specifically for existing battery cell product process information. Customized battery cell manufacturing plants fully consider numerous factors, including battery cell production processes, equipment dimensions, production flow, storage requirements, logistics channels, space utilization efficiency, and even special needs of office areas, to adapt to customized column spans for various process requirements.

[0046] In this disclosure, the design of the battery cell factory building according to the method of this disclosure is referred to as "standardized design," and thus forms a "standardized battery cell factory building." The "standardized battery cell factory building" is compatible with existing battery cell production process information and potential changes brought about by future battery cell production process information. It fully considers many factors such as battery cell production process, equipment size, production process, storage requirements, logistics channels, space utilization efficiency, and even the special needs of office areas, and uses a unified column span for layout.

[0047] As used in this disclosure, the term "column span" refers to the distance between the centerlines of two adjacent columns in a cell manufacturing plant, such as the distance from the centerline of one column to the centerline of the adjacent column in a building frame supported by a row of equally spaced columns.

[0048] As used in this disclosure, the term "facility platform" refers to a comprehensive hardware infrastructure system built in a factory environment to meet the needs of production, material storage, personnel operations, etc.

[0049] As used in this disclosure, the term "production area" refers to the workshop responsible for producing battery cell products.

[0050] As used in this disclosure, the term "production auxiliary area" refers to a room that provides auxiliary functions to the main production area during the cell production process, such as a warehouse for storing raw materials and tools, or a workshop for quality testing and equipment maintenance.

[0051] As used in this disclosure, the term "facility auxiliary area" refers to the area primarily responsible for controlling the ambient temperature and humidity required by the production workshop during its production and operation, as well as for storing electrical facilities.

[0052] As used in this disclosure, the term "carbon footprint emissions" refers to the amount of greenhouse gas (primarily carbon dioxide) emissions directly and indirectly generated throughout the entire lifecycle of a battery cell manufacturing plant. Direct emissions include, for example, carbon dioxide generated by the use of electricity or natural gas in the plant facilities during the production of battery cells. Indirect emissions include the carbon emissions generated by the use of building materials such as concrete during the construction of the battery cell manufacturing plant.

[0053] As used in this disclosure, the term "wire drawing" refers to a production line for producing battery cells.

[0054] Existing battery cell manufacturing plants mainly consist of a production area, a production auxiliary area, and a facility auxiliary area. The facility auxiliary area is typically located on the second floor of the plant as a mezzanine. The space occupied by the supporting columns on the second floor, the investment required for its construction, the need to bring in hoisting equipment for installation, and the daily uphill maintenance by maintenance personnel all contribute to increased construction investment, equipment investment, and labor costs. Therefore, while meeting production needs and ensuring plant construction safety, it is crucial to effectively streamline the area of ​​the battery cell production plant and reduce plant and equipment investment.

[0055] This disclosure aims to significantly reduce the space occupied by facility platforms to increase the effective usable area of ​​the factory building by standardizing the column spans of the factory building and the layout of factory facilities, and to increase the area of ​​the auxiliary building area on the first floor of the factory building; and / or to move the auxiliary building area located on the second floor of the factory building to the auxiliary building area located on the first floor of the factory building to eliminate the facility mezzanine, thereby obtaining a streamlined auxiliary building area that combines the auxiliary building area and the production auxiliary building area.

[0056] Figure 1 The schematic illustration shows the layout of multiple modules in a standardized cell manufacturing facility designed according to the method of this disclosure. Figure 2 The diagram shows a comparison between customized and standardized designs for cell manufacturing plants in response to process innovations. Figure 3 A comparison diagram of the mezzanine layouts for customized and standardized designs is shown.

[0057] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 1-3 This disclosure provides a method for designing a battery cell factory. The battery cell factory includes a production area and an auxiliary building area located on the first floor of the factory. The auxiliary building area includes a production auxiliary building area and at least a portion of a facility auxiliary building area. The method includes the following steps: dividing the production area into multiple modules arranged along the longitudinal direction of the battery cell factory according to the different elevations required by the production area; setting the auxiliary building area on both sides of at least one module relative to the longitudinal direction; designing a uniform column span for each module; and laying out the factory along the longitudinal direction based on the uniform column span of each module, including the production area and the corresponding auxiliary building area.

