High-purity antimony particle drying device
By optimizing the structure of the drying device and the air circulation, the problems of low drying efficiency and impurity contamination of high-purity antimony particles were solved, achieving a highly efficient and stable high-purity antimony particle drying process, ensuring high purity and low energy consumption.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHUXIONG CHUANZHI ELECTRONIC MATERIALS CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing high-purity antimony particle drying equipment has low drying efficiency and easily introduces impurities, making it difficult to achieve the purity requirement of over 99.999%.
A drying device was designed, comprising a drying chamber, a filter, a return air chamber, a heating chamber, and a blower. It employs a rotary dehumidifier for dehumidification, features multi-layer trays and a reasonable ratio of air inlets and outlets, uses non-metallic heating tubes, and achieves air circulation and automated control.
It significantly improves drying efficiency, ensures that high-purity antimony particles reach a purity of 99.999%, reduces energy consumption, and achieves a stable drying process and high-quality products.
Smart Images
Figure CN224285174U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of drying equipment technology, and more specifically, to a high-purity antimony particle drying device. Background Technology
[0002] In the field of high-purity material purification equipment technology, high-purity antimony, as an important semiconductor material, possesses extremely high strategic value. In August 2024, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs implemented export controls on antimony and related items such as gold-antimony smelting and separation technologies. This measure highlights the importance of high-purity antimony from a national strategic perspective, and also gives the research and development of high-purity antimony purification processes significant scientific and political value. With the continuous advancement of infrared detection technology, the application of high-purity antimony in military and civilian fields is becoming increasingly widespread; at the same time, the rapid development of new materials technology has prompted the application of high-purity antimony in new optoelectronic materials and devices. In recent years, photovoltaic monocrystalline silicon production has been mainly N-type, leading to a surge in demand for high-purity antimony particles as a dopant in the production process. However, the production process of high-purity antimony particles requires deionized water, and suitable drying equipment is extremely scarce, posing a severe challenge to related technologies.
[0003] Currently, there are few patents related to high-purity antimony particle drying equipment on the market. While some drying equipment can dry materials to a certain extent, their drying efficiency is low, and they easily introduce impurities during the drying process, posing a risk of product contamination and seriously affecting the quality of high-purity antimony particles. This makes it difficult to meet the stringent standards of stability and efficiency required for drying high-purity antimony particles of 99.9999% or higher. Therefore, developing a high-purity antimony particle drying device that is efficient, stable, and can guarantee product purity is an urgent priority. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a high-purity antimony particle drying device to solve the problem mentioned in the background art that although some drying equipment can dry materials to a certain extent, its drying efficiency is low and impurities are easily introduced during the drying process, posing a risk of product contamination.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a high-purity antimony particle drying device, including a drying chamber, a filter, and a return air chamber. One side of the drying chamber is connected to the filter, and the other side is connected to the return air chamber. An air inlet is provided on the side of the drying chamber connected to the filter, and an air outlet is provided at the upper part of the side of the drying chamber connected to the return air chamber. A return air port is provided at the upper part of the return air chamber and connected to a return air duct. A heating chamber is provided on one side of the air inlet of the filter. Heating tubes protected by non-metallic materials are evenly arranged inside the heating chamber, and temperature measuring points are provided. A dryer is installed on the outside of the drying chamber. The dryer is connected to the return air duct and has a drain outlet. The heating chamber is vented by a blower.
[0006] This setup establishes the basic structural framework of the drying unit. Through the orderly connection of components such as the drying chamber, filter, return air chamber, heating chamber, dryer, and blower, a complete drying cycle system is formed. External air is supplied to the heating chamber by the blower and heated. The heated air is then filtered before entering the drying chamber to dry the high-purity antimony particles. The dried, humid air then enters the dryer through the return air chamber and return air duct for dehumidification. The dehumidified air is then recycled by the blower.
[0007] Preferably, the dryer is a rotary dehumidifier, and a control system is installed outside the drying chamber for controlling various electrical devices.
