Air knife

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of air supply devices for drying solid materials or products, and particularly relates to an air knife. Through cooperation of the structure and position relation of the flow guide partition plate and the locking piece, the stability of equipment is improved while the length of a gas flow channel is guaranteed, and therefore the uniformity of gas exhausted by the air knife is better. Specifically, the air knife is provided with the flow guide partition plates which are distributed in an array staggered mode in the longitudinal direction, a circuitous flow channel with a long path is formed in a limited gas containing cavity space, the homogenization time of gas in the circuitous flow channel is directly prolonged, and the homogenization effect is improved. On the basis, the locking piece is arranged at the special position of the longitudinal overlapping part of the free end of the flow guide partition plate, a stable homogenizing structure can be formed by the locking piece and the multiple sets of flow guide partition plates, and it is guaranteed that the roundabout flow channel is always kept stable in the long-time operation process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of air supply devices for drying solid materials or products, and specifically relates to an air knife. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of perovskite solar cells and lithium-ion batteries, air knives, as key drying equipment, are mainly used for the rapid directional drying of the slurry after the coating process. This air knife drying step is crucial to the performance of the thin film material, as the uniformity of the drying process directly affects the quality of the film. Insufficient drying or the presence of residual solvents can lead to pinholes, cracks, or other defects on the film surface, significantly reducing the photoelectric conversion efficiency or electrochemical performance of the battery. Therefore, the design and performance of the air knife directly determine the yield and quality of solar cells and lithium-ion batteries.

[0003] A conventional air knife structure includes a pressure chamber with a gas inlet and a linear slit at its upper and lower ends, respectively. The end of the linear slit forms a gas outlet for purging the film. During operation, pressurized gas enters the pressure chamber through the gas inlet, then transitions to laminar flow along the linear slit, finally exiting at high speed and uniformly at the gas outlet. This airflow efficiently and uniformly removes solvent from the film surface, achieving rapid drying. The core of this structural design lies in the precise coordination between the pressure chamber and the linear slit. The pressure chamber buffers the incoming gas, reducing turbulence and providing a relatively stable gas supply to the linear slit. The linear slit, through its geometry, precisely controls the airflow distribution, transforming the gas from turbulent to laminar flow. This synergistic effect ensures the uniformity and stability of the airflow exiting the outlet, mitigating film surface defects caused by uneven airflow.

[0004] Currently, the optimization of air knife structures mainly focuses on the internal design of the pressurized chamber. The aim is to mitigate turbulence caused by pressurized gas entering the chamber, thereby providing a more stable and uniform gas supply to the linear slit. For example, by optimizing the internal shape of the pressure chamber, a gas flow channel slightly wider than the linear slit is added along the gas path to achieve pre-laminarization of the gas. However, because the pressure chamber must withstand the high-pressure impact of the gas, the channel wall must have sufficient thickness to provide the necessary mechanical strength and prevent rupture or deformation due to high pressure, ensuring long-term stable operation of the gas flow channel. However, this thicker channel wall design occupies a significant amount of internal space, weakening the buffering effect of the pressure chamber itself. Simultaneously, it also limits the design length of the gas flow channel, making it difficult to achieve the desired uniformity of the gas discharged from the air knife. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides an air knife with high internal space utilization, good gas flow channel stability, and good uniformity of exhaust airflow, which is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0006] An air knife includes: a gas cavity formed by a long-side base plate, a short-side end plate, and a top plate; an air inlet port, which is disposed through the gas cavity for introducing gas into it; an airflow slit formed at the lower ends of the long-side base plate and the short-side end plate, with a guide lip on its outer edge; a homogenization structure integrated inside the gas cavity, the homogenization structure including guide baffles arranged in an array in the longitudinal direction, each guide baffle extending non-contactly from the surface of the two long-side base plates to the opposite side, and the free ends of the guide baffles partially overlapping in the longitudinal direction; the guide baffles extending to the short-side end plate at both ends along the axial direction of the long-side base plate; a meandering flow channel for gas passage formed between the guide baffles; the homogenization structure also includes a locking member for fixing the longitudinally overlapping portions of the free ends of the guide baffles together.

[0007] Preferably, the meandering flow channel includes at least two sets of interconnected curved spaces, with the two ends of the curved spaces respectively located on the same side of the locking member near the same long side substrate.

