A lithium battery positive electrode material slurry drying, crushing and sintering integrated device

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of battery processing, and discloses a lithium battery positive electrode material slurry drying, crushing and sintering integrated device, which comprises a conveying assembly for conveying the slurry, a drying assembly for drying and crushing the slurry, a stirring assembly for stirring the material and a sintering assembly for sintering the material, the drying assembly comprises a rotatable rotary sintering cylinder, through the arrangement of a material inlet guide vane, an internal mixing sheet and a side mixing sheet and other structures, the slurry can be continuously scooped up, thrown and sheared in the rotary cylinder body, drying and crushing are synchronously completed, the material is always in dynamic movement in the closed cylinder body, dust flying and material spilling loss caused by multi-process transfer in the traditional process are avoided, the cylinder wall auxiliary gas inlet can accurately control the atmosphere, the loss of components caused by volatile matter entrainment is effectively inhibited, and the problems of material loss and insufficient integration in the prior art are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery processing technology, specifically to an integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy vehicles and energy storage industries, the demand for lithium battery cathode materials has surged. The mainstream preparation process is high-temperature solid-state sintering, which involves mixing the precursor and lithium source, granulating them, filling them into a sagger, and statically sintering them in a tunnel kiln. The sintered material is then crushed in multiple stages to obtain the finished product. Although this process produces a smooth sintering curve, it suffers from several problems, including dispersed processes, complex equipment, poor continuity, huge energy consumption, severe heat loss due to repeated heating and cooling of the sagger, uneven heat and mass transfer during static sintering leading to poor product consistency and difficulty in subsequent crushing, and dust pollution and material loss caused by multi-stage transfer. These issues severely restrict production efficiency and cost control.

[0003] While existing improved solutions, such as airflow pulverization flash drying equipment, integrate drying and pulverization processes, they fail to incorporate the sintering process into the integrated workflow. Fluidized bed sintering reactors, although capable of fluidized bed sintering to improve heat and mass transfer, have strict limitations on particle size and specific gravity, and are prone to excessive crushing and material loss. Therefore, current technologies still struggle to achieve continuous production from slurry feeding to drying, pulverization, and sintering within a single unit. There is an urgent need to develop a highly integrated, low-energy-consumption, and stable-quality integrated device to address these technical challenges. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention proposes an integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry, which solves the problems of material loss and insufficient integration in related technologies.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: an integrated device for drying, pulverizing and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry, comprising a conveying component for conveying slurry, a drying component for drying and pulverizing slurry, a stirring component for stirring materials, and a sintering component for sintering materials. The drying component includes a rotatable rotating sintering cylinder. The inner wall of the rotating sintering cylinder is provided with a guiding structure for guiding and conveying materials from the feed end to the discharge end. The rotating sintering cylinder is provided with a built-in heating box for heating the materials inside the cylinder. The inner wall of the rotating sintering cylinder is provided with an internal mixing structure for mixing and pulverizing materials.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conveying assembly includes a conveying frame, a conveying motor disposed on the conveying frame, and a conveyor belt driven by the conveying motor, the conveyor belt being used to convey the slurry to the feed end of the drying assembly.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drying assembly further includes a drying rack and a rotary motor disposed on the drying rack. The output end of the rotary motor is provided with a transmission gear. The outer wall of the rotating sintering cylinder is provided with a transmission gear ring that meshes with the transmission gear. The outer wall of the rotating sintering cylinder is also provided with a guide ring. The drying rack is provided with a guide wheel that cooperates with the guide ring.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inner wall of the feed end of the rotating sintering cylinder is provided with a plurality of feed guide vanes, which are arranged obliquely along the circumference of the rotating sintering cylinder to guide the slurry into the interior of the rotating sintering cylinder.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the internal mixing structure includes an internal mixing plate disposed axially on the inner wall of the rotating sintering cylinder and a side mixing plate disposed circumferentially on the inner wall of the cylinder, for stirring, mixing and crushing materials during the rotation of the rotating sintering cylinder.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drying assembly further includes a discharge port and a vibrating discharge device disposed at the discharge port. The vibrating discharge device includes a drive motor, a drive belt driven by the drive motor, and a vibrating disc driven by the drive belt. The vibrating disc is disposed below the discharge port.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder wall of the rotating sintering cylinder is further provided with an auxiliary gas inlet for introducing auxiliary gas into the rotating sintering cylinder to regulate the atmosphere inside the cylinder.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the discharge end of the rotating sintering cylinder is provided with a discharge port, and the stirring assembly includes a stirring frame, a stirring box disposed on the stirring frame, a stirring shaft disposed in the stirring box, and a stirring motor for driving the stirring shaft. The discharge port is connected to the inlet of the stirring box.

[0013] The working principle and beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0014] 1. This invention, through the design of feed guide vanes, internal mixing plates and side mixing plates, enables the slurry to be continuously lifted, scattered and sheared in the rotating cylinder, and drying and crushing are completed simultaneously. The material is always in dynamic motion in the closed cylinder, avoiding dust flying and material spillage loss caused by multi-process transfer in traditional processes. In addition, the auxiliary air inlet on the cylinder wall can precisely control the atmosphere, effectively suppressing the loss of components caused by volatile matter entrainment.