[0008] This setup uses a rotary dehumidifier as the dryer. The rotary dehumidifier achieves dehumidification by adsorbing moisture through a rotating wheel. The control system provides unified control over all electrical equipment, adjusting the operating parameters of each device according to drying requirements, such as the airflow of the blower, the temperature of the heating chamber, and the working status of the dryer.
[0009] Preferably, the return air chamber is equipped with an exhaust valve and a one-way drain valve.
[0010] This setting includes an exhaust valve to remove excess gas from the return air chamber and regulate the air pressure balance within the chamber; a one-way drain valve allows condensate to drain from the chamber, preventing moisture accumulation, ensuring the return air chamber remains dry, and preventing moisture from re-entering the drying cycle and affecting the drying effect.
[0011] Preferably, the blower is equipped with two air inlet pipes, namely an external air inlet pipe and a circulating air inlet pipe, and each air inlet pipe is equipped with an air inlet valve. The external air inlet pipe is connected to the outside air, and the circulating air inlet pipe is connected to the output end of the dryer.
[0012] This setup includes a blower with two air inlets. During the initial drying stage, the external air inlet valve is opened to introduce ambient air at room temperature to quickly evaporate the large amount of moisture on the surface of the high-purity antimony particles. After the large amount of moisture has evaporated, the external air inlet valve is closed, and the circulating air inlet valve is opened to allow the dehumidified hot air to be circulated and reused for further drying of the high-purity antimony particles.
[0013] Preferably, the air inlet on the side where the drying chamber connects to the filter is divided into upper and lower parts, with the number of air holes in the lower part being 1.1 to 1.5 times that in the upper part.
[0014] This design features an air inlet on the side connecting the drying chamber and the filter with different numbers of air holes on the upper and lower parts, with more air holes on the lower part. This results in a larger flow of hot air entering the lower part of the drying chamber. Since hot air has a lower density, it will rise. This design allows the hot air to be more evenly distributed within the drying chamber, ensuring full contact with the high-purity antimony particles.
[0015] Preferably, the number of air outlets on the side connecting the drying chamber and the return air chamber is 0.3-0.6 times the number of air inlets in the upper part.
[0016] This setting determines the number of air outlets based on the number of air inlets, effectively controlling the balance of gas entering and exiting the drying chamber, ensuring stable gas pressure inside the chamber, and ensuring that humid air can be discharged in a timely manner to avoid accumulation inside the chamber and affecting the drying effect.
[0017] Preferably, the drying chamber is equipped with a multi-layer tray arrangement structure, with a distance of 3-8cm between each layer.
[0018] This feature includes a multi-layered tray arrangement inside the drying chamber, with specified distances between each layer. This provides ample space for high-purity antimony granules, increasing the drying area while ensuring sufficient space between layers for hot air circulation and heat exchange with the high-purity antimony granules.
[0019] Preferably, the gap between the heating tubes inside the heating chamber is 0.5-1.5cm.
[0020] This feature involves setting appropriate gaps between the heating tubes inside the heating chamber to ensure sufficient airflow around the heating tubes, allowing the air to absorb the heat evenly and preventing localized overheating or poor airflow caused by overly dense heating tubes.
[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:
[0022] In this high-purity antimony particle drying device, the flow path and heat distribution of hot air within the drying chamber are optimized through a rational design of the ratio of air inlets to outlets, as well as the multi-layer tray arrangement and heating tube layout. The lower portion of the air inlets on the side connecting the drying chamber to the filter has more inlets than the upper portion, which, combined with the number of outlets, allows for more thorough contact between the hot air and the high-purity antimony particles. The multi-layer tray structure increases the drying area, and the appropriate spacing between the heating tubes ensures uniform heat dissipation, rapidly removing surface moisture from the high-purity antimony particles and significantly improving drying efficiency.
