A semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln. Including heating chamber, cooling chamber, replacement chamber, heating unit, cooling unit, replacement unit, vacuum unit, conveying unit, sealing unit;The conveying unit is successively placed in replacement chamber, heating chamber, cooling chamber, and sealing unit is provided between replacement chamber, heating chamber, cooling chamber, sealing unit is provided between the replacement chamber import and external environment, cooling chamber export and external environment, heating unit is provided in the heating chamber, cooling unit is provided in the cooling chamber, vacuum unit is connected with replacement chamber, heating chamber, cooling chamber respectively, and replacement unit is connected with replacement chamber, heating chamber, cooling unit respectively;Replacement chamber, heating chamber, cooling chamber, vacuum unit, conveying unit, sealing unit form semi-continuous production line.The utility model improves cooling efficiency, reduces cooling time, guarantees the sintering performance of product, realizes the semi-continuous production of product.

Description

Technical fields:

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of carbon nanotube graphitization sintering technology, and specifically relates to a semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln. Background technology:

[0002] The graphitization sintering process of carbon nanotubes requires placing the nanotubes in a sintering furnace and undergoing a heating-holding-cooling process to complete the graphitization. The entire process is intermittent and time-consuming, especially the cooling time, which is typically more than twice the combined heating and holding times. This results in high energy consumption, low production efficiency, and corrosion of the vacuum pump. To address this issue, some manufacturers have attempted continuous production processes, but these cannot be carried out in a vacuum environment, leading to poor electrochemical performance of the products.

[0003] The information disclosed in this background section is intended only to enhance the understanding of the overall background of this utility model and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content:

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln, thereby overcoming the defects in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln, comprising a heating chamber, a cooling chamber, a displacement chamber, a heating unit, a cooling unit, a displacement unit, a vacuum unit, a conveying unit, and a sealing unit. The conveying unit is sequentially inserted into the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber. A sealing unit is provided between the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber. Sealing units are also provided between the inlet of the displacement chamber and the external environment, and between the outlet of the cooling chamber and the external environment. A heating unit is located within the heating chamber, and a cooling unit is located within the cooling chamber. The vacuum unit is connected to the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber, respectively. The displacement unit is connected to the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling unit, respectively. The displacement chamber, heating chamber, cooling chamber, vacuum unit, conveying unit, and sealing unit form a semi-continuous production line. The vacuum unit is used to evacuate the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber. The displacement unit is used to provide a protective atmosphere for the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber. The sealing unit is used to isolate the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber from each other.

[0006] Preferably, in the technical solution, the conveying unit includes a track, a graphite plate, and a box. The track passes through a replacement chamber, a heating chamber, and a cooling chamber in sequence. A graphite plate is installed on the track, and a box is installed on the graphite plate. Carbon nanotubes are placed inside the box.

[0007] Preferably, in the technical solution, heat insulation cotton is provided on the inner walls of the heating chamber and the cooling chamber to improve the heating and cooling effect.

[0008] Preferably, in the technical solution, the heating unit is a graphite heating device used to heat the heating chamber to above 2000°C.

[0009] Preferably, in the technical solution, the cooling unit is a gas cooler, used to cool the gas input to the displacement unit and cool the temperature in the cooling chamber to below 400°C.

[0010] Preferably, in the technical solution, the replacement unit includes a replacement main pipe and replacement branch pipes. The replacement main pipe is connected to an external nitrogen source, and the replacement main pipe is connected to the replacement chamber, heating chamber, and gas cooler through corresponding replacement branch pipes, which are used to provide a nitrogen protective atmosphere to the replacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber.

[0011] Preferably, in the technical solution, the vacuum unit includes a vacuum pump, a main extraction pipe, and branch extraction pipes. The vacuum pump is connected to the main extraction pipe, and the main extraction pipe is connected to the replacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber through corresponding branch extraction pipes. The vacuum pump is a corrosion-resistant vacuum pump that has undergone plasma spraying protection treatment.

