Solar cell module recycling equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for reliably and easily separating glass substrates from other materials in the recycling process of used solar cell modules. [Solution] A recycling device for solar cell modules that separates a glass substrate from other materials, comprising: an upstream transport unit 30 for transporting solar cell modules 10; a roller brush 20 that rotates in contact with the transported solar cell modules to separate the other materials; a solar cell module support unit 40 that supports the area in contact with the solar cell module from the glass substrate side; a lifting mechanism 50 that can adjust the gap between the roller brush and the back sheet; a downstream transport unit 80 for transporting the glass substrate from which the other materials have been separated; a central processing control device that controls the operation of each unit; and a recovery means 60 for recovering the separated other materials, wherein the roller brush has a metal wire such as steel wire or a resin wire such as nylon, and its wire diameter is optimized according to the removal rate of the other materials.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a recycling device for solar cell modules.

Background Art

[0002] In order to reuse the constituent materials (glass substrate, encapsulant, solar cell, wiring material, backsheet, etc.) of a used solar cell module, it is necessary to separate each material from one another. When separating other materials including a solar cell including a solar cell, wiring material, and backsheet from a glass substrate, a recycling device is used.

[0003] As a conventional recycling device, there has been one that heats and softens the encapsulant described in Patent Document 1, and brings a heated blade into contact between a glass substrate and other materials to separate them.

[0004] In the recycling device described in Patent Document 1, in order to bring the blade into contact following the backsheet surface, it is necessary to divide it into a plurality of parts and provide a buffer mechanism for each, but even then it is difficult to completely follow, so it has been difficult to completely separate other materials including a solar cell.

[0005] In order to separate more completely, a method of using a roller brush made of a metal wire or the like instead of a blade has been considered, and a recycling device for a solar cell module using a roller brush has been proposed in Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, if metal wires such as steel wires are used for the brush material, the axial length of the roller brush will be approximately 1000 mm or more, considering the dimensions of the solar cell module. Due to the weight of the brush itself, it is expected that the entire roller brush will sag, making it difficult to follow the backsheet surface of the solar cell module and make contact.

[0008] The apparatus proposed in Patent Document 2 is characterized by a roller brush with a wire diameter of 1.5 mm or more and a wire length of 20 mm or more. Considering the overall weight, it is desirable that the wire diameter and wire length be made smaller, but such technology has not existed until now.

[0009] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 only assumes the separation of metal elements such as solar cells and wiring materials, and it was not possible to remove the backsheet and sealing material simultaneously or beforehand.

[0010] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a solar cell module recycling device that can completely separate materials other than the glass substrate by optimizing the material, wire diameter, wire length, etc., of the roller brush, or by including a step of removing the backsheet and sealing material in advance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a recycling apparatus for solar cell modules that separates a glass substrate from other materials, An upstream transport unit that receives and transports the aforementioned solar cell modules, A roller brush is provided to the solar cell module transported by the upstream transport unit, which rotates in contact with the other material and peels it off. A solar cell module support portion that supports the area in which the roller brush contacts the solar cell module from the glass substrate side, A lifting mechanism capable of adjusting the gap between the roller brush and the back sheet, A downstream transport unit that transports the glass substrate from which the other materials have been removed, A central processing control device that controls the operation of the upstream transport unit, the roller brush, the lifting mechanism, and the downstream transport unit, A recovery means for recovering the other material that has been peeled off, Equipped with, The roller brush is characterized by having a metal wire such as steel wire or a resin wire such as nylon, and its wire diameter is optimized according to the removal rate of the other materials.

[0012] The rotational speed of the roller brush may be in the range of 100 rpm to less than 1000 rpm.

[0013] Upstream of the roller brush, there may be further means other than the roller brush for separating the glass substrate from the other material.

[0014] Other means besides the roller brush may include heating and softening the encapsulant of the solar cell module, and then bringing a heated blade into contact with the glass substrate and the other material to separate them. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the solar cell module recycling apparatus of the present invention, the entire roller brush is brought into contact with the backsheet surface of the solar cell module, making it possible to reliably and easily separate the solar cells, wiring material, backsheet, and sealing material from the glass substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of a recycling device for separating the layered structure of the embodiment from a glass substrate. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of a recycling device for separating the layered structure of the embodiment from a glass substrate. [Figure 3] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional configuration of the recycling device according to the same embodiment. [Figure 4]It is a longitudinal sectional view showing a sectional configuration of the recycling apparatus of the same embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a configuration diagram showing the structure of the roller brush of the same embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a graph showing the experimental results of the separation rate due to the difference in the wire diameter of the roller brush. [Figure 7] It is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a preliminary step of separating the backsheet and the sealing material before the removal step by the roller brush.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, a method for recycling a solar cell module according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a recycling apparatus for a solar cell module used in the embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are longitudinal sectional views showing the sectional configuration of the recycling apparatus of the same embodiment. The recycling apparatus for this solar cell panel includes a used solar cell module 10, a roller brush 20, an upstream conveyance unit 30, a solar cell module support unit 40, a downstream conveyance unit 80, and a central processing control device that controls the operations of each of these.