[0023] The device is equipped with a filter to filter the heated gas entering the drying chamber, meeting the Class 1000 cleanroom requirements and preventing external impurities from contaminating the high-purity antimony particles. At the same time, the heating tube is protected by a non-metallic material to avoid contamination from impurities that may be introduced by metallic materials, ensuring that the dried high-purity antimony particles can reach a purity standard of over 99.999%, meeting the requirements of the high-purity antimony particle production process.
[0024] The blower is equipped with two air inlet pipes, enabling gas recycling. After a large amount of moisture evaporates from the surface of the high-purity antimony particles, the gas containing moisture passes through the return air chamber to separate some of the moisture and discharge it. The remaining gas is dried by a rotary dehumidifier and then sent back into the chamber by the blower to participate in the drying process. This reduces dependence on external fresh air, lowers energy consumption, and achieves energy saving and consumption reduction.
[0025] The external control system can precisely control each electrical device, realize the automated operation of the drying process, and reduce the difficulty and labor intensity of manual operation. The return air chamber is equipped with an exhaust valve and a one-way drain valve, which can promptly discharge excess gas and separated moisture, ensure stable air pressure and a dry environment inside the device, and further ensure the stability and reliability of the drying process. Attached Figure Description
[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;
[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of one side of the drying chamber in this utility model;
[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the other side of the drying chamber in this utility model;
[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the return air cavity in this utility model;
[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the blower in this utility model;
[0031] The meanings of the labels in the diagram are as follows:
[0032] 1. Drying chamber; 11. Air inlet; 12. Air outlet; 2. Filter; 3. Return air chamber; 31. Exhaust valve; 32. One-way drain valve; 33. Return air inlet; 4. Return air duct; 5. Heating chamber; 51. Heating tube; 6. Dryer; 7. Blower; 71. External air inlet duct; 72. Circulating air inlet duct; 8. Control system. Detailed Implementation
[0033] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0034] This invention provides a high-purity antimony particle drying device, such as... Figures 1-5As shown, the system includes a drying chamber 1, a filter 2, and a return air chamber 3. One side of the drying chamber 1 is connected to the filter 2, and the other side is connected to the return air chamber 3. An air inlet 11 is provided on the side of the drying chamber 1 connected to the filter 2, and an air outlet 12 is provided on the upper part of the side of the drying chamber 1 connected to the return air chamber 3. A return air inlet 33 is provided on the upper part of the return air chamber 3 and connected to the return air duct 4. A heating chamber 5 is provided on one side of the air inlet 11 of the filter 2. Heating tubes 51 protected by non-metallic materials are evenly arranged inside the heating chamber 5, and temperature measuring points are provided. A dryer 6 is installed on the outside of the drying chamber 1. The dryer 6 is connected to the return air duct 4 and is provided with a drain outlet. The heating chamber 5 is vented by a blower 7.
[0035] A basic structural framework for the drying device was constructed, consisting of a drying chamber 1, a filter 2, a return air chamber 3, a heating chamber 5, a dryer 6, and a blower 7. One side of the drying chamber 1 is connected to the filter 2 via an air inlet 11, and the other side is connected to the return air chamber 3 via an upper air outlet 12. The return air inlet 33 at the top of the return air chamber 3 is connected to a return air duct 4. The heating chamber 5 is located on one side of the air inlet 11 of the filter 2, with heating tubes 51, protected by non-metallic materials, evenly arranged inside and temperature measuring points set. The dryer 6 is connected to the return air duct 4 and has a drain outlet. The heating chamber 5 is supplied with air by the blower 7, forming a complete drying circulation system. External air is supplied to the heating chamber 5 by the blower 7 for heating, filtered by the filter 2, and then enters the drying chamber 1 through the air inlet 11 to dry high-purity antimony particles. Humid air enters the dryer 6 for dehumidification through the air outlet 12, the return air chamber 3, and the return air duct 4, and is then recycled by the blower 7. The components are connected in an orderly manner to form a circulation system, which realizes the heating, filtration, drying, dehumidification and circulation of air during the drying process of high-purity antimony particles, providing a stable environment and process for drying, ensuring drying effect, reducing energy consumption and improving drying efficiency.
