Mixing and drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrode

Abstract

Disclosed is a hybrid drying system for manufacturing a secondary battery electrode. A hybrid drying system for manufacturing a secondary battery electrode according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a hot air drying furnace chamber which forms a location for hot air drying of a wet slurry applied to a metal foil for forming a secondary battery electrode, and which has a high-speed drying section formed on one side; and a hot air flow prevention portion provided in the high-speed drying section and preventing hot air in the hot air drying furnace chamber from flowing into the high-speed drying section to suppress migration of a binder contained in the wet slurry during high-speed drying of the wet slurry.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, and more specifically, to a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes that effectively suppresses adhesive migration that can occur when wet slurry is dried at high speed, and prevents degradation of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode dried therefrom even after the wet slurry has dried. Background Technology

[0002] Secondary batteries have many advantages, such as high energy density, high operating voltage, and excellent storage and lifespan properties. As a result, they have been widely used not only in various portable electronic devices (e.g., personal computers, portable cameras, mobile phones, portable compact disc (CD) players, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.), but also in electric vehicles.

[0003] Examples of rechargeable batteries include nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries can be manufactured to have higher energy density and longer lifespan than other types of rechargeable batteries, and are therefore used in many fields.

[0004] A lithium secondary battery has a casing filled with electrolyte and an electrode assembly housed within the casing. The electrode assembly is a stack of an anode, a separator, and a cathode, and has a jelly roll-like winding structure or a stacked structure.

[0005] Reference Figure 1 Observing the principle of a lithium secondary battery, lithium ions contained in the anode active material 2 of the anode substrate 1 pass through the separator 3 via the electrolyte 4 composed of an organic solvent, move to the cathode substrate 5, and then embed themselves into the cathode active material 6 with a layered structure. This is called charging. Discharging refers to generating electricity by utilizing the electron flow that occurs when the lithium ions embedded in the cathode active material 6 move back to the anode via the separator 3. In other words, this is the principle of generating current through the movement of lithium ions via an electrochemical redox reaction.

[0006] To improve the performance of secondary batteries, it is necessary to increase the efficiency of electrochemical reactions. To this end, a great deal of research has been conducted, such as changes in electrode materials, electrode surface coating, cleaning, and thick film technology.

[0007] Meanwhile, the secondary battery electrode process involves applying an electrode slurry onto a current collector made of a metal component, drying the electrode slurry at a high temperature, and then pressing the electrode slurry.

[0008] In this state, while the electrode current collector foil is continuously conveyed in a roll-to-roll manner, a coating process is performed to apply electrode paste to the electrode current collector, and a process is performed to remove the solvent components of the applied electrode paste to adhere the electrode paste to the electrode current collector. In the following text, the current collector is referred to as metal foil.

[0009] Electrode slurry is a paste-like mixture of electrode active material and binder. To increase the bonding strength between the electrode current collector structure and the electrode material, a small amount of components such as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) (i.e., binder) is added to the active material. However, adding a large amount of binder deteriorates electrical measurements. Therefore, a small amount of binder is added, within a range that will not cause delamination due to weak bonding strength between the dried electrode slurry and the electrode current collector.

[0010] When the binder component in the electrode slurry is continuously transferred in a roll-to-roll manner, binder migration occurs depending on the drying process conditions, which reduces the bonding strength between the metal foil, which acts as the current collector, and the electrode containing the dried slurry.

[0011] The so-called binder migration, a major cause of reduced adhesion during the drying process, is known to increase further when wet slurry is dried at high speeds. Therefore, since this is a primary reason why high-speed drying units cannot be used in coating drying processes for secondary battery electrodes, there is a need to develop technologies to address this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0012] Technical issues

[0013] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes that effectively suppresses binder migration that can occur when wet slurry is dried at high speed, and prevents degradation of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode dried therefrom, even after the wet slurry has dried.

[0014] Invention content

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes is provided, the hybrid drying system comprising: a hot air drying chamber forming a site for hot air drying of a wet slurry applied to a metal foil (Meta Foil) forming a secondary battery electrode, and a high-speed drying section formed on one side of the hot air drying chamber; and a hot air flow blocking section disposed in the high-speed drying section, preventing hot air from the hot air drying chamber from flowing into the high-speed drying section to suppress the migration of binders contained in the wet slurry during the high-speed drying of the wet slurry.

[0016] The hybrid drying system may also include: a unit installation operation unit, disposed in a hot air drying oven chamber, wherein a predetermined high-speed drying unit is installed and operated in the unit installation operation unit to perform high-speed drying of metal foil in the hot air drying oven chamber, wherein the high-speed drying section is arranged in the area of ​​the unit installation operation unit.

[0017] The unit installation operation unit may include: a unit installation unit, which is set in the hot air drying oven chamber and forms a place for installing high-speed drying units.

