Recycling device for solar cell modules

Abstract

In the process of reusing a used solar cell module, there is provided an apparatus for reliably and easily peeling a glass substrate from other materials. 【Solution means】A recycling apparatus for a solar cell module that peels a glass substrate from other materials, comprising: an upstream conveyance unit 30 that conveys the solar cell module 10; a roller brush 20 that rotates in contact with other materials against the conveyed solar cell module to peel the other materials; a solar cell module support unit 40 that supports the area where the roller brush contacts the solar cell module from the glass substrate side; a lifting mechanism 50 capable of adjusting the gap between the roller brush and the backsheet; a downstream conveyance unit 80 that conveys the glass substrate from which the other materials have been peeled; a central processing control device that controls each operation; and a recovery means 60 that recovers the peeled other materials. The roller brush has a metal wire such as a steel wire or a resin wire such as nylon, and the wire diameter thereof 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 substrates, encapsulants, solar cells, wiring materials, backsheets, etc.) of used solar cell modules, it is necessary to separate the respective materials from each other. A recycling device is used when separating other materials including solar cells, including solar cells, wiring materials, and backsheets, from the glass substrate.

[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 the glass substrate and other materials for separation.

[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 solar cells.

[0005] In order to separate more completely, a method of using a roller brush made of a metal wire or the like as a material instead of the blade has been considered, and a recycling device for solar cell modules 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, when a metal wire such as a steel wire is used as the material of the brush, assuming the dimensions of the solar cell module, the axial length of the roller brush becomes about 1000 mm or more. Due to the weight of the brush itself, it is expected that the entire roller brush will sag and it will be difficult to bring it into contact with the backsheet surface of the solar cell module following the surface.

[0008] In the apparatus proposed in Patent Document 2, since the wire diameter of the roller brush is 1.5 mm or more and the wire length is 20 mm or more, in view of the overall weight, it is desirable that the wire diameter and wire length can be made smaller, but there has been no such technology in the past.

[0009] Also, the premise of separation according to Patent Document 2 is only metal elements such as solar cell cells and wiring materials, and the backsheet and encapsulant could not be removed simultaneously or in advance.

[0010] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a recycling apparatus for a solar cell module capable of completely separating materials other than the glass substrate by optimizing the material, wire diameter, wire length, etc. of the roller brush, or including a step of removing the backsheet and encapsulant in advance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recycling apparatus for a solar cell module that peels a glass substrate from other materials, an upstream conveyance unit that conveys the solar cell module after being provided, a roller brush that rotates in contact with the other material to peel the other material from the solar cell module conveyed by the upstream conveyance unit, a solar cell module support unit that supports the region where 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 backsheet, A downstream conveyor section for conveying the glass substrate from which the other material has been peeled off A central processing control device for controlling the operations of the upstream conveyor section, the roller brush, the lifting mechanism, and the downstream conveyor section Recovery means for recovering the peeled-off other material Comprising The 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 material.

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

[0013] On the upstream side of the roller brush, means other than the roller brush for separating the glass substrate and the other material may be further provided.

[0014] The means other than the roller brush may heat and soften the encapsulant of the solar cell module, and bring the heated blade into contact between the glass substrate and the other material to separate them.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the recycling device for a solar cell module of the present invention, the entire roller brush can be brought into contact following the backsheet surface of the solar cell module, and the solar cell, the wiring material, the backsheet, and the encapsulant can be surely and easily separated from the glass substrate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a method for recycling a solar cell module according to an embodiment will be described. 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. This recycling apparatus for a 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] And in the area supported by the solar cell module support portion 40, only other materials other than the glass substrate in the solar cell module 10 are scraped off by the rotating roller brush 20. That is, in the solar cell module 10, the layered structure containing a metal component, the backsheet, and the sealing material are separated from the glass substrate. In the present embodiment, when scraping the surface of the solar cell module 10, the roller brush 20 is fixed and the solar cell module 10 is horizontally moved from upstream to downstream. However, the solar cell module 10 may be fixed and the roller brush 20 may be horizontally moved. The glass substrate from which other materials have been separated from the solar cell module 10 is further conveyed by the lower conveying portion 80 to the conveying downstream position B of the roller brush 20. The downstream conveying portion 80 includes a plurality of downstream upper conveying rollers 81 and a plurality of downstream lower conveying rollers 82 arranged to sandwich and convey the peeled glass substrate, and further includes a buffer mechanism (not shown) provided on the downstream lower conveying roller 82. This buffer mechanism follows the thickness variation of the solar cell module 10.