[0036] In this embodiment, the dryer 6 is a rotary dehumidifier, and the drying chamber 1 is equipped with a control system 8 for controlling various electrical devices.
[0037] Dryer 6 employs a rotary dehumidifier, which dehumidifies by adsorbing moisture through a rotating wheel. The control system 8, located outside the drying chamber 1, centrally controls all electrical equipment, adjusting parameters such as the airflow of the blower 7, the temperature of the heating chamber 5, and the operating status of the dryer 6 according to drying requirements. The rotary dehumidifier efficiently dehumidifies, ensuring the dryness of the circulating air. The control system 8 achieves automated and precise control, ensuring the drying process operates according to set process parameters and improving product quality.
[0038] Specifically, the return air chamber 3 is equipped with an exhaust valve 31 and a one-way drain valve 32.
[0039] The exhaust valve 31 in the return air chamber 3 discharges excess gas and regulates the air pressure inside the chamber; the one-way drain valve 32 discharges condensate inside the chamber to prevent moisture accumulation, keep the return air chamber 3 dry, and avoid affecting the drying cycle. Maintaining stable air pressure and a dry environment in the return air chamber 3 ensures the normal operation and drying effect of the drying device, and ensures a reliable and stable drying process.
[0040] Furthermore, the blower 7 is equipped with two air inlet pipes, namely an external air inlet pipe 71 and a circulating air inlet pipe 72. Each air inlet pipe is equipped with an air inlet valve. The external air inlet pipe 71 is connected to the outside air, and the circulating air inlet pipe 72 is connected to the output end of the dryer 6.
[0041] The blower 7 has two air inlets: an external air inlet duct 71 and a circulating air inlet duct 72, each equipped with an inlet valve. During initial drying, the external air inlet duct 71 valve is opened to introduce ambient temperature air, rapidly evaporating the large amount of moisture on the surface of the high-purity antimony particles. After the moisture has evaporated, the external air inlet duct 71 valve is closed, and the circulating air inlet duct 72 valve is opened, allowing the dehumidified hot air from the dryer 6 to be recycled for further drying of the high-purity antimony particles. Utilizing different air sources in stages ensures drying effectiveness while improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption. The use of circulating air reduces the introduction of external impurities, ensuring a clean drying environment and improving the purity and quality of the high-purity antimony particles.
[0042] Furthermore, the air inlet 11 on the side connecting the drying chamber 1 and the filter 2 is divided into upper and lower parts, with the number of air holes in the lower part being 1.1 to 1.5 times that in the upper part.
[0043] The air inlet 11 on the side connecting the drying chamber 1 and the filter 2 is divided into upper and lower parts. The number of air holes in the lower part is 1.1 to 1.5 times that in the upper part, which increases the flow rate of hot air entering the lower part of the drying chamber 1. Because hot air is less dense, it rises, resulting in a more uniform distribution of hot air within the drying chamber 1 and ensuring sufficient contact with the high-purity antimony particles. This promotes uniform hot air distribution, ensures thorough drying of all parts of the high-purity antimony particles, avoids uneven drying, and improves drying efficiency and quality consistency.
[0044] Furthermore, the number of air outlets 12 on the side connecting the drying chamber 1 and the return air chamber 3 is 0.3 to 0.6 times the number of air inlets 11 in the upper part.
[0045] The number of air outlets 12 on the side connecting the drying chamber 1 and the return air chamber 3 is 0.3 to 0.6 times the number of air inlets 11 in the upper part. The number of air outlets 12 is set according to the number of air inlets 11 to control the balance of gas inflow and outflow within the drying chamber 1, stabilize the air pressure inside the chamber, and promptly expel humid air. Maintaining stable air pressure and smooth gas flow within the drying chamber 1 ensures a continuous and stable drying process, improving drying efficiency and product quality.
[0046] Furthermore, the interior of the drying chamber 1 is equipped with a multi-layer tray arrangement structure, with a distance of 3-8cm between each layer.