[0008] Preferably, the deviation of the ventilation cross-sectional area in the curved space is 0~20%.

[0009] Preferably, the baffle plate near the intake manifold interface is a load plate, and the baffle plate away from the intake manifold interface is a dispersion plate; a clearance area is formed between the free end of the load plate and the long side substrate on the opposite side, and the non-contact extension distance of the load plate is less than that of the adjacent baffle plate; and / or, a clearance area is formed between the free end of the dispersion plate and the long side substrate on the opposite side, and the non-contact extension distance of the dispersion plate is less than that of the adjacent baffle plate.

[0010] Preferably, the flow guide plate distributed between the load plate and the dispersion plate is a flow diversion plate; the locking member is disposed through the flow diversion plate and its two ends are connected to the load plate and the dispersion plate.

[0011] Preferably, the locking elements are distributed on the symmetrical plane of the overlapping portion between the drainage plates in the longitudinal direction; the symmetrical plane is parallel to the long side substrate.

[0012] Preferably, the locking element is disposed through the free ends of the load plate and the dispersion plate.

[0013] Preferably, the load plate and the dispersion plate are located on the same side of the locking member.

[0014] Preferably, the gas cavity includes a buffer cavity, a homogenization cavity, and a regulating cavity that are sequentially connected and arranged according to the gas flow path; the homogenization structure is arranged in the homogenization cavity; the gas cavity also includes a flow control plate arranged between the buffer cavity and the homogenization cavity, and a guide plate arranged between the homogenization cavity and the regulating cavity for correcting the direction of the gas discharged from the homogenization cavity.

[0015] Preferably, the perpendicular distance between the free end of the flow guide plate and the long side substrate on the opposite side is 2 to 4 times the projected length of the flow guide lip on the plane where the short side end plate is located.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] This application, through the coordinated structure and positional relationship between the guide baffles and the locking components, increases the stability of the equipment while ensuring the length of the gas flow channel, thus resulting in better uniformity of the gas discharged from the air knife. Specifically, this application uses an array of staggered guide baffles arranged in the longitudinal direction of the air knife to form a longer, meandering flow channel within the limited gas cavity space, directly increasing the homogenization time of the gas in the meandering flow channel and improving the homogenization effect. Furthermore, by placing the locking component at the special position of the longitudinally overlapping portion of the free end of the guide baffles, this application can form a stable homogenization structure with multiple sets of guide baffles, ensuring that the meandering flow channel remains stable throughout long-term operation.

[0018] The detour channel of this application, by setting up multiple sets of curved spaces, can further precisely control the homogenization behavior of gas in the detour channel by controlling the deviation of the ventilation cross-sectional area in the curved spaces. Specifically, the design of the curved spaces not only extends the gas flow path, but also achieves effective management of airflow velocity, pressure distribution, and turbulence level through fine adjustment of the ventilation cross-sectional area in different regions.

[0019] This application effectively mitigates the impact of gas on the free end of the load plate by forming a clearance zone between the free end of the load plate and the long-side substrate, thereby ensuring the overall stability of the homogenization structure. Specifically, the design of the clearance zone cleverly alters the initial path of the gas flow, preventing the high-speed incoming pressurized gas from directly impacting the free end of the load plate. Instead, the gas is gradually guided into the meandering flow channel in a relatively smooth transition. This design significantly reduces the risk of vibration or deformation of the load plate due to the impact of high-pressure gas flow, ensuring the reliability and stability of the entire homogenization structure during long-term operation.

[0020] This application employs a specific design to optimize the positional relationship between the locking element and the flow guide baffles. Specifically, the locking element is positioned on the symmetrical plane of the longitudinally overlapping portion between the flow guide baffles. This effectively reduces internal imbalances caused by gas collisions with the free ends of the flow guide baffles in the meandering flow channel. This optimized placement of the locking element not only securely fixes the flow guide baffles but also balances the gas flow. Furthermore, by placing the load plate and the dispersion plate on the same side of the locking element, a stable flow guide plate fixing structure is formed between the load plate, dispersion plate, and locking element. This ensures a more stable meandering flow channel morphology and higher flow stability of the gas within the meandering flow channel.