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

[0021] Here, when the material of the roller brush 20 is a metal wire such as a steel wire, as shown in FIG. 6, it is preferable that the wire diameter of the brush 22 is 0.1 to 0.9 mm as shown by the experimental results. In view of weight, when the material of the roller brush 20 is a resin wire, the wire diameter is not limited to this. Also, the rotation speed of the roller brush 20 is desirably in the range of 100 rpm to less than 1000 rpm based on the experience of implementation.

[0022] Note that, as shown in FIG. 4, a lifting mechanism 50 capable of adjusting the gap between the roller brush 20 and the backsheet surface may be provided on the roller brush 20 or the solar cell module support portion 40 in the recycling apparatus for the solar cell module. The amount of shaving by the roller brush 20 is set, for example, to be equal to or less than the height of the layered structure of the solar cell panel 10 according to the height of the layered structure. In the present embodiment, the lifting mechanism 50 adjusts the gap between the roller brush 20 and the backsheet surface by a ball screw. However, a servo mechanism may be used for this purpose, and the 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 the recovery means 60. The recovery means 60 may be composed of a blower for releasing other materials in a dust state from the glass substrate surface and a dust collector for collecting the same.

[0023] In order to surely 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 the sealing material may be provided before the removal step by the roller brush 20. FIG. 7 shows an example of this step. This step may be to heat the sealant to soften it and bring the heated blade 70 into contact with and separate the glass substrate 11 and other materials 12 including solar cells, wiring materials, and the backsheet.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0024] 10 Solar cell module 11 Glass substrate 12 Other materials 20 Roller brush 21 Shaft 22 Brush 30 Upstream conveyance unit 31 Upstream upper conveyance roller 32 Upstream lower conveyance roller 40 Solar cell module support portion 50 Lifting mechanism 60 Recovery means 70 Blade 80 Downstream conveying section 81 Upper downstream conveying roller 82 Lower downstream conveying roller B Downstream conveying position F Standby position

Claims

1. In a recycling apparatus for a solar cell module that peels a glass substrate from other materials including a backsheet, an upstream conveyance unit that receives and conveys the solar cell module, a roller brush that rotates in contact with the other materials to peel the other materials from the solar cell module conveyed by the upstream conveyance unit, a solar cell module support unit that supports, from the glass substrate side, a region where the roller brush contacts the solar cell module, a lifting mechanism capable of adjusting a gap between the roller brush and the backsheet, a downstream conveyance unit that conveys the glass substrate from which the other materials have been peeled, a central processing control device that controls operations of each of the upstream conveyance unit, the roller brush, the lifting mechanism, and the downstream conveyance unit, a recovery means for recovering the peeled other materials, and comprising the roller brush has a metal wire or a resin wire, and a wire diameter thereof is optimized according to a removal rate of the other materials, a solar cell module recycling apparatus.

2. The solar cell module recycling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the metal wire is a steel wire and the resin wire is a nylon wire.

3. The solar cell module recycling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotation speed of the roller brush ranges from 100 rpm to less than 1000 rpm.

4. The solar cell module recycling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means other than the roller brush for separating the glass substrate from the other materials on an upstream side of the roller brush.

5. The means other than the roller brush heats and softens a sealant of the solar cell module, and contacts a heated blade between the glass substrate and the other materials to separate them, the solar cell module recycling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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