Ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium deposition reaction kettle device
By using an ultrasonic-assisted lithium precipitation reactor, the problem of impurity introduction in traditional processes has been solved, enabling the production of high-purity and high-stability lithium carbonate and improving the performance and safety of battery materials.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- YIFENG SHIDAI NEW ENERGY MATERIALS CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-28
AI Technical Summary
Traditional primary lithium deposition processes easily introduce impurities, resulting in low-quality battery-grade lithium carbonate, which affects battery performance and poses safety hazards.
An ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device, including an ultrasonic component and a stirring shaft, is used to control particle size and remove impurity ions through ultrasonic treatment. Combined with a bending plate to control the flow rate and direction, it achieves impurity desorption and particle dispersion.
It improves the purity and stability of lithium carbonate, reduces the difficulty of slurry dispersion, enhances equipment lifespan, and ensures the quality and safety of battery materials.
Smart Images
Figure CN224167499U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of reaction vessel technology, and in particular relates to an ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reaction vessel device. Background Technology
[0002] As a core raw material for power lithium batteries, the market demand for battery-grade lithium carbonate has surged along with the expansion of the power lithium battery industry. Due to its high purity, stable chemical properties, and excellent electrochemical performance, battery-grade lithium carbonate has become a key material in the manufacture of high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials (such as lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium iron phosphate, and ternary materials). Its quality directly affects the battery's energy density, charge-discharge efficiency, cycle life, and safety performance. Therefore, the market has placed higher demands on both the supply and quality of battery-grade lithium carbonate.
[0003] Traditional primary lithium deposition processes, which employ direct mixing and reaction methods, are prone to introducing various impurity elements during the deposition process, resulting in lower quality. Excessive impurity content not only reduces the electrochemical activity of battery materials and increases battery internal resistance, but may also lead to safety hazards such as battery thermal runaway.
[0004] Based on this, a reaction device is designed to support the production process of battery-grade lithium carbonate, in order to ensure product quality stability. Utility Model Content
[0005] Purpose of the utility model: This utility model provides an ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device that can improve production efficiency and ensure product quality stability.
[0006] Technical solution: The present invention provides an ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device, which includes a lithium precipitation reactor and an ultrasonic component for controlling the particle size of the material after the lithium precipitation reaction and removing surface-adsorbed impurity ions.
[0007] The ultrasonic component includes an ultrasonic chamber connected to the bottom discharge port of the lithium deposition reactor via a pipe, and an ultrasonic device mounted on the ultrasonic chamber. The ultrasonic chamber is connected to the upper end of the lithium deposition reactor via a circulation pipe. The ultrasonic chamber has a discharge end with a screen mesh, so that lithium deposition slurry that meets the particle size after being processed by the ultrasonic device immediately flows out of the discharge end through the screen mesh, while lithium deposition material that does not meet the particle size is circulated back into the lithium deposition reactor through the circulation pipe for recirculation and discharge.
[0008] Furthermore, the device has a baffle plate inside the ultrasonic chamber, located between the ultrasonic device and the outlet port of the pipeline, to slow down the flow rate of the lithium-precipitated slurry entering the ultrasonic chamber and to change the flow direction of the lithium-precipitated slurry, so as to prevent the lithium-precipitated slurry from directly impacting the ultrasonic device.
[0009] Furthermore, the ultrasonic device of the apparatus includes a transducer, an ultrasonic generator, an amplitude transformer, and a dispersion head. One end of the transducer is connected to the ultrasonic generator, and the other end is connected to the amplitude transformer. The transducer is fixed inside the ultrasonic chamber, and the amplitude transformer extends through one end of the ultrasonic chamber into its interior. The end of the amplitude transformer located inside the ultrasonic chamber is connected to the dispersion head.
[0010] Furthermore, the device is equipped with a circulation pump on its circulation pipe.
[0011] Furthermore, the top of the lithium deposition reactor of the device is provided with several liquid inlets and feed inlets, and the liquid inlets are connected to the corresponding material tanks through feed pipes.
[0012] Furthermore, the device is equipped with a stirring shaft inside the lithium deposition reactor, which is driven by a drive motor located at the top of the lithium deposition reactor, and the stirring shaft is equipped with several stirring paddles.