[0058] exist Figure 1-3 In the embodiment of the battery cell factory shown, the production area of ​​the battery cell factory can be divided into multiple modules arranged along the longitudinal direction of the battery cell factory. (Reference) Figure 1 In one embodiment, depending on the different elevations required for the production area, the multiple modules may include three modules: Module 1 with an elevation of 15.5m and a uniform span of 17.6m; Module 2 with an elevation of 8.5m and a uniform span of 26m; and Module 3 with an elevation of 17.5m and a uniform span of 26m.

[0059] Since the process changes for module one, including the coating section, are usually minor, Figure 2 Not shown in the example. Figure 2 The embodiments shown use only the specific layouts of modules two and three as examples to illustrate how the standardized design of the cell manufacturing plant according to the method of this disclosure can adapt to changes in cell production processes. (Reference) Figure 2 , Figure 2 Part (a) shows that the production area of ​​a battery cell plant, customized according to the needs of battery cell production and based on existing technology, may include a cold pressing section, a die-cutting section, a winding section, an assembly section, a liquid injection section, a small drying section, a testing section, and a packaging section. Figure 2 Part (b) illustrates the layout of the new process plant, customized for process innovation, requiring an extension of 70m. Specifically, due to the adoption of a 5μ diaphragm process, the die-cutting section needs to be extended by 3m, and the winding section by 10m; due to the use of a third-generation high-conductivity electrolyte, three additional injections are required, thus the testing section needs to be extended by 20m; and due to the need for enhanced fire protection, the testing section needs to be extended by 40m. In other words, with the customized design using existing technology, the extended die-cutting section occupies the winding section, the extended winding section occupies the assembly section, and the assembly section, injection section, and small drying section are moved sequentially to the rear; the extended testing section occupies the packaging section, and the packaging section is moved to the rear. Thus, a 100% adjustment is required from the die-cutting section to the packaging section, meaning all seven process sections need to be changed, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Moreover, the plant needs to be extended by a total of 70m, increasing the plant investment cost.

[0060] Figure 2 Part (c) shows relative to Figure 2 The cell production requirements of part (a) are based on the standardized design of this disclosure. The production area modules two and three of this standardized design are laid out with, for example, a uniform span of 26m. Specifically, module two is divided into cold pressing, die-cutting, winding, and assembly sections, and module three is divided into baking, liquid injection, small drying, testing, and packaging sections. Auxiliary rooms with a uniform span of 26m are arranged on both sides of a portion of module two, relative to the longitudinal direction. Auxiliary rooms with a uniform span of 26m are arranged on both sides of a portion of module three, relative to the longitudinal direction. Figure 2 The process innovation in part (b) of this disclosure only requires an increase of 50m in length (reference). Figure 2(d) of the present disclosure. That is, under the standardized design, Modules 2 and 3 have the same uniform column span. For example, Modules 2 and 3 of the cell manufacturing plant and the auxiliary room area are all standardized based on a uniform column span of 26m. Specifically, the standardized layout may also include: unifying the elevation (8.5m) of the cold pressing section, die-cutting section, winding section and assembly section of Module 2 to achieve process compatibility; unifying the column span elevation (17.5m) of the baking section, liquid injection section, small drying section, testing section and packaging section of Module 3 to achieve process compatibility; and / or unifying the column span and elevation of the auxiliary room area to make the auxiliary room area scalable. Due to the above standardized layout, the area of ​​the auxiliary room area is correspondingly increased. For example, if the die-cutting, winding and testing sections of Modules 2 and 3 need to be lengthened and require spare plant space, only a portion of the space required for the die-cutting section needs to be moved to the auxiliary room area and a new 50m extension area needs to be built to accommodate the lengthening of the testing section and the relocation of the packaging section. Therefore, most of the layout of Modules 2 and 3 does not need to be changed. In other words, the winding section to the testing section does not need to be adjusted, only minor adjustments to the auxiliary building area and the construction of a new extension area close to the ground are required.

[0061] By standardizing the column spans and layout of the battery cell factory to form a standardized battery cell factory, the total factory area can be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of concrete used and ultimately reducing carbon footprint emissions.

[0062] The increased area of ​​the auxiliary building can be used as a spare factory space to adapt to changes in the cell production process, so that most of the layout of the multiple modules does not need to be changed.

