Lithium battery discharge and decomposition device

Abstract

This invention provides a lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus capable of consistent cold chain transport, discharge and crushing, and collection operations. [Solution] The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a screw material supply machine 1, a crusher, and a screw feeder 3. The first input port 11 of the screw material supply machine is used to feed and transport recovered lithium batteries, and the screw material supply machine is provided with a first discharge port 14. The first discharge port is connected to a first control valve 22 of the crushing unit 21 of the crusher, and a second discharge port 23 is provided at the bottom end of the crushing unit. The second discharge port is connected to a second control valve 31 of the screw feeder. Condensing devices 15, 24, and 32 installed on the outer circumference of the screw material supply machine, crusher, and screw feeder maintain the temperature inside the screw material supply machine, crusher, and screw feeder below -20°C.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lithium battery discharge and crushing device, and more particularly to a lithium battery discharge and crushing device that enables transportation, discharge and crushing, and collection in a cold chain.

Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of lithium battery technology, the usage of electric vehicles and energy storage and portable electronic devices is increasing day by day, and the problem of lithium battery recycling is gradually becoming more serious.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] However, in the conventional lithium battery recycling process, the lithium battery is composed of a copper material for the negative electrode, a separator, an aluminum material for the positive electrode, an electrolyte, black mass, and a housing, etc. Among them, the separator, the aluminum material for the positive electrode, the copper material for the negative electrode, and the black mass are recyclable. However, in the recycling process, due to the chemical properties of the lithium battery, when it is subjected to an external force impact or an internal short circuit occurs under specific conditions, a thermal decomposition reaction is caused. When the conditions for promoting combustion are met, the temperature of the lithium battery rises rapidly, and fires and explosions may occur, increasing the danger in the recycling process.

[0004] In addition, when recycling lithium batteries, since the internal components of the lithium battery are active, they may explode and burn due to the high temperature during the crushing process.

[0005] This invention was made through diligent research by the creator in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its main purpose is to provide a lithium battery discharge crushing apparatus that performs consistent cold chain transport, discharge crushing, and collection operations by maintaining the temperature inside the screw material supply machine, crusher, and screw feeder at or below -20°C using a condensing device that covers the outer circumference of the machine bodies of the screw material supply machine, crusher, and screw feeder.

[0006] Another objective of this invention is to provide a safer lithium battery discharge crushing device by creating an oxygen-free or oxygen-deficient crushing space inside the crusher through flow control of the input by the first and second control valves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, a lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus, one aspect of the present invention, transports recovered lithium batteries by feeding them into a first input port of a screw material supply machine, and the first input port is opened and closed by an upper cover. The upper cover is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder. The screw material supply machine has a first discharge port at one end different from the first input port, and a plurality of first condensing devices are installed on the outer circumference of the body of the screw material supply machine. The first condensing devices maintain the temperature inside the body of the screw material supply machine below -20°C. The crushing machine is used to perform crushing operations to pulverize or crush lithium batteries, and mainly has a first control valve installed at the upper end of the crushing unit. The first control valve is connected to the first discharge port of the screw material supply machine, and allows the lithium batteries to enter the crushing unit by the screw material supply machine. A second discharge port is provided at the bottom of the crushing unit, and a second condenser is installed over the outer diameter of the crushing unit, maintaining the temperature inside the crushing machine below -20°C. The screw feeder is mainly used to transport and collect the crushed lithium batteries, and is mainly equipped with a second control valve, which is connected to the second discharge port of the crushing machine. Multiple third condensers are installed on the outer circumference of the screw feeder, maintaining the temperature inside the screw feeder below -20°C. The screw feeder is provided with a third discharge port at one end, different from the second control valve.

[0008] The following information will become clear from the description in the specification and drawings described later. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is an external perspective view showing a lithium battery discharge and crushing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing a lithium battery discharge and crushing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]This is an external perspective view showing a screw material feeder according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is an external perspective view showing a crushing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an external perspective view showing a screw feeder according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is an external perspective view showing a lithium battery discharge and crushing device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the invention covered by the utility model registration claims. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0011] First, an example of a specific embodiment of the lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

[0012] The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus according to this invention mainly includes a screw material supply machine 1, a crushing machine 2, and a screw feeder 3. Each of these will be described below.

[0013] The screw material feeder 1 is mainly used for loading and transporting recovered lithium batteries, and is mainly provided with a first input port 11, which is used for loading recovered lithium batteries. The first input port 11 is opened and closed by an upper cover 12, and the upper cover 12 is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder 13. The screw material feeder 1 is provided with a first discharge port 14 at one end different from the first input port 11, and a first condenser 15 is installed around the outer circumference of the screw material feeder 1. The first condenser 15 maintains the temperature inside the screw material feeder 1 below -20°C.

[0014] The crusher 2 is used to crush or break lithium batteries, and mainly has a first control valve 22 installed at the upper end of the crushing unit 21. The first control valve 22 is driven by an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder and is connected to a first discharge port 14 of a screw material feeder 1, allowing the lithium batteries to enter the crushing unit 21 by the screw material feeder 1. A second discharge port 23 is provided at the bottom end of the crushing unit 21, and a second condenser 24 is installed over the outer diameter of the crushing unit 21. The second condenser 24 maintains the temperature inside the crusher 2 at less than -20°C.