[0018] The unit mounting section may include an external unit mounting section, which enables the high-speed drying unit to be installed outside the hot air drying oven chamber.

[0019] The hot air flow blocking section may include a hot air flow blocking partition wall that extends from the side area of ​​the unit mounting section toward the metal foil and blocks the flow of hot air to be introduced into the high-speed drying section.

[0020] The external mounting portion of the unit can be formed by a portion machined into a groove on one side of the hot air drying oven chamber.

[0021] The unit installation operation section may also include: a heat source penetration window that guides the heat source of the high-speed drying unit toward the hot air drying oven chamber to travel toward the metal foil in the hot air drying oven chamber.

[0022] The heat source penetration window may include: an inner window adjacent to the metal foil in the hot air drying chamber; an outer window that forms a gap with the inner window and is arranged adjacent to the high-speed drying unit; and a window cap that supports the inner window and the outer window so that they are coupled at corresponding positions.

[0023] The hot air drying chamber may include: a lower chamber; and an upper chamber, detachably coupled to the upper portion of the lower chamber, with the unit installation and operation unit disposed in the upper chamber.

[0024] The hybrid drying system may further include: a hot air supply and exhaust unit disposed in a hot air drying oven chamber, which supplies hot air to the metal foil moving within the hot air drying oven chamber to dry the metal foil, and exhausts the hot air used during the drying process.

[0025] The hot air supply and exhaust unit may include: a lower supply tank disposed in a lower chamber and including a lower hot air nozzle, through which hot air is supplied from below; a plurality of lower exhaust conduits located in the lower chamber and disposed around the lower supply tank, and discharging the hot air in the lower chamber toward the lower chamber; an upper supply tank disposed in an upper chamber and including an upper hot air nozzle, through which hot air is supplied from above; and a plurality of upper exhaust conduits located in the upper chamber and disposed around the upper supply tank, and discharging the hot air in the upper chamber toward the upper chamber.

[0026] Multiple lower supply tanks, lower discharge pipes, upper supply tanks, and upper discharge pipes can be arranged in the hot air drying oven chamber. A foil inlet can be formed on one side of the hot air drying oven chamber, and a foil outlet can be formed on the other side of the hot air drying oven chamber. The metal foil before drying is input through the foil inlet, and the dried metal foil is discharged through the foil outlet.

[0027] The mixed drying system may also include multiple rollers arranged in a hot air drying chamber to move the metal foil.

[0028] The hybrid drying system may further include: a system controller configured to control the operation of the hot air supply and exhaust section and the high-speed drying unit by an organic mechanism, so as to automate the drying process of the metal foil in the hot air drying chamber.

[0029] The high-speed drying unit can be selected from a near-infrared (NIR) laser unit, an intense pulsed light (IPL) unit, and an infrared (IR) lamp unit.

[0030] The hot air flow blocking section may include: a first conduit coupled to one side of the hot air drying oven chamber and including a first flow path communicating with an opening in one side of the hot air flow blocking partition wall; and a second conduit coupled to the outside of the hot air drying oven chamber and including a second flow path communicating with an opening in the other side of the hot air flow blocking partition wall.

[0031] The hot air flow blocking part may include: a forced convection device connected to a first duct and generating forced convection toward a first flow path; and a trapping device connected to a second duct and trapping foreign objects in the air discharged via a second flow path.

[0032] The unit mounting operation section may also include an opening shielding section that shields the opening of the unit's external mounting section.

[0033] The opening shielding part can detachably shield the opening of the external mounting part of the unit from the outside of the unit external mounting part.

[0034] The unit installation operation section may also include: a cooling fluid flow section located in the hot air drying oven chamber and connected to the heat source penetration window, so that the cooling fluid can flow through the gap between the inner window and the outer window that form the heat source penetration window.

[0035] The cooling fluid flow section may include: a cooling fluid supply conduit connected to one side of the heat source penetration window and supplying cooling fluid through the gap between the inner and outer windows forming the heat source penetration window; and a cooling fluid discharge conduit connected to the other side of the heat source penetration window and discharging cooling fluid flowing out through the gap between the inner and outer windows forming the heat source penetration window.

[0036] The beneficial effects of openness

[0037] According to the concept of the present invention, adhesive migration that may occur when the wet slurry is dried at high speed can be effectively suppressed, and the degradation of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode dried therefrom can be prevented even after the wet slurry has dried. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a typical secondary battery.

[0039] Figure 2 This is a configuration diagram of a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, according to a first embodiment of the concept of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An enlarged view of the main parts shown.

[0041] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 The flowchart shown.

[0042] Figure 5 This is an enlarged view of the external mounting area of ​​the unit, which serves as... Figure 3 An enlarged view of the main parts shown.

[0043] Figure 6 This illustrates the application of a high-speed drying unit. Figure 5 The flowchart.

[0044] Figure 7 yes Figure 2 Control block diagram of a hybrid drying system used to manufacture secondary battery electrodes.