[0047] The drying chamber 1 features a multi-layer tray arrangement with a spacing of 3-8cm between each layer. This multi-layer arrangement increases the drying area while ensuring sufficient space between layers for hot air circulation and thorough heat exchange with the high-purity antimony particles. This increases the drying capacity of the drying unit, thereby increasing the drying output per unit time; it also ensures effective hot air circulation in each layer, allowing the high-purity antimony particles to dry thoroughly, thus improving drying efficiency and quality.
[0048] Furthermore, the gap between the heating tubes 51 inside the heating chamber 5 is 0.5 - 1.5 cm.
[0049] The gap between the heating tubes 51 inside the heating chamber 5 is 0.5-1.5cm. This gap ensures air circulation around the heating tubes 51, allowing the air to absorb heat evenly and preventing localized overheating or poor air circulation caused by the heating tubes 51 being too densely packed. This achieves uniform heating of the air inside the heating chamber 5, providing stable and uniform hot air to the drying chamber 1, ensuring consistent temperature during the drying process of high-purity antimony particles, and improving drying quality and stability.
[0050] When using the high-purity antimony particle drying device of this utility model, the high-purity antimony particles to be dried are first placed on the multi-layer trays inside the drying chamber 1. The spacing between each layer of trays is controlled at 3-8cm to ensure that hot air can effectively circulate between the layers and fully contact the high-purity antimony particles. At the same time, check and confirm that the exhaust valve 31 and one-way drain valve 32 of the return air chamber 3 are in normal condition, the air inlet valves of the two air inlet pipes (external air inlet pipe 71 and circulating air inlet pipe 72) of the blower 7 are in the closed state, and the dryer 6, control system 8 and other equipment are also in a ready state.
[0051] The control system 8 starts the blower 7 and opens the inlet valve of the external air inlet pipe 71, introducing ambient air into the system. This ambient air is then fed into the heating chamber 5 by the blower 7. Although the heating chamber 5 may not be heated during this stage (or may be heated at a lower temperature), the air directly passes through the filter 2. The Class 1000 filter in filter 2 filters the air, removing impurities and ensuring the cleanliness of the air entering the drying chamber 1. The filtered clean air enters the chamber through the air inlet 11 on the side connecting the drying chamber 1 and the filter 2. Because the number of vents in the lower part of the air inlet 11 is 1.1-1.5 times that in the upper part, more air enters from the lower part of the chamber. Due to the lower density of hot air, it rises and is evenly distributed within the chamber, making full contact with the surface of the high-purity antimony particles, rapidly evaporating a large amount of moisture from the surface of the high-purity antimony particles. This stage continues for a certain period (e.g., 1-2 hours) until the remaining moisture on the surface of the high-purity antimony particles is reduced to ≤20%. During this process, the humid air inside the drying chamber 1 is discharged through the air outlet 12 on the upper part of the side connected to the return air chamber 3. The number of air outlets 12 is 0.3-0.6 times the number of air inlets 11 in the upper part, ensuring a balance between gas intake and exhaust and maintaining stable air pressure inside the chamber. The discharged humid air enters the return air chamber 3, and the exhaust valve 31 of the return air chamber 3 is opened, allowing some of the humid air to be discharged directly. At the same time, the one-way drain valve 32 can drain the condensate inside the chamber, ensuring that the inside of the return air chamber 3 is dry.