[0015] The screw feeder 3 is mainly used to transport and collect crushed lithium batteries, and is primarily equipped with a second control valve 31. The second control valve 31 is driven by an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder and is connected to the second discharge port 23 of the crusher 2. A third condenser 32 is installed around the outer circumference of the screw feeder 3, and the third condenser 32 maintains the temperature inside the screw feeder 3 below -20°C. The screw feeder 3 is provided with a third discharge port 33 at one end, different from the second control valve 31.

[0016] In this manner, the first input port 11 of the screw material feeder 1 is opened, and the recovered lithium batteries are fed in. A first condenser 15 is installed on the outer circumference of the screw material feeder 1, and the first condenser 15 maintains the temperature inside the screw material feeder 1 below -20°C, so that the lithium batteries inside the screw material feeder 1 are transported at a low temperature. At this time, the first control valve 22 and the second control valve 31 are in a closed state.

[0017] Once the material supply is complete, the hydraulic cylinder 13 closes the upper cover 12, preventing outside air from entering the screw material feeder 1, and the first condenser 15 maintains the internal temperature of the screw material feeder 1 below -20°C. When the first control valve 22 is opened, the lithium battery becomes dischargeable from the first discharge port 14 of the screw material feeder 1 and enters the crushing unit 21. The first control valve 22 is then closed, and the lithium battery is crushed. At this time, the second condenser 24 covers the outer diameter of the crushing unit 21, and the second condenser 24 maintains the internal temperature of the crusher 2 below -20°C. The first control valve 22 and the second control valve 31 create an oxygen-free or oxygen-deficient crushing space inside the crushing unit 21, providing an even safer lithium battery discharge and crushing device.

[0018] After the crushing process is completed for the scheduled time, the second control valve 31 is opened, and the crushed lithium batteries are discharged from the second discharge port 23 of the crusher 2 into the screw feeder 3. At this time, the operation of the crushing unit 21 continues, and any excess material in the crushing unit 21 is discharged into the screw feeder 3. The second control valve 31 is then closed, and the transport of the crushed lithium batteries is carried out. At this time, the third condenser 32 is installed over the outer diameter of the screw feeder 3, and the third condenser 32 maintains the temperature inside the screw feeder 3 below -20°C. The crushed lithium batteries are then discharged from the third discharge port 33 of the screw feeder 3 and collected.

[0019] In this way, the present invention can achieve the following advantages. (1) A lithium battery discharge crushing apparatus is provided in which the temperature inside the screw material supply machine, crusher, and screw feeder is maintained at less than -20°C by a condensing device installed on the outer circumference of the machine body of the screw material supply machine, crusher, and screw feeder, thereby performing transportation, discharge crushing, and collection operations in a consistent cold chain. (2) By controlling the diversion of the input through the first control valve and the second control valve, a crushing space in the crusher becomes oxygen-free or lacks oxygen, and a safer lithium battery discharge crushing device is provided.

[0020] Furthermore, the outer peripheral edges of the first condenser 15, the second condenser 24, and the third condenser 32 are covered by a heat-insulating layer, which enables the temperature inside the first condenser 15, the second condenser 24, and the third condenser 32 to be maintained.

[0021] Figure 6 is an external perspective view showing a lithium battery discharge crushing device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The recovered lithium battery can be driven by an automatic dumping feeder 4 and fed into a screw material feeder 1 through an inlet 11 of the screw material feeder 1.

[0022] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0023] 1 Screw material feeder 11 First inlet 12 Upper cover 13 Hydraulic cylinder 14 First discharge port 15 First condenser 2 Crusher 21 Crushing unit 22 First control valve 23 Second discharge port 24 Second condenser 3 Screw feeder 31 Second control valve 32 Third condenser 33 Third discharge port 4 Automatic dumping feeder

Claims

1. A lithium battery discharge crushing apparatus mainly comprising a screw material supply machine, a crushing machine, and a screw feeder, The screw material feeder is mainly provided with a first input port for feeding recovered lithium batteries, the first input port is opened and closed by an upper cover, the screw material feeder is provided with a first discharge port at one end different from the first input port, and a first condenser is installed on the outer circumference of the screw material feeder's body. The crushing machine performs a crushing operation to pulverize or crush the lithium battery, and mainly a first control valve is installed at the upper end of the crushing unit, the first control valve is connected to the first discharge port of the screw material feeder, and the lithium battery can enter the crushing unit from the screw material feeder, a second discharge port is provided at the bottom end of the crushing unit, and a second condenser is installed over the outer diameter of the crushing unit. The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus is characterized in that the screw feeder mainly transports and collects the crushed lithium batteries, the screw feeder mainly has a second control valve installed, the second control valve is connected to the second discharge port of the crushing machine, a third condenser is installed on the outer circumference of the screw feeder body, and a third discharge port is provided at one end of the screw feeder that is different from the second control valve.

2. The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening and closing of the upper cover is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder.

3. The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first condensing apparatus maintains the temperature inside the screw material supply machine below -20°C.

4. The lithium battery discharge crushing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the second condensing apparatus maintains the temperature inside the crushing apparatus below -20°C.

5. The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the third condensing device maintains the temperature inside the screw feeder below -20°C.

6. The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer edges of the first condenser, the second condenser, and the third condenser are covered with a heat-insulating layer.

7. The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first input port of the screw material supply machine drives an automatic damping feeder so that the lithium battery can enter the screw material supply machine.

8. The lithium battery discharge and crushing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first control valve and the second control valve are driven by an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

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