[0045] Figure 8 and Figure 9 Examples of different applications of high-speed drying units are shown.

[0046] Figure 10 This is an enlarged view of the external mounting area of ​​a cell in a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, according to a second embodiment of the concept of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 11 This illustrates the application of a high-speed drying unit. Figure 10 The flowchart.

[0048] Figure 12 yes Figure 10 Control block diagram of a hybrid drying system used to manufacture secondary battery electrodes.

[0049] Figure 13 and Figure 14 This is an enlarged view of the external mounting area of ​​a unit in a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, according to a third embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the operation of the partition wall.

[0050] Figures 15 to 21 Example of modification to a hot air drying oven chamber.

[0051] Figure 22 This is a view used to describe the fourth embodiment of the present invention, showing an opening shielding portion provided in a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes.

[0052] Figure 23 This is a view illustrating a cooling fluid flow section disposed in a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 24 It is shown Figure 23 A view of the coolant flow in the system. Detailed Implementation

[0054] To fully understand the concept of the invention, its operational advantages, and the objectives achieved through the practice of the concept of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the concept of the invention and the descriptions therein.

[0055] In the following, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements.

[0056] Figure 2 This is a configuration diagram of a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, according to a first embodiment of the concept of the present invention. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An enlarged view of the main parts shown. Figure 4 yes Figure 2 The flowchart shown. Figure 5 This is an enlarged view of the external mounting area of ​​the unit, which serves as... Figure 3 An enlarged view of the main parts shown. Figure 6 This illustrates the application of a high-speed drying unit. Figure 5 The flowchart. Figure 7 yes Figure 2 Control block diagram of a hybrid drying system used to manufacture secondary battery electrodes. Figure 8 and Figure 9Examples of different applications of high-speed drying units are shown.

[0057] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes according to this embodiment can effectively suppress adhesive migration that may occur when the wet slurry is dried at high speed, and can also prevent the deterioration of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode dried therefrom even after the wet slurry has dried.

[0058] According to this embodiment, a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes that can provide such effects includes a hot air drying chamber 100 in which a unit mounting operation unit 130 and a hot air flow blocking unit 160 are provided, and structures such as rollers 102 and hot air supply and discharge units 170 are installed in the hot air drying chamber 100 according to their positions.

[0059] The hot air drying chamber 100 forms a space for hot air drying of a wet slurry applied to a metal foil forming a secondary battery electrode. The length of the hot air drying chamber 100 can be appropriately designed.

[0060] If the length of the hot air drying chamber 100 is long, then structures such as rollers 102 and hot air supply and exhaust sections 170 can be arranged in slightly more numbers; conversely, if the length of the hot air drying chamber 100 is short, then structures such as rollers 102 and hot air supply and exhaust sections 170 can be arranged in slightly fewer numbers. Therefore, the length and size of the hot air drying chamber 100 can be varied without limitation from the arrangement shown.

[0061] The hot air drying oven chamber 100 may include a lower chamber 110 and an upper chamber 120 detachably coupled to an upper portion of the lower chamber 110. Since the hot air drying oven chamber 100 has an open upper chamber 120, structures such as rollers 102 and hot air supply and exhaust 170 can be installed in the lower chamber 110 and the upper chamber 120.

[0062] A sealing member 115 is arranged between the lower chamber 110 and the upper chamber 120. Therefore, hot air will not escape from the hot air drying furnace chamber 100.

[0063] Multiple rollers 102 are arranged inside the hot air drying chamber 100. The metal foil undergoing drying is dried while moving within the hot air drying chamber 100 via the operation of the rollers 102. For the entry and exit of the metal foil, a foil inlet 111 is formed on one side of the hot air drying chamber 100 and a foil outlet 112 is formed on the other side. The metal foil before drying enters through the foil inlet 111, while the dried metal foil exits through the foil outlet 112. Although the foil inlet 111 and foil outlet 112 are shown only as openings in the figures, a door for opening / closing either the foil inlet 111 or the foil outlet 112 may be provided on one of them.

[0064] A hot air supply and exhaust unit 170 is provided in the hot air drying chamber 100, and supplies hot air to the metal foil moving within the hot air drying chamber 100 to dry the metal foil, and also exhausts the hot air used during the drying process. In other words, the metal foil is substantially dried by high-temperature hot air through the operation of the hot air supply and exhaust unit 170.

[0065] The hot air supply and exhaust unit 170 includes: a lower supply tank 171 disposed in a lower chamber 110 and including a lower hot air nozzle 172 for supplying hot air from below; a plurality of lower exhaust conduits 173 disposed in the lower chamber 110 around the lower supply tank 171 and discharging hot air in the lower chamber 110 toward the lower chamber 110; an upper supply tank 174 disposed in an upper chamber 120 and including an upper hot air nozzle 175 for supplying hot air from above; and a plurality of upper exhaust conduits 176 disposed in the upper chamber 120 around the upper supply tank 174 and discharging hot air in the upper chamber 120 toward the upper chamber 120.