[0052] After a large amount of moisture evaporates from the surface of the high-purity antimony particles, the air inlet valve of the external air inlet pipe 71 is closed. Simultaneously, the heating tubes 51 inside the heating chamber 5 are activated, and the heating temperature is controlled at 80-120℃. The dryer 6 is then turned on. At this time, the heating tubes 51 (with a gap of 0.5-1.5cm between tubes) evenly arranged inside the heating chamber 5 heat the air. After the air absorbs heat evenly, it is filtered again through the filter 2 and enters the drying chamber 1 as clean, hot air through the air inlet 11. The hot air further exchanges heat with the high-purity antimony particles inside the chamber, causing the remaining moisture to evaporate rapidly. The evaporated humid air enters the return air chamber 3 through the air outlet 12, then enters the return air duct 4 through the return air inlet 33, and finally enters the dryer 6. Dryer 6 is a rotary dehumidifier that dehumidifies humid air by adsorbing moisture through a rotating wheel. The dehumidified and dried air returns to the blower 7 via the circulating air inlet duct 72, and is then sent into the heating chamber 5 for heating, thus forming a hot air recycling process. During this cycle, the control system 8 monitors and adjusts the operating parameters of each device in real time, such as the airflow of the blower 7, the temperature of the heating chamber 5, and the working status of the dryer 6, to ensure a stable and efficient drying process. This stage continues for 1-2 hours until the surface of the high-purity antimony particles is completely dried.
[0053] Once the high-purity antimony granules have dried to the required standard, stop the operation of heating tube 51 in heating chamber 5. After the temperature inside drying chamber 1 drops to room temperature, stop the operation of blower 7 and dryer 6. Open drying chamber 1, remove the dried high-purity antimony granules, and pack them into product packaging bottles to complete the entire drying process.
[0054] Finally, it should be noted that the electronic components in the above-mentioned components, such as filter 2 in this embodiment, are all general standard parts or parts known to those skilled in the art. Their structure and principle can be learned by those skilled in the art through technical manuals or conventional experimental methods. In the idle part of this device, all the above-mentioned electrical components are connected by wires. The specific connection method should refer to the working order between each electrical component in the above working principle to complete the electrical connection. All of these are technologies known in the art.
[0055] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely preferred examples and are not intended to limit the utility model. Various changes and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claimed utility model. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A high-purity antimony particle drying device, comprising a drying box body (1), a filter (2), and a return air cavity (3), characterized in that: One side of the drying chamber (1) is connected to the filter (2), and the other side is connected to the return air chamber (3). An air inlet (11) is provided on the side of the drying chamber (1) connected to the filter (2), and an air outlet (12) is provided on the upper part of the side of the drying chamber (1) connected to the return air chamber (3). A return air outlet (33) is provided on the upper part of the return air chamber (3) and connected to the return air duct (4). A heating chamber (5) is provided on one side of the air inlet (11) of the filter (2). Heating tubes (51) protected by non-metallic materials are evenly arranged inside the heating chamber (5), and a temperature measuring point is provided. A dryer (6) is installed on the outside of the drying chamber (1). The dryer (6) is connected to the return air duct (4) and a drain outlet is provided. The heating chamber (5) is ventilated by a blower (7).
2. The high purity antimony particle drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The dryer (6) is a rotary dehumidifier, and the drying chamber (1) is equipped with a control system (8) for controlling various electrical devices.
3. The high purity antimony particle drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The return air chamber (3) is equipped with an exhaust valve (31) and a one-way drain valve (32).
4. The high purity antimony particle drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The blower (7) is equipped with two air inlet pipes, namely an external air inlet pipe (71) and a circulating air inlet pipe (72). Each air inlet pipe is equipped with an air inlet valve. The external air inlet pipe (71) is connected to the outside air, and the circulating air inlet pipe (72) is connected to the output end of the dryer (6).
5. The high purity antimony particle drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The air inlet (11) on the side connecting the drying chamber (1) and the filter (2) is divided into upper and lower parts, with the number of air holes in the lower part being 1.1 to 1.5 times that in the upper part.
6. The high purity antimony particle drying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The number of air outlets (12) on the side connecting the drying chamber (1) and the return air chamber (3) is 0.3 to 0.6 times the number of air inlets (11) in the upper part.
7. The high-purity antimony particle drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drying chamber (1) is equipped with a multi-layer tray placement structure, with a distance of 3-8cm between each layer.
8. The high-purity antimony particle drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gap between the heating tubes (51) inside the heating chamber (5) is 0.5-1.5cm.