[0063] Furthermore, the increased area of ​​the auxiliary building area also makes it possible to move the facility mezzanine to the ground floor of the factory building. In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to... Figure 3 The auxiliary building area also includes a facility auxiliary building area for arranging at least some of the facilities moved from the second floor of the factory building. Figure 3This demonstrates the layout differences between customized and standardized designs of the production mezzanine, facility mezzanine, and facility level 1 in a battery cell factory. Clearly, in the customized design of the battery cell factory, at least a portion of the auxiliary facility areas located on the second floor are eliminated and moved to the auxiliary facilities area on the first floor, specifically shown as facility level 1. In one embodiment, by eliminating the original second-floor mezzanine design and sharing the pedestrian and material flow channels between the first and second floors, the channel area can be reduced by at least 4000 square meters. In one embodiment, taking the standardized design of dehumidifier equipment located on the second floor in the customized design of the battery cell factory as an example, it is moved to the auxiliary facilities area on the first floor and shares space with the rotary drum maintenance space. This changes the dehumidifier connection maintenance space and the rotary drum maintenance space from 2500mm and 2500mm in the customized design to 2000mm and 3200mm in the standardized design, respectively. The total width of the dehumidifier equipment and maintenance area decreases from 14500mm to 13200mm, a reduction of 1300mm, saving 2600 square meters of platform area. In other embodiments not shown, the layout and size can be adjusted according to actual requirements.

[0064] Therefore, the construction of the mezzanine facility can be eliminated, thereby significantly reducing the space occupied by the facility platform and increasing the effective usable area of ​​the factory building. Furthermore, eliminating the mezzanine auxiliary facility area located on the second floor of the factory building reduces the factory area, thereby reducing the amount of concrete used and ultimately reducing carbon emissions. Moreover, eliminating the mezzanine auxiliary facility area also significantly saves on factory construction investment, hoisting equipment investment, and labor maintenance costs.

[0065] Furthermore, by eliminating the mezzanine level, the auxiliary building area can include both production auxiliary buildings and at least a portion of the facility auxiliary buildings. Typically, the facility auxiliary buildings are located near the exterior walls, while the production auxiliary buildings are located near the interior workshop walls. Additionally, the facility auxiliary buildings are equipped with roller shutter doors to facilitate the entry of auxiliary facilities and equipment. This decentralized facility platform makes equipment installation, maintenance, and repair easier, reducing operational complexity and safety risks.

[0066] Furthermore, the production area and auxiliary area of ​​the standardized battery cell plant designed using the method of this disclosure are laid out according to a unified column span, which is conducive to standardized and modular design and construction.

[0067] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 1 The factory layout includes reserving a buffer zone compatible with subsequent adjacent modules at the downstream end of each of the multiple modules.

[0068] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the factory layout includes reserving a comprehensive reserved area within a corresponding module of the plurality of modules.

[0069] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 2 The system is divided into multiple modules, including Module 1, Module 2, and Module 3. Module 1 includes at least a coating process, Module 2 includes at least a cold pressing process, and Module 3 includes at least a baking process. A first buffer zone suitable for the cold pressing load of the cold pressing process is reserved at the downstream end of Module 1; a second buffer zone suitable for the baking height of the baking process is reserved at the downstream end of Module 2; and a third buffer zone suitable for factory expansion is reserved at the downstream end of Module 3.

[0070] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of modules may include Module 1, Module 2, and Module 3 arranged sequentially along the longitudinal direction. Module 1 includes at least a coating process. Specifically, the elevation of Module 1 is 15.5m. In an embodiment not shown, Module 1 may include anode stirring, anode gravure, and anode coating. Module 2 includes at least a cold pressing process. Specifically, the elevation of Module 2 is 8.5m. In an embodiment not shown, Module 2 may include anode cold pressing, anode die-cutting, and anode (winding) assembly. Module 3 includes at least a baking process. The elevation of Module 3 is 17.5m. In an embodiment not shown, Module 3 may include baking, liquefaction formation, small drying, capacity testing, and packaging. A first buffer zone suitable for the cold pressing load of the cold pressing process is reserved at the downstream end of Module 1. The elevation of this first buffer zone is 15.5m, facilitating compatibility between Module 1 and Module 2. A second buffer zone suitable for the baking net height of the baking process is reserved at the downstream end of Module 2. The elevation of this second buffer zone is 17.5m, facilitating compatibility between Module 2 and Module 3. A third buffer zone with an elevation of 17.5m is reserved at the downstream end of module three to accommodate factory expansion. The first, second, and third buffer zones can also be used as spare factory space to adapt to changes in cell manufacturing processes. In other words, the buffer zone design between modules provides scalability to accommodate changes in cell manufacturing processes.