[0015] 2. This invention integrates slurry drying, mixing and crushing, and preliminary sintering into the same rotating cylinder by setting up a rotating sintering cylinder and an internal heating box. The rotation of the cylinder and the internal guiding structure enable the self-conveying of materials, eliminating the need for separate drying, loading and unloading, and multi-stage crushing equipment in traditional processes. This significantly shortens the process flow and realizes integrated continuous operation from slurry feeding to sintering, significantly improving the compactness and automation level of the production line. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the drying component of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the drying assembly of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the stirring assembly of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the stirring assembly of the present invention.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Conveying assembly; 11. Conveying frame; 12. Conveying motor; 13. Conveying belt;

[0023] 2. Drying assembly; 21. Drying rack; 22. Rotary motor; 221. Transmission gear; 23. Guide wheel; 24. Rotating sintering cylinder; 241. Feed guide vane; 242. Transmission gear ring; 243. Guide ring; 244. Built-in heating box; 245. Internal mixing deflector; 246. Side mixing plate; 247. Auxiliary air inlet; 248. Discharge port; 25. Discharge port; 251. Transmission motor; 252. Vibrating disc; 253. Transmission belt;

[0024] 3. Mixing assembly; 31. Mixing frame; 32. Mixing motor; 33. Mixing tank; 34. Mixing shaft;

[0025] 4. Sintered components. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Example

[0028] like Figures 1-5 As shown, an integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry includes a conveying component 1 for conveying the slurry, a drying component 2 for drying and pulverizing the slurry, a stirring component 3 for stirring the material, and a sintering component 4 for sintering the material. The drying component 2 includes a rotatable rotating sintering cylinder 24. The inner wall of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 is provided with a guiding structure for guiding and conveying the material from the feed end to the discharge end. The rotating sintering cylinder 24 is provided with a built-in heating box 244 for heating the material inside the cylinder. The inner wall of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 is provided with an internal mixing structure for mixing and pulverizing the material.

[0029] The conveying assembly 1 includes a conveying frame 11, a conveying motor 12 disposed on the conveying frame 11, and a conveyor belt 13 driven by the conveying motor 12. The conveyor belt 13 is used to convey the slurry to the feed end of the drying assembly 2.

[0030] The drying assembly 2 also includes a drying rack 21 and a rotary motor 22 mounted on the drying rack 21. The output end of the rotary motor 22 is provided with a transmission gear 221. The outer wall of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 is provided with a transmission circular gear ring 242 that meshes with the transmission gear 221. The outer wall of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 is also provided with a guide ring 243. The drying rack 21 is provided with a guide wheel 23 that cooperates with the guide ring 243.

[0031] The inner wall of the feed end of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 is provided with several feed guide vanes 241. The feed guide vanes 241 are arranged obliquely along the circumference of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 to guide the slurry into the interior of the rotating sintering cylinder 24.

[0032] The internal mixing structure includes an internal mixing plate 245 arranged axially along the inner wall of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 and a side mixing plate 246 arranged circumferentially along the inner wall of the cylinder, which are used to stir, mix and crush the materials during the rotation of the rotating sintering cylinder 24.

[0033] The drying assembly 2 also includes a discharge port 25 and a vibrating discharge device disposed at the discharge port 25. The vibrating discharge device includes a drive motor 251, a drive belt 253 driven by the drive motor 251, and a vibrating disc 252 driven by the drive belt 253. The vibrating disc 252 is disposed below the discharge port 25.

[0034] The rotating sintering cylinder 24 is also provided with an auxiliary gas inlet 247, which is used to introduce auxiliary gas into the rotating sintering cylinder 24 to regulate the atmosphere inside the cylinder.

[0035] The discharge end of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 is provided with a discharge port 248. The stirring assembly 3 includes a stirring frame 31, a stirring box 33 set on the stirring frame 31, a stirring shaft 34 set in the stirring box 33, and a stirring motor 32 for driving the stirring shaft 34. The discharge port 248 is connected to the feed port of the stirring box 33.

[0036] Working principle: The device mainly consists of a conveying component 1, a drying component 2, a stirring component 3, and a sintering component 4. Its specific working process is as follows:

[0037] After the device is started, the lithium battery cathode material slurry first enters the conveying assembly 1. This assembly includes a conveying frame 11 and a conveying motor 12 mounted on it. The conveying motor 12 drives the conveyor belt 13 to rotate, and smoothly and continuously conveys the slurry to the feed end of the drying assembly 2.

[0038] After the slurry enters the drying assembly 2, it first contacts the feed guide vanes 241 located on the inner wall of the feed end of the rotating sintering cylinder 24. Several feed guide vanes 241 are arranged obliquely along the circumference of the cylinder, generating guiding thrust during the rotation of the cylinder, effectively guiding the slurry into the depth of the rotating sintering cylinder 24.