[0066] In this embodiment, multiple lower supply tanks 171, lower discharge conduits 173, upper supply tanks 174, and upper discharge conduits 176 may each be provided within the hot air drying oven chamber 100. As described above, the number and position of the lower supply tanks 171, lower discharge conduits 173, upper supply tanks 174, and upper discharge conduits 176 can vary without limitation depending on the length and size of the hot air drying oven chamber 100.

[0067] Although the sizes of the lower supply tank 171 and the upper supply tank 174 are shown to be different in the accompanying drawings, the lower supply tank 171 and the upper supply tank 174 may also have the same size. Furthermore, the number of lower hot air nozzles 172 and upper hot air nozzles 175 respectively provided on the lower supply tank 171 and the upper supply tank 174 may differ from those shown in the drawings. Therefore, the scope of the inventive concept is not limited to the shapes depicted in the drawings.

[0068] Therefore, as the metal foil is introduced into the hot air drying chamber 100 via the foil inlet 111 and moves by the rollers 102, the metal foil is dried at a high temperature and then discharged via the foil outlet 112 as the hot air supply and discharge section 170 operates (i.e., as hot air is supplied to the lower supply tank 171 and the upper supply tank 174 and discharged slightly cooled hot air by the lower discharge duct 173 and the upper discharge duct 176). Gases generated during the drying of the wet slurry are discharged via the lower discharge duct 173 and the upper discharge duct 176.

[0069] On the other hand, when metal foil is dried at high temperatures using only hot air, many problems may arise, such as the agglomeration of solvent components as described above, and the risk of explosion may also increase and productivity may decrease.

[0070] Therefore, in order to safely and stably carry out the drying process (especially the high-speed drying process) of the metal foil of the secondary battery electrode, while eliminating or significantly reducing the agglomeration problem of solvent components and the risk of explosion, the unit installation operation unit 130 is applied to the hot air drying oven chamber 100 in this system.

[0071] The unit mounting operation unit 130, provided in the hot air drying oven chamber 100, is a device for externally mounting the high-speed drying unit 10. That is, when the high-speed drying unit 10 is arranged outside the hot air drying oven chamber 100, it dries the metal foil in the hot air drying oven chamber 100 at high temperature. Therefore, in the hot air drying oven chamber 100 according to this embodiment, the unit mounting operation unit 130 is provided, which enables the predetermined high-speed drying unit 10, which performs high-speed drying of the metal foil in the hot air drying oven chamber 100 from outside the hot air drying oven chamber 100, to be mounted externally and operated to the interior of the hot air drying oven chamber 100.

[0072] In this embodiment, the unit installation operation unit 130 is integrally disposed in the upper chamber 120. The unit installation operation unit 130 may include an external unit installation part 140 and a heat source penetration window 150.

[0073] The external mounting portion 140 can be provided in the upper chamber 120 and can form a location for mounting the high-speed drying unit 10. The external mounting portion 140 can be formed by a portion machined into a groove shape from the upper chamber 120 toward the lower chamber 110.

[0074] The high-speed drying unit 10 to be installed in the external mounting section 140 may include a near-infrared (NIR) laser unit. However, as Figure 8 As shown, the intense pulsed light (IPL) unit can be a high-speed drying unit 20, or as... Figure 9As shown, the IR lamp unit can be a high-speed drying unit 30. Any of the units 10 to 30, used in a state where they are installed in the unit external mounting section 140 located outside the upper chamber 120, dries the metal foil in the hot air drying oven chamber 100 at high speed. Therefore, the problem of solvent component agglomeration can be prevented, and the risk of explosion can also be eliminated. Furthermore, high-speed drying can be performed.

[0075] A heat source penetration window 150 is provided for operating the high-speed drying unit 10 to perform high-speed drying. In other words, the heat source penetration window 150 is provided in the upper chamber 120 adjacent to the external mounting part 140 of the unit and guides the heat source of the high-speed drying unit 10 toward the metal foil in the hot air drying oven chamber 100.

[0076] The heat source penetration window 150 may include: an inner window 151 adjacent to the metal foil in the hot air drying chamber 100; an outer window 152 forming a gap G with the inner window 151 and arranged adjacent to the high-speed drying unit 10; and a window cap 153 supporting the inner window 151 and the outer window 152 so that they are coupled at corresponding positions. The inner window 151 and the outer window 152 may be made of heat-resistant special glass.

[0077] On the other hand, the hot air flow blocking part 160 is provided in the high-speed drying section and is a device to prevent hot air from flowing into the high-speed drying section from the hot air drying oven chamber 100, thereby suppressing the migration of binders that may occur during the high-speed drying of the wet slurry. Here, the high-speed drying section refers to the area of ​​the unit mounting operation part 130.