[0071] Furthermore, customized cell manufacturing plants have scattered reserved areas to address specific compatibility requirements for processes that may undergo technological innovation. These scattered reserved areas, designed as single-process reserves, are not easily shared, are highly susceptible to process changes, and are prone to redundancy or insufficiency. In contrast, standardized cell manufacturing plants unify these scattered reserved areas into corresponding comprehensive reserved areas, which can be considered a modular compatibility design. Therefore, the layout of a standardized cell manufacturing plant includes reserving comprehensive reserved areas within corresponding modules of the multiple modules. This modular compatibility design blurs process boundaries. These comprehensive reserved areas can be flexibly allocated according to actual compatibility and process change requirements, and the reserved area can be reduced by 20% compared to customized cell manufacturing plants.

[0072] Additionally, for example, refer to Figure 2Due to the increased length of the die-cutting and winding sections caused by process innovation, the space provided by the buffer zone, integrated reserved area, and auxiliary room area in the standardized design according to this disclosure can be allocated, so that the original winding section, assembly section, liquid injection section, small drying section, and testing section do not need to be changed. The lengthening of the testing section can be achieved by expanding the plant with the help of the third buffer zone at the downstream end of module three, so as to extend the testing section downstream and correspondingly move the packaging section backward.

[0073] Therefore, this inter-module buffer design and intra-module compatibility design reserve scalability, which can cover unplanned changes. In short, each buffer provides scalability to adapt to changes in cell manufacturing processes.

[0074] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, auxiliary building areas with uniform elevations are provided on both sides of the third module.

[0075] The uniform elevation of the auxiliary building area (e.g., 17.5m) provides sufficient height to accommodate the installation of some of the facilities that were originally located on the second floor of the factory building in a mezzanine manner in the auxiliary building area using scaffolding.

[0076] In this way, the sufficiently high uniform elevation of the auxiliary building area makes it easier to eliminate the auxiliary building area set up in the form of a mezzanine, thereby greatly saving investment in factory construction, hoisting equipment and manpower maintenance costs.

[0077] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 2 The process of dividing the facility into multiple modules includes: ensuring that the multiple modules include at least Module 2 and Module 3; Module 2 includes a cold pressing section, a die-cutting section, a winding section, and an assembly section; and Module 3 includes a baking section, a liquid injection section, a small drying section, a testing section, and a packaging section. The factory layout includes: ensuring that Module 2 and Module 3 have the same uniform column span; setting a uniform elevation for the cold pressing section, die-cutting section, winding section, and assembly section of Module 2; setting a uniform elevation for the baking section, liquid injection section, small drying section, testing section, and packaging section of Module 3; and / or ensuring that the uniform elevation of the auxiliary building area is consistent with the uniform elevation of the corresponding production area.

[0078] Figure 2 A standardized design is provided for one type of battery cell. Specifically, Modules 2 and 3 have the same uniform 26m column span to accommodate more process requirements. The elevations of the cold pressing, die-cutting, winding, and assembly sections of Module 2 are standardized to 8.5m, as are the elevations of the corresponding auxiliary rooms, to 8.5m, facilitating process compatibility and providing scalability for changes in battery cell manufacturing processes. For example, refer to... Figure 2In section (d), the die-cutting and winding sections are compatible and can be extended into the auxiliary room area to accommodate changes in cell manufacturing processes (the die-cutting section needs to be lengthened by 3m and the winding section by 7m). The elevations of the baking, liquid injection, small drying, testing, and packaging sections in Module 3 are standardized to 17.5m, as are the elevations of the corresponding auxiliary room areas, to facilitate process compatibility and provide scalability for changes in cell manufacturing processes. For example, refer to... Figure 2 In section (d), the testing and packaging sections are compatible and the factory building is expanded using a buffer zone to accommodate changes in the cell manufacturing process (the testing section needs to be extended by 60m). Simultaneously, this factory expansion adds an auxiliary building area with a length of 50m and an elevation of 17.5m. This auxiliary building area provides space for accommodating at least some of the facilities typically located on the second floor of the factory building.

[0079] Therefore, this modular division and factory layout facilitates standardized and modular design and construction.