[0013] Furthermore, the lithium precipitation reactor of the device is also equipped with a steam coil to provide the temperature conditions for the lithium precipitation reaction.
[0014] Furthermore, the circulation tube of the device is connected to the top surface of the ultrasonic chamber.
[0015] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this utility model are as follows: This device, by using ultrasonic assistance, can ultrasonically treat the slurry in the reactor, improve the dispersibility and uniformity of particles in the slurry, effectively solve the problems of particle agglomeration and wide particle size distribution in traditional processes, and reduce the difficulty of slurry dispersion in battery production; at the same time, it can destroy the electrostatic interaction between the impurity ions (such as sulfate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions) adsorbed on the surface of lithium carbonate crystal nuclei and the crystal, promote the desorption efficiency of impurities, avoid impurities embedding into the crystal lattice and affecting the stability of the material, and ensure the stability of product quality.
[0016] In addition, by regulating the flow rate and direction of the slurry entering the ultrasonic component from the reactor, the device avoids direct impact of the slurry on the ultrasonic device, increases the service life of the equipment, and improves the production efficiency of the lithium precipitation reaction. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device structure of this utility model;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the lithium precipitation reactor of this utility model;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the ultrasonic component of this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The technical solution of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0021] The ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor of this invention is used to fully mix sodium carbonate solution, lithium sulfate solution and other additives at 90-95℃ to precipitate lithium and obtain lithium carbonate.
[0022] Specifically, the device includes a lithium precipitation reactor 1 and an ultrasonic component connected to the lithium precipitation reactor 1 to regulate lithium carbonate to a certain particle size range and remove impurity ions adsorbed on the surface of lithium carbonate.
[0023] The lithium deposition reactor 1 includes a reactor body with several liquid inlets and feed inlets 12 at the top and a discharge outlet at the bottom. A steam coil 17 is spirally arranged on the outer surface of the side wall of the reactor body. A protective pipe 20 is installed outside the steam coil 17 to effectively prevent burns and enhance the safety of the equipment. The spiraling steam coil 17 is distributed spirally along the outer wall of the lithium deposition reactor 1, ensuring a temperature field uniformity error of ≤±2℃ within the reactor. This avoids localized overheating or cold zones caused by traditional direct-flow heating, ensuring the lithium deposition reaction proceeds stably within the optimal temperature range (90~95℃). One end of the steam coil 17 is bolted to an external steam heating device. Several liquid inlets of the lithium deposition reactor 1 are connected to corresponding material tanks 13 via pipes 2, and a pump for co-extracting materials can be installed on these pipes. A stirring shaft 14 is installed inside the reactor body of the lithium deposition reactor 1, and this stirring shaft 14 is driven to rotate by a drive motor 15 located at the top of the reactor body. The stirring shaft 14 is equipped with several stirring paddles 16 to fully stir the reactants inside the reactor vessel, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the dynamic stirring design, driven by the motor 15 to move the stirring shaft 14 and the stirring paddle 16, enables three-dimensional uniform mixing of the sodium carbonate solution and the lithium sulfate solution within the lithium precipitation vessel, significantly shortening the reaction time. Furthermore, uniform mixing reduces side reactions (such as impurity co-precipitation) caused by excessively high local concentrations, making the lithium carbonate crystallization process more controllable and directly meeting the purity requirements (≥99.5%) for battery-grade lithium carbonate.