[0018] The solar cell module 10 is conveyed by the upstream conveyance unit 30 from the standby position F of the roller brush 20 to the attachment position of the roller brush 20. The upstream conveyance unit 30 is located on the upstream side of the roller brush 20 and includes a plurality of upstream upper conveyance rollers 31 and a plurality of upstream lower conveyance rollers 32 arranged to sandwich and convey the solar cell module 10, and further includes a buffer mechanism (not shown) provided on the upstream lower conveyance roller 32. The buffer mechanism follows the thickness variation of the solar cell module 10.

[0019] Then, in the region supported by the solar cell module support section 40, the rotating roller brush 20 scrapes off only the materials other than the glass substrate in the solar cell module 10. That is, in the solar cell module 10, the layered structure containing metal components, the backsheet, and the sealing material are separated from the glass substrate. In this embodiment, when scraping the surface of the solar cell module 10, the roller brush 20 is fixed and the solar cell module 10 is moved horizontally from upstream to downstream, but the solar cell module 10 may be fixed and the roller brush 20 is moved horizontally. The glass substrate, from which other materials have been separated from the solar cell module 10, is further transported by the lower transport section 80 to the transport downstream position B of the roller brush 20. The downstream transport section 80 includes a plurality of downstream upper transport rollers 81 and a plurality of downstream lower transport rollers 82 arranged to grip and transport the peeled glass substrate, and further includes a buffer mechanism (not shown) provided on the downstream lower transport rollers 82, which follows the variation in the thickness of the solar cell module 10.

[0020] Here, the roller brush 20 has a structure in which nylon or wire brushes 22 are arranged radially around the central axis 21, as shown in Figure 5.

[0021] Here, if the material of the roller brush 20 is a metal wire such as steel wire, as shown in Figure 6, it is preferable that the wire diameter of the brush 22 be 0.1 to 0.9 mm, as shown in the experimental results. Considering the weight, this does not apply if the material of the roller brush 20 is a resin wire. Also, based on practical experience, it is desirable that the rotational speed of the roller brush 20 be in the range of 100 rpm to less than 1000 rpm.

[0022] As shown in Figure 4, the solar cell module recycling device may be provided with a lifting mechanism 50 on the roller brush 20 or the solar cell module support 40 that can adjust the gap between the roller brush 20 and the backsheet surface. The amount of material removed by the roller brush 20 is set to, for example, less than or equal to the height of the layered structure of the solar cell panel 10. In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 50 adjusts the gap between the roller brush 20 and the backsheet surface using a ball screw, but a servo mechanism may be used, and a central processing control device may control the lifting mechanism 50 according to the detected backsheet surface height to optimize the gap. Other materials other than the glass substrate removed from the glass surface of the solar cell module 10 are recovered by a recovery means 60. The recovery means 60 may consist of a blower that separates the other materials, which have become dust, from the glass substrate surface, and a dust collector that recovers them.

[0023] In order to reliably remove and recover metal elements such as solar cells and wiring materials from the glass surface of the solar cell module 10, a preliminary step of separating the backsheet and encapsulant may be provided before the removal step using the roller brush 20. Figure 7 shows an example of this step. This step may involve heating and softening the encapsulant, and then bringing a heated blade 70 into contact with the glass substrate 11 and other materials 12 including the solar cells, wiring materials, and backsheet to separate them. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 10 solar modules 11 Glass substrate 12 Other materials 20 Roller Brushes 21 axes 22 brushes 30 Upstream Conveying Section 31 Upstream upper conveying roller 32 Upstream lower conveying roller 40 Solar cell module support section 50 Lifting mechanism 60 Recovery methods 70 blades 80 Downstream transport section 81 Downstream upper conveyor roller 82 Downstream lower conveyor roller B Downstream position of transport F Standby position

Claims

1. In a solar cell module recycling device that separates a glass substrate from other materials, An upstream transport unit that receives and transports the aforementioned solar cell modules, A roller brush is provided to the solar cell module transported by the upstream transport unit, which rotates in contact with the other material and peels it off. A solar cell module support portion that supports the area in which the roller brush contacts the solar cell module from the glass substrate side, A lifting mechanism capable of adjusting the gap between the roller brush and the back sheet, A downstream transport unit that transports the glass substrate from which the other materials have been removed, A central processing control device that controls the operation of the upstream transport unit, the roller brush, the lifting mechanism, and the downstream transport unit, A recovery means for recovering the other material that has been peeled off, Equipped with, The aforementioned roller brush has a metal wire such as a steel wire or a resin wire such as nylon, and its wire diameter is optimized according to the removal rate of the other materials, characterized in that it is a solar cell module recycling device.

2. The solar cell module recycling apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation speed of the roller brush is in the range of 100 rpm to less than 1000 rpm.

3. The solar cell module recycling apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising means other than the roller brush for separating the glass substrate from the other material, upstream of the roller brush.

4. The solar cell module recycling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means other than the roller brush is to heat and soften the sealant of the solar cell module, and to separate the glass substrate and the other material by bringing a heated blade into contact with it.

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