[0012] Preferably, in the technical solution, the sealing unit includes a double-sided sealed furnace door and a single-sided sealed furnace door. A double-sided sealed furnace door is provided between the replacement chamber, the heating chamber, and the cooling chamber, and a single-sided sealed furnace door is provided between the inlet of the replacement chamber and the external environment, and between the outlet of the cooling chamber and the external environment, to ensure the sealing effect of the replacement chamber, the heating chamber, and the cooling chamber.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0014] By placing the heating and cooling processes in two isolated sections, cooling efficiency is improved and cooling time is reduced. Simultaneously, nitrogen purging of the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber ensures the product is under a nitrogen protective atmosphere before entering the heating chamber and during cooling. The heating chamber, after nitrogen purging, is then evacuated, maintaining a vacuum environment for the product during heating and holding, thus guaranteeing its sintering performance. After one batch of products has cooled, the next batch enters the displacement chamber, achieving semi-continuous production. Attached image description:

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln structure of this utility model. Detailed implementation method:

[0016] The specific embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below, but it should be understood that the scope of protection of this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments.

[0017] Unless otherwise expressly stated, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprising" or its variations such as "including" or "comprises" shall be understood to include the stated elements or components without excluding other elements or other components.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, a semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln includes a heating chamber 1, a cooling chamber 2, a displacement chamber 3, a graphite heating device 4, a gas cooler 5, a displacement unit, a vacuum unit, a conveying unit, and a sealing unit. The conveying unit includes a track 7, a graphite plate 8, and a casing 9. The track 7 passes sequentially through the displacement chamber 3, the heating chamber 1, and the cooling chamber 2. The graphite plate 8 is mounted on the track 7, and the casing 9 is mounted on the graphite plate 8. Carbon nanotubes are placed inside the casing 9. The sealing unit includes a double-sided sealed furnace door 10 and a single-sided sealed furnace door 11. The double-sided sealed furnace door 10 is provided between the displacement chamber 3, the heating chamber 1, and the cooling chamber 2. The single-sided sealed furnace door 11 is provided between the inlet of the displacement chamber 3 and the external environment, and between the outlet of the cooling chamber 2 and the external environment, to ensure the sealing effect of the displacement chamber 3, the heating chamber 1, and the cooling chamber 2.

[0019] The heating chamber 1 is equipped with a graphite heating device 4, which is used to heat the heating chamber 1 to above 2000°C. The cooling chamber 2 is equipped with a gas cooler 5, which is used to cool the gas input by the replacement unit and cool the temperature in the cooling chamber 2 to below 400°C. The inner walls of the heating chamber 1 and the cooling chamber 2 are equipped with heat insulation cotton 12 to improve the heating and cooling effect.

[0020] The vacuum unit includes a vacuum pump 13, a main extraction pipe 14, and extraction branch pipes 15. The vacuum pump 13 is connected to the main extraction pipe 14, and the main extraction pipe 14 is connected to the replacement chamber 3, the heating chamber 1, and the cooling chamber 2 through corresponding extraction branch pipes 15. The vacuum pump 13 is a corrosion-resistant vacuum pump that has undergone plasma spraying protection treatment. The replacement unit includes a replacement main pipe 16 and replacement branch pipes 17. The replacement main pipe 16 is connected to an external nitrogen source, and the replacement main pipe 16 is connected to the replacement chamber 3, the heating chamber 1, and the gas cooler 5 through corresponding replacement branch pipes 17, for providing a nitrogen protective atmosphere to the replacement chamber 3, the heating chamber 1, and the cooling chamber 2. The replacement chamber 3, the heating chamber 1, the cooling chamber 2, the vacuum unit, the conveying unit, and the sealing unit form a semi-continuous production line.