[0024] The lithium deposition reactor 1 has a discharge port at its bottom, which is connected to an ultrasonic component via a pipe 2. The ultrasonic component includes an ultrasonic housing 3 fixedly connected to the pipe 2 and an ultrasonic device housed within the ultrasonic housing 3. Figure 3As shown, the ultrasonic device includes a transducer 7, an ultrasonic generator 8, an amplitude transformer 9, and a dispersing head 10 (i.e., an ultrasonic head). One end of the transducer 7 is connected to the ultrasonic generator 8, and the other end is connected to the amplitude transformer 9. The transducer 7 is fixed inside the ultrasonic chamber 3, and the amplitude transformer 9 extends through one end of the ultrasonic chamber 3 into its interior. The end of the amplitude transformer 9 located inside the ultrasonic chamber 3 is connected to the dispersing head 10. The ultrasonic device used in this invention is a well-known ultrasonic crushing device in the art, and the particle size can be controlled by adjusting the ultrasonic power, which is a conventional technical means in the art. A valve is provided on the pipeline 2 so that after the reaction in the lithium precipitation reactor is completed, the valve is opened by the PLC control system, and then the lithium carbonate slurry in the lithium precipitation reactor enters the ultrasonic chamber 3 of the ultrasonic component. Inside the ultrasonic chamber 3, the transducer 7 of the ultrasonic device converts high-frequency electrical signals into mechanical vibrations (frequency 20–40 kHz). These vibrations are amplified by the amplitude transformer 9 and transmitted to the dispersion head 10. The resulting cavitation effect controls the lithium carbonate particle size within the range of 10–50 μm, effectively solving the problems of particle agglomeration and wide particle size distribution in traditional processes, and reducing the difficulty of slurry dispersion during battery production. The ultrasonic vibration energy can disrupt the electrostatic forces between impurity ions (such as sulfate ions, potassium ions, and sodium ions) adsorbed on the surface of the lithium carbonate crystal nucleus and the crystal, promoting improved impurity desorption efficiency and preventing impurities from embedding into the crystal lattice and affecting material stability.
[0025] An inlet port is provided on one side of the ultrasonic chamber 3, which is connected to the outlet port of the lithium precipitation reactor 1 via a pipe 2 to perform ultrasonic reactions on the particles entering the ultrasonic chamber 3. An outlet port is provided at the bottom of the ultrasonic chamber 3, and a screen 5 is provided on the outlet port. Under ultrasonic action, when the particle size in the lithium carbonate slurry matches the aperture of the screen 5, lithium carbonate of the target particle size is obtained and flows out through the outlet port. A first outlet port is provided at the top of the ultrasonic chamber 3, which is connected to the upper end of the lithium precipitation reactor 1 via a circulation pipe 4. A circulation pump 11 is provided on the circulation pipe 4. Lithium carbonate particles larger than the target particle size range continue to flow back into the lithium precipitation reactor 1 through the circulation pipe 4, and then re-enter the ultrasonic chamber 3 via the pipe 2 for ultrasonic reactions until particles of the target particle size are obtained.
[0026] When the slurry flowing out of the lithium precipitation reactor 1 enters the ultrasonic chamber 3, in order to prevent it from directly impacting the ultrasonic device due to excessive flow rate, a bent plate 6 is installed inside the ultrasonic chamber 3, between the dispersion head 10 of the ultrasonic device and the feed port, with one end facing the ultrasonic device. With the help of the bent plate 6, on the one hand, the slurry entering the ultrasonic chamber 3 through the pipe 2 is buffered, and its flow rate is reduced; on the other hand, the setting of the bent plate 6 guides the slurry to gradually fill the ultrasonic chamber 3 from bottom to top, so as to ensure that the ultrasonic reaction is sufficient and improve production efficiency.
[0027] In addition to the above, the present invention also includes a support assembly for supporting the lithium deposition reactor. This support assembly includes a support ring 18 and a support frame 19 fixed to the reactor body. The ultrasonic chamber 3 of the present invention has a discharge pipe at its discharge port. Similarly, a valve can be installed on this discharge pipe. When the slurry entering the ultrasonic chamber 3 is ultrasonically crushed for a period of time, the valve is opened by the PLC control system, and the circulation pump is started simultaneously. This allows particles of the appropriate particle size to be discharged from the screen 5, while larger particles continue to circulate from the circulation pipe 4 back into the lithium deposition reactor 1 for further stirring and crushing. Those skilled in the art can adjust the power of the circulation pump, the ultrasonic power of the ultrasonic device, and the opening and closing of the valves according to actual production needs to achieve highly efficient coordination between feeding, discharging, and circulation until all particles are crushed to the appropriate size and finally discharged.