[0039] The rotational power of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 is provided by a rotary motor 22 mounted on the drying rack 21. The transmission gear 221 at the output end of the rotary motor 22 meshes with the transmission gear ring 242 on the outer wall of the rotating sintering cylinder 24, driving the cylinder to rotate. At the same time, the guide ring 243 on the outer wall of the cylinder rolls with the guide wheel 23 on the drying rack 21, ensuring the stability and coaxiality of the large cylinder rotation.

[0040] Inside the rotating sintering cylinder 24, a built-in heating chamber 244 located in the central region continuously releases heat to perform high-temperature drying of the material inside the cylinder. During the cylinder's rotation, the internal mixing structure on the inner wall begins to function—specifically, it includes internal mixing plates 245 arranged along the axial direction and side mixing plates 246 arranged along the circumference. As the cylinder rotates, the material is repeatedly scooped up and scattered by the internal mixing plates 245, while simultaneously, under the shearing action of the side mixing plates 246, the agglomerated slurry is simultaneously crushed and deagglomerated during the drying process. In addition, an auxiliary air inlet 247 on the cylinder wall can introduce a specific atmosphere gas into the cylinder to regulate the chemical environment during the drying and preliminary sintering processes.

[0041] As the inner wall guide structure of the rotating sintering cylinder 24 continues to advance, the dried and preliminarily crushed material is conveyed to the discharge port 248 at the end of the cylinder and falls into the mixing chamber 33 of the mixing assembly 3. The mixing frame 31 of the mixing assembly 3 carries the mixing motor 32, which drives the mixing shaft 34 in the mixing chamber 33 to rotate, further homogenizing and mixing the material to ensure the uniformity of particle size before entering the final sintering process.

[0042] The drying assembly 2 is also equipped with a vibrating discharge device at its tail end to assist in material feeding. Specifically, the drive motor 251 drives the vibrating disc 252 to work through the drive belt 253. The vibrating disc 252 located below the discharge port 25 generates high-frequency vibration, which effectively prevents the dried material from clogging and bridging at the interface.

[0043] Finally, the material homogenized by the stirring component 3 is fed into the sintering component 4 at the end, where the final solid-state reaction and lattice shaping are completed under specific temperature and atmosphere. Thus, the entire integrated operation process from slurry feeding to drying, crushing and sintering is completed continuously in the same set of online equipment.

[0044] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry, comprising a conveying assembly (1) for conveying the slurry, a drying assembly (2) for drying and pulverizing the slurry, a stirring assembly (3) for stirring the material, and a sintering assembly (4) for sintering the material, characterized in that, The drying assembly (2) includes a rotatable rotary sintering cylinder (24), the inner wall of which is provided with a guide structure for guiding and conveying materials from the feed end to the discharge end, the inside of which is provided with a built-in heating box (244) for heating the materials inside the cylinder, and the inner wall of which is provided with an internal mixing structure for mixing and crushing the materials.

2. The integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying assembly (1) includes a conveying frame (11), a conveying motor (12) disposed on the conveying frame (11), and a conveying belt (13) driven by the conveying motor (12). The conveying belt (13) is used to convey the slurry to the feed end of the drying assembly (2).

3. The integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drying assembly (2) also includes a drying rack (21) and a rotary motor (22) mounted on the drying rack (21). The output end of the rotary motor (22) is provided with a transmission gear (221). The outer wall of the rotating sintering cylinder (24) is provided with a transmission gear ring (242) that meshes with the transmission gear (221). The outer wall of the rotating sintering cylinder (24) is also provided with a guide ring (243). The drying rack (21) is provided with a guide wheel (23) that cooperates with the guide ring (243).

4. The integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the feed end of the rotating sintering cylinder (24) is provided with a plurality of feed guide vanes (241). The feed guide vanes (241) are arranged obliquely along the circumference of the rotating sintering cylinder (24) to guide the slurry into the interior of the rotating sintering cylinder (24).

5. The integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The internal mixing structure includes an internal mixing plate (245) arranged axially on the inner wall of the rotating sintering cylinder (24) and a side mixing plate (246) arranged circumferentially on the inner wall of the cylinder, for stirring, mixing and crushing materials during the rotation of the rotating sintering cylinder (24).

6. The integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drying assembly (2) further includes a discharge port (25) and a vibrating discharge device disposed at the discharge port (25). The vibrating discharge device includes a drive motor (251), a drive belt (253) driven by the drive motor (251), and a vibrating disc (252) driven by the drive belt (253). The vibrating disc (252) is disposed below the discharge port (25).

7. The integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating sintering cylinder (24) is also provided with an auxiliary gas inlet (247) on its cylinder wall, which is used to introduce auxiliary gas into the rotating sintering cylinder (24) to regulate the atmosphere inside the cylinder.

8. The integrated device for drying, pulverizing, and sintering lithium battery cathode material slurry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge end of the rotating sintering cylinder (24) is provided with a discharge port (248). The stirring assembly (3) includes a stirring frame (31), a stirring box (33) set on the stirring frame (31), a stirring shaft (34) set in the stirring box (33), and a stirring motor (32) for driving the stirring shaft (34). The discharge port (248) is connected to the feed port of the stirring box (33).

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