[0078] In this embodiment, the hot air flow blocking section 160 includes a hot air flow blocking partition wall 161 that extends from the side region of the unit mounting section 130 toward the metal foil and blocks the flow of hot air to be introduced into the high-speed drying section.

[0079] In this embodiment, when the hot air flow blocking partition 161 is applied to the area of ​​the unit mounting portion 130, hot air flow is prevented from being introduced into the high-speed drying section, and thus adhesive migration is suppressed. Therefore, deterioration of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode with the dried slurry can be prevented.

[0080] Without the hot airflow blocking partition 161 as in this embodiment, rapid drying can be achieved by the high-speed drying unit 10, but adhesive migration can occur, leading to electrode quality problems such as deterioration of adhesion. Therefore, in order to improve drying efficiency within normal electrode drying quality, the hot airflow blocking partition 161 is installed, as in this embodiment.

[0081] On the other hand, the hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes according to this embodiment also includes a system controller 190 for controlling the system.

[0082] The system controller 190 controls the operation of the hot air supply and exhaust unit 170 and the high-speed drying unit 10 through an organic mechanism to automate the drying process of the metal foil within the hot air drying oven chamber 100. The system controller 190 performing the above operations may include a central processing unit (CPU) 191, a memory 192, and support circuitry 193.

[0083] CPU 191 can be one of various computer processors, which can be used in industry to control the operation of hot air supply and exhaust unit 170 and high-speed drying unit 10 through organic mechanisms, so as to automatically carry out the drying process of metal foil used in the hot air drying oven chamber 100 in this embodiment.

[0084] Memory 192 is connected to CPU 191. Memory 192, as a computer-readable recording medium, can be installed in a local or remote location and can be at least one memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), floppy disk, hard disk, or some other readily available form of digital storage.

[0085] Support circuitry 193 is coupled to CPU 191 to support typical processor operations. Support circuitry 193 may include cache, power supply, clock circuitry, input / output circuitry, subsystems, etc.

[0086] In this embodiment, to automate the drying process of the metal foil within the hot air drying chamber 100, the system controller 190 controls the operation of the hot air supply and exhaust unit 170 and the high-speed drying unit 10 through an organic mechanism, and a series of control processes can be stored in the memory 192. Typically, software routines can be stored in the memory 192. The software routines can also be stored or executed by another central processing unit (not shown).

[0087] Although the processes according to the present invention are described as being executed by software routines, at least some of the processes according to the present invention can also be executed by hardware.

[0088] Therefore, the process of the present invention concept can be implemented by software executed on a computer system, hardware such as integrated circuits, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0089] The operation of the hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes according to this embodiment is described below.

[0090] First, the metal foil is introduced into the hot air drying chamber 100 via foil inlet 111 and then moved by rollers 102. In this state, the hot air supply and exhaust section 170 operates. In other words, high-temperature drying of the metal foil is performed as hot air is supplied to the lower supply tank 171 and the upper supply tank 174. Gases generated during the drying of the wet slurry are discharged via the lower exhaust duct 173 and the upper exhaust duct 176.

[0091] The high-speed drying unit 10 operates in conjunction with the hot air supply and exhaust unit 170. In this state, since the high-speed drying unit 10 is arranged outside the hot air drying chamber 100, the heat source generated from the high-speed drying unit 10 travels through the heat source penetration window 150 toward the metal foil in the hot air drying chamber 100 for high-speed drying of the metal foil.

[0092] Therefore, the metal foil that has been dried by the operation of the hot air supply and exhaust section 170 and the operation of the high-speed drying unit 10 arranged outside the hot air drying oven chamber 100 can be discharged through the foil outlet 112.

[0093] On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the hot air flow blocking partition wall 161, which serves as the hot air flow blocking part 160, is installed around the high-speed drying unit 10, hot air flow can be prevented from being introduced into the high-speed drying section, and thus adhesive migration can be suppressed. Therefore, the deterioration of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode with the dried slurry can be prevented.

[0094] According to this embodiment, which operates with the structure described above, adhesive migration that may occur when the wet slurry is dried at high speed can be effectively suppressed, and the degradation of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode dried therefrom can be prevented even after the wet slurry has dried.

[0095] Figure 10 This is an enlarged view of the external mounting area of ​​a cell in a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, according to a second embodiment of the concept of the present invention. Figure 11 This illustrates the application of a high-speed drying unit. Figure 10 The flowchart. Figure 12 yes Figure 10 Control block diagram of a hybrid drying system used to manufacture secondary battery electrodes.

[0096] Referring to the accompanying drawings, in this embodiment, the structure and operation of the hot airflow blocking part 260 differ from those in the embodiments described above. In other words, the hot airflow blocking part 260 in this embodiment further includes a first conduit 262 and a second conduit 263, a forced convection device 265 and a trapping device 266, and a plurality of hot airflow blocking partition walls 261 extending from the side region of the external mounting portion 140 toward the metal foil and blocking airflow in the corresponding portion. The structure, function, and role of the hot airflow blocking partition walls 261 are the same as those in the embodiments described above. Therefore, they will not be described in detail again.