[0021] During operation, 12 boxes 9 (800×500×240mm in size) are filled with carbon nanotubes and placed on graphite plates 8. The replacement chamber 3, heating chamber 1, and cooling chamber 2 are purged with nitrogen. The single-sided sealed furnace door 11 at the inlet of the replacement chamber 3 is opened, and the graphite plates 8 are pushed into the replacement chamber 3 along the track 7. The single-sided sealed furnace door 11 is closed, and after purging with nitrogen, the double-sided sealed furnace door 10 between the replacement chamber 3 and the heating chamber 1 is opened, and the graphite plates 8 are sent into the heating chamber 1. The double-sided sealed furnace door 10 is closed, the vacuum pump 13 is turned on, and the heating chamber 1 is evacuated. The graphite heating device 4 is turned on to heat the heating chamber 1, raising the temperature in stages to the target temperature, which is room temperature - 1300℃ - 1500℃ - 2000℃, and then holding at 2000℃ for 3 hours. After the heat preservation is completed, the double-sided sealed furnace door 10 between the heating chamber 1 and the cooling chamber 2 is opened, and the graphite plate 8 is pushed into the cooling chamber 2 along the track 7. The double-sided sealed furnace door 10 is then closed, and nitrogen gas, cooled by the gas cooler 5, enters the cooling chamber 2. The carbon nanotubes are rapidly cooled to below 400°C in the nitrogen atmosphere. After cooling is completed, the side-sealed furnace door 11 at the outlet of the cooling chamber 2 is opened, and the graphite plate 8 is moved out of the cooling chamber 2 along the track 7 for unloading. At the same time, the single-sided sealed furnace door 11 at the inlet of the replacement chamber 3 is opened to send in a new batch of boxes 9 containing carbon nanotubes, thus achieving semi-continuous production.

[0022] By placing the heating and cooling processes in two isolated sections, cooling efficiency is improved, cooling time is reduced, and the cycle time per furnace is shortened to less than 15 hours, increasing production capacity by 3 times, with a monthly capacity of over 10 tons. Simultaneously, nitrogen purging of the replacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber ensures that the product is under a nitrogen protective atmosphere before entering the heating chamber and during the cooling process. The heating chamber, after nitrogen purging, is then evacuated, maintaining a vacuum environment for the product during heating and holding, thus guaranteeing the product's sintering performance.

[0023] The foregoing description of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention is for illustrative and explanatory purposes. These descriptions are not intended to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and it will be apparent that many changes and variations can be made in accordance with the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the specific principles of the present invention and its practical application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to implement and utilize various different exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various different choices and variations. The scope of the present invention is intended to be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln, characterized in that: The system includes a heating chamber, a cooling chamber, a displacement chamber, a heating unit, a cooling unit, a displacement unit, a vacuum unit, a conveying unit, and a sealing unit. The conveying unit is sequentially inserted into the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber. Sealing units are installed between the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber. Sealing units are also installed between the inlet of the displacement chamber and the external environment, and between the outlet of the cooling chamber and the external environment. A heating unit is installed inside the heating chamber, and a cooling unit is installed inside the cooling chamber. A vacuum unit is connected to the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber, respectively. The displacement unit is connected to the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling unit, respectively. The displacement chamber, heating chamber, cooling chamber, vacuum unit, conveying unit, and sealing unit form a semi-continuous production line. The vacuum unit is used to evacuate the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber. The displacement unit is used to provide a protective atmosphere to the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber. The sealing unit is used to isolate the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber from each other.

2. The semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveying unit includes a track, a graphite plate, and a box. The track passes through a replacement chamber, a heating chamber, and a cooling chamber in sequence. A graphite plate is placed on the track, and a box is placed on the graphite plate. Carbon nanotubes are placed inside the box.

3. The semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating and cooling chambers are lined with heat-insulating cotton on their inner walls.

4. The semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating unit is a graphite heating device.

5. The semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling unit is a gas cooler.

6. The semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln according to claim 5, characterized in that: The replacement unit includes a replacement main pipe and replacement branch pipes. The replacement main pipe is connected to an external nitrogen source, and the replacement main pipe is connected to the replacement chamber, heating chamber, and gas cooler through corresponding replacement branch pipes, which are used to provide a nitrogen protective atmosphere to the replacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber.

7. The semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum unit includes a vacuum pump, a main extraction pipe, and branch extraction pipes. The vacuum pump is connected to the main extraction pipe, and the main extraction pipe is connected to the displacement chamber, heating chamber, and cooling chamber through corresponding branch extraction pipes. The vacuum pump is a corrosion-resistant vacuum pump that has undergone plasma spraying protection treatment.

8. The semi-continuous high-temperature vacuum sintering kiln according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing unit includes a double-sided sealed furnace door and a single-sided sealed furnace door. A double-sided sealed furnace door is provided between the replacement chamber, the heating chamber, and the cooling chamber. A single-sided sealed furnace door is provided between the inlet of the replacement chamber and the external environment, and between the outlet of the cooling chamber and the external environment.

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