[0080] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 4-6 The design of a unified column span includes: defining the minimum module unit based on the number of equipment required for coating, cold pressing, and die-cutting processes for a certain number of different types of battery cells; and performing module size analysis based on the auxiliary space required for the corresponding processes and the minimum module unit to determine the initial column span range.

[0081] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 4-6 The auxiliary space required for the corresponding process includes at least column space, AGV channel space, oven partition space, and multiple anti-collision spaces.

[0082] Figure 4-6 The diagrams show the smallest units of modules for coating, cold pressing and die cutting processes, as defined by the method of this disclosure.

[0083] exist Figure 4-6In this diagram, the horizontal axis represents the number of equipment required for the corresponding process, and the vertical axis represents the percentage of products represented. Taking four wire drawing types—high U44K, full U44K, large U66K, and medium U66K (representing different types of battery cells, ordered from largest to smallest capacity)—as examples, and using 306 existing products as a sample, the single-drawing equipment requirements for each wire drawing type across more than 80% of the products were analyzed for the coating, cold pressing, and die-cutting processes. This analysis determined the minimum unit for each module. Specifically, for more than 80% of the products, the coating process requires 2-4 units per draw, thus defining the minimum unit for the module as 2 units; the cold pressing process requires 2-3 units per draw, thus defining the minimum unit for the module as 1 unit; and the die-cutting process requires 6-12 units per draw, thus defining the minimum unit for the module as 3 units. In other words, the minimum unit for the module can be the least common multiple of the required equipment ranges for the corresponding processes.

[0084] In short, by summarizing and integrating all existing battery cell samples, we analyzed the single-pull equipment requirements for each pull type under 80% product coverage, and determined the equipment quantity under the unit quantity of single-pull equipment modules. The unit quantity of equipment is determined in units of 1 to 3 units (single pull requirements are odd, even, and multiples of 3).

[0085] The auxiliary spaces required for the corresponding process may include column space, AGV passage space, oven partition space and multiple anti-collision spaces, unloading racks, operating passages, etc. Based on the auxiliary spaces required for the corresponding process and the minimum unit of the module, module size analysis is performed to determine the initial column span range.

[0086] Taking the coating process as an example, the auxiliary space required for this process includes at least 0.8m of column space, 2m of AGV passage space, 0.2m of oven partition space, and two 0.3m anti-collision spaces. For one type of battery cell, the dual-stage coating machine requires 12m of equipment space, resulting in an initial span of 15.6m. For another type of battery cell, the dual-stage coating machine requires 16m of equipment space, resulting in an initial span of 19.6m. Further analysis for different types of battery cells reveals that the column span range for coating processes with high area utilization is 15m-20m. When 17.6m is taken as the optimal column span for the dual-stage coating machine, the space utilization rate is 79.5%.

[0087] Similarly, module size analysis can be performed on cold pressing and die-cutting processes to determine the corresponding column span range and the optimal column span. For die-cutting, the space utilization rate is 46.5% when the optimal column span is 14m. For die-cutting, the space utilization rate is 48.9% when the optimal column span is 27.3m.

[0088] Therefore, by defining the minimum unit of the module to determine the required number of equipment and considering the auxiliary space required by each process, a preliminary column span range is obtained, which can be used directly or indirectly as a reference for determining a uniform column span during standardized design.

[0089] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 7-9 The design of a unified column span also includes: conducting an economic analysis based on the preliminary column span range to determine the economic column span range.

[0090] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 7-9 Determining the economic column span range includes: drawing an economic column span curve based on the unit cost of civil engineering for concrete and steel structures corresponding to each column span size; drawing an equipment area curve based on each column span size and the required equipment area; fitting the economic column span curve and the equipment area curve to obtain a comprehensive cost curve; and determining the economic column span range based on the comprehensive cost curve.

[0091] Figure 7-9 The economic column span curve, equipment area curve, and comprehensive cost curve used for economic column span analysis are shown respectively.

[0092] Specifically, Figure 7 The economic column span curve shown is plotted based on the unit cost of civil engineering for concrete and steel structures corresponding to each column span size. The horizontal axis represents the column span size, and the vertical axis represents the unit cost of civil engineering. Depending on the column span size, civil engineering may employ concrete and / or steel structures, or the proportion of concrete and steel structures may vary, thus changing the required unit cost of civil engineering. The economic column span curve visually illustrates the relationship between column span size and unit cost of civil engineering.