[0097] The first conduit 262 is a conduit coupled to one side of the upper chamber 120 of the hot air drying furnace chamber 100, and includes a first flow path 262a communicating with an opening in one side of the hot air flow blocking partition wall 261. The second conduit 263 is a conduit coupled to the other side of the upper chamber 120 of the hot air drying furnace chamber 100, and includes a second flow path 263a communicating with an opening in the other side of the hot air flow blocking partition wall 261.

[0098] Forced convection device 265 is connected to the first duct 262 and generates forced convection toward the first flow path 262a. Forced convection device 265 is controlled by system controller 290. Capture device 266 is connected to the second duct 263 and captures foreign matter in the hot air discharged via the second flow path 263a. Capture device 266 is also controlled by system controller 290.

[0099] Therefore, when the forced convection device 265 and the trapping device 266 are operated by the system controller 290 as the process proceeds, forced convection can be implemented from the first flow path 262a of the first conduit 262 through the second flow path 263a of the second conduit 263 at a height that does not affect the electrode. Thus, the gas generated during the drying of the wet slurry can be easily discharged.

[0100] Furthermore, since the hot air flow blocking partition 261 is used without modification, hot air flow can be prevented from being introduced into the high-speed drying section, and thus adhesive migration can be suppressed.

[0101] Even when this embodiment is used, adhesive migration that may occur when the wet slurry is dried at high speed can be effectively suppressed, and the degradation of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode dried therefrom can be prevented even after the wet slurry has dried.

[0102] Figure 13 and Figure 14This is an enlarged view of the external mounting area of ​​a unit in a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, according to a third embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the operation of the partition wall.

[0103] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the hot airflow blocking part 360 applied in this embodiment further includes a hot airflow blocking partition wall 361, which extends from the side region of the unit external mounting part 140 toward the metal foil and blocks the flow of hot air to be introduced into the high-speed drying section. In this state, the hot airflow blocking partition wall 361 is configured to be movable rather than fixed.

[0104] A partition wall drive unit 365 is provided in the hot air flow blocking section 360 to allow the hot air flow blocking partition wall 361 to be movable. The partition wall drive unit 365 may include, for example, a cylinder, an electric motor, or other device. As in this embodiment, when the hot air flow blocking partition wall 361 is made movable, it is convenient to adjust the gap relative to the metal foil, and the hot air flow blocking partition wall 361 can be used only when necessary.

[0105] On the other hand, in addition to the aforementioned components, in this embodiment, a cooling fluid flow section 380 is further applied to the area of ​​the heat source penetration window 150. The cooling fluid flow section 380 is connected to the heat source penetration window 150 in the upper chamber 120, allowing cooling fluid to flow through the gap G between the inner window 151 and the outer window 152 that form the heat source penetration window 150. In other words, the cooling fluid flow section 380 is provided to block the heat source. The cooling fluid may include air, water, coolant, etc.

[0106] The cooling fluid flow section 380 includes: a cooling fluid supply conduit 381 connected to one side of the heat source penetration window 150, supplying cooling fluid through the gap G between the inner window 151 and the outer window 152 forming the heat source penetration window 150; and a cooling fluid discharge conduit 382 connected to the other side of the heat source penetration window 150, discharging cooling fluid flowing out through the gap G between the inner window 151 and the outer window 152 forming the heat source penetration window 150. The cooling fluid flow section 370 may also include a blower, an air inlet, etc., for supplying and discharging the cooling fluid. It can be seen that all these items are within the scope of the present invention.

[0107] Even when this embodiment is used, adhesive migration that may occur when the wet slurry is dried at high speed can be effectively suppressed, and the degradation of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode dried therefrom can be prevented even after the wet slurry has dried.

[0108] on the other hand, Figures 15 to 21 Example of modification to a hot air drying oven chamber.

[0109] Figure 15 An example of such a system is described below: In this system, as in the first embodiment, the high-speed drying unit 10 is arranged in the center of the hot air drying chamber 400, and a hot air flow obstruction partition wall 461 is arranged around the high-speed drying unit 10. In other words, the system is an integrated system as in the first embodiment. For example, the structures such as the heat source penetration window 150 and the roller 102 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0110] Figure 16 For example, when the hot air drying chamber 500 is separated from the high-speed drying chamber 500a, the high-speed drying chamber 500a is positioned between the hot air drying chambers 500. The high-speed drying unit 10 and the hot air flow blocking partition wall 561 are applied to the high-speed drying chamber 500a. Although the structure differs from that in the first embodiment, the system is scalable.