[0021] This application incorporates three chambers—a buffer chamber, a homogenization chamber, and a regulating chamber—within a gas cavity. This chamber design works synergistically with the homogenization structure and the airflow slit to enhance airflow homogenization. The buffer chamber initially buffers the gas entering the gas cavity, while the flow control plate regulates the gas flow into the homogenization chamber. The homogenization structure within the homogenization chamber provides initial laminar flow treatment for the gas. To address the issue of the gas's discharge direction potentially differing from the airflow slit inlet after passing through a meandering flow path, a guide plate corrects the gas direction. The gas then enters the regulating chamber for further buffering and finally undergoes secondary laminar flow treatment via the airflow slit. Through the sequential coordination of these three chambers, this application achieves comprehensive control from buffering and homogenization to direction correction and secondary optimization. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To clearly illustrate the embodiments, the accompanying drawings will be briefly described below:

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the air knife in Example 1;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the air knife section structure in Example 1;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the air knife section structure in Example 1;

[0026] Reference numerals: 100, gas cavity; 110, long side base plate; 120, short side end plate; 130, top plate; 140, buffer cavity; 150, homogenization cavity; 160, regulating cavity; 170, flow control plate; 180, guide plate; 200, air inlet port; 300, airflow slit; 400, homogenization structure; 410, flow guide baffle; 411, load plate; 412, dispersion plate; 413, flow diversion plate; 420, meandering flow channel; 421, curved space; 430, locking element. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art will be able to implement the present invention based on these descriptions. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention described below are generally only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Therefore, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] Please refer to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment provides an air knife, including: a gas cavity 100, which is formed by a long-side base plate 110, a short-side end plate 120, and a top plate 130. An air inlet port 200 for introducing gas into the gas cavity 100 is provided through the top plate 130. An airflow slit 300 is formed at the lower ends of the long-side base plate 110 and the short-side end plate 120, and a guide lip for discharging airflow is provided at the lowermost end of the airflow slit 300.

[0029] According to the gas flow path, the gas cavity 100 includes a buffer cavity 140, a homogenization cavity 150 and a regulating cavity 160 connected in sequence from top to bottom; a flow control plate 170 is provided between the buffer cavity 140 and the homogenization cavity 150; a guide plate 180 is provided between the homogenization cavity 150 and the regulating cavity 160 for correcting the direction of the gas discharged from the homogenization cavity 150.

[0030] The homogenization cavity 150 integrates a homogenization structure 400, which includes seven sets of flow guide baffles 410 arranged in an array and staggered in the longitudinal direction. Each flow guide baffle 410 extends non-contactly from the surface of the two long side substrates 110 to the opposite side. The flow guide baffles 410 are arranged perpendicular to the long side substrates 110, and their free ends partially overlap in the longitudinal direction. Along the axial direction of the long side substrates 110, both ends of the flow guide baffles 410 extend to the short side end plates 120. A meandering flow channel 420 for gas passage is formed between the flow guide baffles 410.

[0031] Specifically, the flow guide plate 410 near the intake pipe interface 200 is a load plate 411, the flow guide plate 410 away from the intake pipe interface 200 is a dispersion plate 412, and the flow guide plate 410 distributed between the load plate 411 and the dispersion plate 412 is a guide plate 413. In this embodiment, a clearance zone is formed between the free end of the load plate 411 and the opposite long side substrate 110, and the non-contact extension distance of the load plate 411 is less than that of the adjacent flow guide plate 410; a clearance zone is also formed between the free end of the dispersion plate 412 and the opposite long side substrate 110, and the non-contact extension distance of the dispersion plate 412 is less than that of the adjacent flow guide plate 410. This embodiment, through the design of the clearance zone, can solve the deformation of the load plate 411 under the impact of airflow and the obstruction of exhaust gas at the location of the dispersion plate 412. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the perpendicular distance between the free end of the dispersion plate 412 and the opposite long-side substrate 110 is twice the projected length of the guide lip on the plane where the short-side end plate 120 is located. It is understood that in other embodiments, a distance of 2 to 4 times may also be used.