[0093] Figure 8 The equipment area curve shown is plotted based on the column span dimensions and the required equipment area. The horizontal axis represents the column span dimensions, and the vertical axis represents the required equipment area. Figure 8 The equipment area curves for single-coating machines and double-coating machines are shown, taking the equipment required for the coating process as an example.

[0094] Figure 9 The comprehensive cost curve shown is formed by fitting the economic column span curve and the equipment area curve. Its horizontal axis represents the column span size, and the vertical axis represents the comprehensive civil engineering cost. Figure 9 The paper presents the comprehensive civil engineering costs for single-stage and dual-stage coating machines, taking the equipment required for the coating process as an example. The economic span range is determined based on the comprehensive cost curve. Specifically, the economic span range for a single-stage coating machine is 10m-14m, and for a dual-stage coating machine, it is 15m-20m.

[0095] The resulting economic column span range is used directly or indirectly as a reference for determining the uniform column span during standardized design.

[0096] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, designing a uniform column span further includes: performing a process compatibility analysis based on the economic column span range to obtain a compatible column span range.

[0097] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, performing process compatibility analysis based on the economic column span includes considering at least one of new processes, new technologies, equipment miniaturization, equipment integration, guy wire type, and fire protection factors.

[0098] Considering the changes in processes, technologies, equipment miniaturization, equipment integration, wire drawing types, and fire protection requirements brought about by technological advancements, the battery cell manufacturing process may change (e.g., elimination, reinforcement, integration, or miniaturization). Therefore, for the already obtained economic span range, process compatibility analysis is still needed to determine the compatible span range. For example, considering technological innovations, integrating the folding oven process (with a 15.8-meter span for gravure printing) and the coating process (with a 17.6-meter span) into a 17.6-meter span can improve space utilization by 34.6%. Furthermore, considering uncertainties, unifying customized processes such as cold pressing (with a 14-meter span), die-cutting (with a 27.3-meter span), and testing (with a 26-meter span) into a single 27.3-meter span can improve space utilization by 17.1%.

[0099] Therefore, by conducting process compatibility analysis and considering space utilization, the compatible column span range of the corresponding process can be determined, which can be used directly or indirectly as a reference for determining the uniform column span during standardized design.

[0100] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, designing a uniform column span further includes: optimizing the range of compatible column spans to obtain an optimized column span for use as a uniform column span.

[0101] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, optimization based on the compatible rear column span range includes optimization through economic span optimization, layout optimization, and equipment size optimization to obtain the optimized column span range.

[0102] Specifically, the economic span optimization includes: an economic span cost model based on cell process information; a space utilization span model based on factory span cost; an evaluation standard span scheme; and an output comprehensive cost model. These models are used to optimize the span range from an economic perspective.

[0103] Specifically, the layout optimization includes: analyzing schemes based on different process equipment layouts; simulating the adaptability of the layout based on the standard column span; outputting layout improvement schemes; and simulating and verifying the feasibility of the standard layout scheme. Thus, by simulating, adjusting, and refining the layout, a more optimized column span range is obtained.

[0104] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the device size optimization includes: performing device size difference analysis; establishing device size standards by integrating device development; outputting the device size requirements for column spans; and reaching a consensus to optimize the size. Thus, a more optimized column span range is obtained by optimizing the device size.

[0105] Therefore, by optimizing the column span to obtain an optimized column span for the corresponding module, the space utilization rate of the factory building can be improved and the building area of ​​the factory building can be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of concrete used and thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions in a comprehensive way.

[0106] For specific types of battery cells, optimized column spans can be obtained through economic span optimization, layout optimization, and equipment size optimization. These optimized column spans can then be selected as the unified column spans. For example, after optimizing the aforementioned span-compatible column span (27.3 meters) to 26 meters, the space utilization rate can be optimized by 2.4%-3.0%.

[0107] In one embodiment, using the standardized design method according to this disclosure can improve the space utilization rate of the factory building by at least 10%, reduce the factory building area by at least 20,000 square meters, thereby reducing the amount of concrete used by 9,000 tons and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by a total of 2,250 tons. Therefore, it significantly reduces the carbon footprint.