[0111] Figure 17 This example illustrates a scenario where the high-speed drying chamber is configured together with the hot air drying chamber 600 and installed before the hot air drying chamber 600. Figure 18 An example is shown where the high-speed drying chamber 700a is separated from the hot air drying chamber 700 and is docked at the hot air drying chamber 700. Similarly, Figure 19 This example illustrates a scenario where the high-speed drying chamber is configured together with the hot air drying chamber 800 and installed after the hot air drying chamber 800. Figure 20 An example is a system where the high-speed drying chamber 900a is separated from the hot air drying chamber 900 and is docked at the hot air drying chamber 900. Figures 17 to 20 In this case, hot air flow blocking partition walls 661 to 961 are used at appropriate locations around the high-speed drying unit 10.

[0112] As in Figure 21 In the illustrated case, when the hot air drying oven chamber 1000 is divided into an upper chamber 1010 and a lower chamber 1020, a first hot air flow blocking partition wall 1061a and a second hot air flow blocking partition wall 1061b may be respectively provided in the upper chamber 1010 and the lower chamber 1020 relative to the partition line.

[0113] Even when the above is adopted Figures 15 to 21 The structure and system shown can also effectively suppress adhesive migration that can occur when wet slurry is dried at high speed, and can prevent the degradation of the adhesion between the metal foil and the electrode dried therefrom even after the wet slurry has dried.

[0114] Figure 22This is a view used to describe the fourth embodiment of the present invention, showing an opening shielding portion provided in a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes.

[0115] In this embodiment, the system and structure are almost identical to those in the first embodiment described above, and the operation and effects are the same. Therefore, they will not be described in detail again.

[0116] On the other hand, according to this embodiment, the unit mounting operation section 130' applied to the hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes may also include an opening shielding section 5 that shields the opening of the unit external mounting section 140.

[0117] The opening shielding part 5 is a device that shields the opening of the external mounting part 140 of the unit. Although shown schematically in the drawings for convenience, the opening shielding part 5 can detachably shield the opening of the external mounting part 140 of the unit from the outside. Therefore, since the opening shielding part 5 can be opened when needed, the high-speed drying unit 10 is easy to install and maintain / repair.

[0118] Figure 23 This is a view illustrating a cooling fluid flow section disposed in a hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes, according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 24 It is shown Figure 23 A view of the coolant flow in the system.

[0119] In this embodiment, the system and structure are almost identical to those in the first embodiment described above, and the operation and effects are the same. Therefore, they will not be described in detail again.

[0120] On the other hand, according to this embodiment, the unit mounting operation section 130'' applied to the hybrid drying system for manufacturing secondary battery electrodes includes, in addition to the opening shielding section 5 of the fourth embodiment described above, a cooling fluid flow section 1.

[0121] The cooling fluid flow section 1 is connected to the heat source penetration window 150 in the upper chamber 120, allowing the cooling fluid to flow through the gap G between the inner window 151 and the outer window 152 that form the heat source penetration window 150. In other words, the cooling fluid flow section 1 is provided to block the heat source. The coolant may include air, water, coolant, etc.

[0122] The cooling fluid flow section 1 includes: a cooling fluid supply conduit 2, connected to one side of the heat source penetration window 150 and supplying cooling fluid through the gap G between the inner window 151 and the outer window 152 forming the heat source penetration window 150; and a cooling fluid discharge conduit 3, connected to the other side of the heat source penetration window 150 and discharging cooling fluid flowing out through the gap G between the inner window 151 and the outer window 152 forming the heat source penetration window 150. Although only cooling fluid lines are illustrated in the drawings, blowers, air inlets, etc., for supplying and discharging coolant can be added.

[0123] Therefore, although the inventive concept has been specifically shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept as defined by the appended claims. Thus, the scope of the inventive concept is not defined by the detailed description thereof, but by the appended claims, and all differences within that scope shall be construed as being included within the inventive concept.

[0124] Industrial applicability

[0125] The concept of this invention can be applied in the field of manufacturing secondary battery electrodes.

Claims

1. A hybrid drying system for manufacturing electrodes for secondary batteries, characterized in that, The mixing and drying system includes: A hot air drying chamber is provided for hot air drying of a wet slurry applied to a metal foil forming the electrode of the secondary battery, and a portion of the hot air drying chamber is configured as a high-speed drying section. as well as A hot air flow blocking section is provided in the high-speed drying section to prevent hot air from flowing into the high-speed drying section, thereby inhibiting the migration of the binder contained in the wet slurry during the high-speed drying of the wet slurry.

2. The mixing and drying system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes A unit installation and operation unit is provided in the hot air drying oven chamber. A predetermined high-speed drying unit is installed and operated in the unit to perform high-speed drying of the metal foil in the hot air drying oven chamber. The high-speed drying section is located in the area of ​​the unit installation and operation section.

3. The mixing and drying system as described in claim 2, wherein... The unit installation operation unit includes The unit installation section is located in the hot air drying oven chamber and forms a place for installing the high-speed drying unit.