[0028] In operation, the device works as follows: First, a pump fixed to the material tank 13 (sodium carbonate solution tank) draws the sodium carbonate solution from inside the tank through the sodium carbonate solution pipe 2 into the lithium precipitation reactor 1. An external steam heating device, using a steam coil 17, heats the lithium precipitation reactor 1, ensuring uniform heating as the steam coil 17 rotates on the outer surface of the reactor 1. Once the internal temperature of the lithium precipitation reactor 1 reaches 90°C, seed crystals are added to the reactor 1 through the feed inlet 12. The pump fixed to the material tank 13 (lithium sulfate solution tank) then draws the lithium sulfate solution from inside the tank through the lithium sulfate solution pipe 2 into the lithium precipitation reactor 1. The drive motor 15 is activated, using the stirring rod 14 to drive the stirring paddle 16 to mix the raw solution, initiating a lithium precipitation reaction and generating lithium carbonate solution. The generated lithium carbonate solution then enters the ultrasonic chamber 3 through pipe 2. A high-frequency electrical signal is generated by an ultrasonic generator 8 and transmitted to a transducer 7, providing energy for mechanical vibration. The mechanical vibration energy generated by the transducer 7 is directly transmitted to an amplitude transformer 9, amplifying the vibration energy. The amplitude transformer 9 further transmits the amplified vibration energy to a dispersing head 10, causing the dispersing head 10 to disperse the lithium carbonate particles in the lithium carbonate solution through vibration energy, thus desorbing impurity ions from the lithium carbonate crystal nuclei. After being screened by a sieve screen 5, suitable lithium carbonate particles are discharged through the discharge pipe at the discharge end, while other lithium carbonate solution is drawn into the circulation pipe 4 by a circulation pump 11 and re-enters the lithium precipitation reactor 1 for circulation.
Claims
1. An ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device, characterized in that, The device includes a lithium precipitation reactor (1) and an ultrasonic component for controlling the particle size of the material after the lithium precipitation reaction and removing surface-adsorbed impurity ions. The ultrasonic component includes an ultrasonic chamber (3) connected to the bottom discharge port of the lithium deposition reactor (1) via a pipe (2) and an ultrasonic device mounted on the ultrasonic chamber (3). The ultrasonic chamber (3) is connected to the upper end of the lithium deposition reactor (1) via a circulation pipe (4). The ultrasonic chamber (3) is provided with a discharge end, and a screen (5) is provided on the discharge end so that lithium deposition slurry that meets the particle size after being processed by the ultrasonic device can immediately flow out from the discharge end through the screen (5), while lithium deposition material that does not meet the particle size is circulated back to the lithium deposition reactor (1) through the circulation pipe (4) for further crushing and discharge.
2. The ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Inside the ultrasonic chamber (3), between the ultrasonic device and the outlet port of the pipe (2), there is a bending plate (6) to slow down the flow rate of the lithium-precipitated slurry entering the ultrasonic chamber (3) and to change the flow direction of the lithium-precipitated slurry, so as to avoid the lithium-precipitated slurry directly impacting the ultrasonic device.
3. The ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic device includes a transducer (7), an ultrasonic generator (8), an amplitude transformer (9), and a dispersion head (10). One end of the transducer (7) is connected to the ultrasonic generator (8), and the other end is connected to the amplitude transformer (9). The transducer (7) is fixed inside the ultrasonic chamber (3), and the amplitude transformer (9) extends through one end of the ultrasonic chamber (3) into its interior. The end of the amplitude transformer (9) located inside the ultrasonic chamber (3) is connected to the dispersion head (10).
4. The ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A circulation pump (11) is provided on the circulation pipe (4).
5. The ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the lithium deposition reactor (1) is provided with several liquid inlets and feed inlets (12), and the liquid inlets are connected to the corresponding material tanks (13) through feed pipes (2).
6. The ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lithium deposition reactor (1) is equipped with a stirring shaft (14), which is driven by a drive motor (15) located at the top of the lithium deposition reactor (1). The stirring shaft (14) is equipped with several stirring paddles (16).
7. The ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lithium precipitation reactor (1) is also equipped with a steam coil (17) to provide temperature conditions for the lithium precipitation reaction.
8. The ultrasonic-assisted primary lithium precipitation reactor device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The circulation tube (4) is connected to the top surface of the ultrasonic chamber (3).