[0108] In one or more embodiments of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 1 The present invention provides a standardized battery cell factory, which is designed according to the method of the present disclosure, such that the standardized battery cell factory includes a production area and an auxiliary building area with a corresponding uniform column-span layout.

[0109] In this way, by unifying column spans and standardizing the layout of the cell manufacturing plant to form a standardized cell manufacturing plant, the total plant area can be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of concrete used and ultimately reducing carbon footprint emissions. Moreover, the resulting increase in the area of ​​auxiliary buildings not only accommodates changes in cell production processes but also provides the possibility of moving the facilities mezzanine to the ground floor of the plant.

[0110] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure, and not to limit them. Although this disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims and specification of this disclosure. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any way. This disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for designing a battery cell factory, the battery cell factory comprising a production area and an auxiliary area located on the first floor of the factory, the auxiliary area comprising a production auxiliary area and at least a portion of a facility auxiliary area, the method comprising the following steps: Based on the different elevations required for the production area, the production area is divided into multiple modules arranged along the longitudinal direction of the cell factory building, and auxiliary building areas are set on both sides of at least one module relative to the longitudinal direction. Design uniform column spans for all modules; and Along the longitudinal direction, the factory layout is carried out based on the unified column span of each module for the production area and the corresponding auxiliary building area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The factory layout includes reserving a buffer zone downstream of each of the multiple modules that is compatible with subsequent adjacent modules.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The factory layout includes reserving a comprehensive reserved area within the corresponding modules of the multiple modules.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The system is divided into multiple modules, including Module 1, Module 2, and Module 3. Module 1 includes at least a coating process, Module 2 includes at least a cold pressing process, and Module 3 includes at least a baking process. A first buffer zone suitable for the cold pressing load of the cold pressing process is reserved at the downstream end of Module 1, a second buffer zone suitable for the baking net height of the baking process is reserved at the downstream end of Module 2, and a third buffer zone suitable for factory expansion is reserved at the downstream end of Module 3.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, Auxiliary building areas with uniform elevations are set on both sides of the horizontal axis of module three.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The division into multiple modules includes: ensuring that the multiple modules include at least Module 2 and Module 3, wherein Module 2 includes a cold pressing section, a die-cutting section, a winding section, and an assembly section, and Module 3 includes a baking section, a liquid injection section, a small drying section, a testing section, and a packaging section; wherein the factory layout includes: ensuring that Module 2 and Module 3 have the same uniform column span; setting a uniform elevation for the cold pressing section, die-cutting section, winding section, and assembly section of Module 2; setting a uniform elevation for the baking section, liquid injection section, small drying section, testing section, and packaging section of Module 3; and / or ensuring that the uniform elevation of the auxiliary room area is consistent with the uniform elevation of the corresponding production area.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The design of uniform column spans includes: The minimum module unit is defined based on the number of equipment required for coating, cold pressing, and die-cutting processes for a given number of different types of battery cells; and Based on the auxiliary space required for the corresponding process and the minimum unit of the module, the module size analysis is performed to determine the preliminary column span range.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The auxiliary space required for the corresponding process includes at least column space, AGV passage space, oven partition space, and multiple anti-collision spaces.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, The design of uniform column spans also includes: An economic analysis is conducted based on the preliminary column span range to determine the economic column span range.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, Determining the economic column span range includes: drawing an economic column span curve based on the unit cost of civil engineering for concrete and steel structures corresponding to each column span size; Draw an equipment area curve based on the span dimensions of each column and the required equipment area; The comprehensive cost curve is obtained by fitting the economic bar span curve and the equipment area curve; and The economic column span is determined based on the comprehensive cost curve.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein, The design of uniform column spans also includes: A process compatibility analysis is performed based on the economic column span range to obtain the compatible column span range.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The process compatibility analysis based on the economic column spans includes considering at least one of the following factors: new processes, new technologies, equipment miniaturization, equipment integration, guy wire type, and fire protection factors.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein, The design of uniform column spans also includes: The column span range is optimized based on the compatibility parameters to obtain an optimized column span for use as the corresponding unified column span.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The optimization based on the compatible column span range includes optimization through economic span optimization, layout optimization, and equipment size optimization to obtain the optimized column span.

15. A standardized battery cell plant, the standardized battery cell plant being formed by the method according to any one of claims 1-14, such that the standardized battery cell plant includes a production area and an auxiliary building area with a corresponding uniform column-span layout.

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