4. The mixing and drying system as described in claim 3, wherein... The unit mounting section includes an external unit mounting section, which enables the high-speed drying unit to be installed outside the hot air drying oven chamber.

5. The mixing and drying system as described in claim 3, wherein... The hot air flow blocking section includes a hot air flow blocking partition wall that extends from the side region of the unit mounting section toward the metal foil and blocks the flow of hot air to be introduced into the high-speed drying section.

6. The mixing and drying system of claim 4, wherein... The external mounting portion of the unit is formed by a portion machined into a groove on one side of the hot air drying oven chamber.

7. The mixing and drying system as claimed in claim 2, wherein... The unit installation operation unit also includes A heat source penetration window guides the heat source of the high-speed drying unit toward the hot air drying chamber to travel toward the metal foil in the hot air drying chamber.

8. The mixing and drying system of claim 7, wherein The heat source penetration window includes: An inner window is located adjacent to the metal foil in the hot air drying chamber; An outer window forms a gap with the inner window and is arranged adjacent to the high-speed drying unit; as well as A window cap supports the inner window and the outer window so that they are coupled at corresponding positions.

9. The mixing and drying system as claimed in claim 2, wherein The hot air drying chamber includes: Lower section; and The upper chamber is detachably coupled to the upper portion of the lower chamber, and The unit installation and operation section is located in the upper chamber.

10. The mixing and drying system as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes A hot air supply and exhaust unit is provided in the hot air drying oven chamber, which supplies hot air to the metal foil moving in the hot air drying oven chamber to dry the metal foil, and exhausts the hot air used during the drying process.

11. The mixing and drying system of claim 10, wherein... The hot air supply and exhaust unit includes: A lower supply tank is arranged in the lower chamber and includes a lower hot air nozzle through which hot air is supplied from below; Multiple lower discharge conduits are located in the lower chamber and arranged around the lower supply tank, and discharge the hot air in the lower chamber toward the lower chamber; An upper supply tank is arranged in the upper chamber and includes an upper hot air nozzle through which hot air is supplied from above; as well as Multiple upper discharge conduits are located in the upper chamber and arranged around the upper supply tank, and discharge the hot air in the upper chamber toward the upper chamber.

12. The mixing and drying system of claim 11, wherein... The lower supply tank, the lower discharge conduit, the upper supply tank, and the upper discharge conduit are each arranged in multiples within the hot air drying oven chamber, and A foil inlet is formed on one side of the hot air drying chamber and a foil outlet is formed on the other side of the hot air drying chamber. The metal foil before drying is input through the foil inlet, and the dried metal foil is discharged through the foil outlet.

13. The mixing and drying system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes Multiple rollers are arranged in the hot air drying oven chamber and move the metal foil.

14. The mixing and drying system as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Also includes The system controller is configured to control the operation of the hot air supply and exhaust section and the high-speed drying unit through an organic mechanism, so that the drying process of the metal foil in the hot air drying chamber is carried out automatically.

15. The mixing and drying system of claim 1, wherein... The high-speed drying unit is selected from near-infrared laser unit and high-intensity pulsed light unit.

16. The mixing and drying system of claim 1, wherein The hot air flow blocking part includes: A first duct, coupled to one side of the hot air drying chamber, and including a first flow path communicating with an opening in one side of the hot air flow blocking partition wall; and The second conduit is coupled to the outside of the hot air drying chamber and includes a second flow path communicating with an opening on the other side of the hot air flow blocking partition wall.

17. The mixing and drying system of claim 16, wherein The hot air flow blocking part includes: A forced convection device, connected to the first conduit and generating forced convection toward the first flow path; and A capture device is connected to the second conduit and captures foreign objects in the air discharged via the second flow path.

18. The mixing and drying system of claim 4, wherein The unit mounting operation section further includes an opening shielding section that covers the opening of the unit's external mounting section.

19. The mixing and drying system of claim 18, wherein... The opening shielding portion detachably shields the opening of the external mounting portion of the unit from the outside of the unit's external mounting portion.

20. The mixing and drying system of claim 19, wherein... The unit installation operation unit also includes A cooling fluid flow section is located in the hot air drying oven chamber and connected to the heat source penetration window, allowing the cooling fluid to flow through the gap between the inner window and the outer window that forms the heat source penetration window.

21. The mixing and drying system of claim 20, wherein... The cooling fluid flow section includes: A cooling fluid supply conduit is connected to one side of the heat source penetration window and supplies the cooling fluid via the gap between the inner and outer windows forming the heat source penetration window; and A cooling fluid discharge conduit is connected to the other side of the heat source penetration window and discharges the cooling fluid flowing out through the gap between the inner window and the outer window that form the heat source penetration window.

22. The mixing and drying system of claim 1, wherein The high-speed drying unit is an infrared lamp unit.

Images