[0032] To ensure the mechanical strength of the flow guide baffle 410 built into the homogenization cavity 150, the homogenization structure 400 of this embodiment also includes a locking member 430 for fixing the longitudinally overlapping portions of the free ends of the flow guide baffle 410 to each other. Specifically, the locking member 430 is distributed on the symmetry plane of the longitudinally overlapping portions between the flow guide plates 413; the symmetry plane is parallel to the long side substrate 110. Further, the locking member 430 is disposed through the flow guide plate 413, and its two ends penetrate through the free ends of the load plate 411 and the dispersion plate 412. Since the load plate 411 and the dispersion plate 412 are distributed on the same side of the locking member 430 in this embodiment, the three can form a stable fixing structure.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the meandering flow channel 420 includes five interconnected curved spaces 421, with both ends of each curved space 421 respectively located on the same side of the locking member 430 near the same long side substrate 110. The ventilation cross-sectional areas in each curved space 421 are identical. Of course, in other embodiments, the ventilation cross-sectional area deviation can be set to 0~20%. This embodiment optimizes the airflow homogenization behavior in the meandering flow channel 420 by controlling the ventilation cross-sectional area of ​​the curved spaces 421, thus achieving a better airflow homogenization effect.

Claims

1. A wind knife characterized in that, The utility model relates to a kind of air distribution devices, including: Gas cavity (100) is enclosed by long side base plate (110) of air knife, short side end plate (120) and top plate (130); Gas inlet pipe interface (200) is arranged on the gas cavity (100), for the gas into it; Gas flow slit (300) is formed in the lower end of long side base plate (110) and short side end plate (120), and the outer edge is provided with flow guide lip; The gas cavity (100) is integrated with homogenization structure (400) inside, the homogenization structure (400) includes array staggered distribution in longitudinal direction flow guide baffle (410), each flow guide baffle (410) is non-contact extension from the surface of two long side base plate (110) to opposite side in turn, and the free end of flow guide baffle (410) is partially overlapped in longitudinal direction;Along the axial direction of long side base plate (110), flow guide baffle (410) extends to short side end plate (120) at both ends;The flow guide baffle (410) is formed with detour flow channel (420) for gas passing between;The homogenization structure (400) further includes locking member (430) for fixing and connecting the longitudinal overlapping part of the free end of flow guide baffle (410) with each other.

2. A wind knife according to claim 1, wherein, The detour flow channel (420) includes at least two groups of curved space (421) connected through, and the curved space (421) is arranged at the same side of the locking member (430) close to the same long side base plate (110) at both ends.

3. A wind knife according to claim 2, wherein, The ventilation cross-sectional area deviation in the curved space (421) is 0-20%.

4. The air knife of claim 1, wherein, The flow guide baffle (410) close to the side of gas inlet pipe interface (200) is load plate (411), and the flow guide baffle (410) away from the side of gas inlet pipe interface (200) is dispersion plate (412);The free end of load plate (411) and the long side base plate (110) on the opposite side form an avoidance zone, and the non-contact extension distance of load plate (411) is less than that of the flow guide baffle (410) adjacent thereto;And / or, The free end of dispersion plate (412) and the long side base plate (110) on the opposite side form an avoidance zone, and the non-contact extension distance of dispersion plate (412) is less than that of the flow guide baffle (410) adjacent thereto.

5. A wind knife according to claim 4, wherein, The flow guide baffle (410) distributed between load plate (411) and dispersion plate (412) is flow guide plate (413);The locking member (430) is arranged through the flow guide plate (413), and both ends thereof are connected with the load plate (411) and the dispersion plate (412).

6. A wind knife according to claim 5, wherein, The locking member (430) is distributed on the symmetry plane of the overlapping part in longitudinal direction between flow guide plate (413), and the symmetry plane is parallel to long side base plate (110).

7. A wind knife according to claim 6, wherein, The locking member (430) is arranged through the end of the free end of load plate (411) and dispersion plate (412).

8. The air knife of claim 4, wherein, The load plate (411) and the dispersion plate (412) are distributed on the same side of the locking member (430).

9. The air knife of claim 1, wherein, The gas cavity (100) is provided with a buffer cavity (140), a homogenizing cavity (150) and a regulating cavity (160) which are sequentially and continuously connected; the homogenizing structure (400) is arranged in the homogenizing cavity (150); the gas cavity (100) further comprises a flow control plate (170) arranged between the buffer cavity (140) and the homogenizing cavity (150), and a guide plate (180) arranged between the homogenizing cavity (150) and the regulating cavity (160) for correcting the direction of the gas discharged from the homogenizing cavity (150).

10. The air knife according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The vertical distance between the free end of the flow guide partition (410) and the opposite long side base plate (110) is 2-4 times the length of the projection of the flow guide lip on the plane of the short side end plate (120).

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