Apparatus for manufacturing electrode slurry

Abstract

Provided, according to one embodiment of the present invention, is an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode slurry, comprising: a mixer in which an electrode material and a solvent are mixed; at least one liquid pipe which is connected to the mixer to introduce the solvent into the mixer; and at least one powder pipe which is connected to the mixer to introduce a powder electrode material into the mixer, wherein the powder pipe includes a bent portion at which the direction of power introduction is changed, and comprises, with respect to the bent portion, a first pipe connected to a powder tank in which powder is stored and a second pipe connected to the mixer, and the second pipe is provided with a high-pressure distilled water (DI water, DIW) injection nozzle for introducing DIW into the powder pipe, and an air injection nozzle for introducing air.

Description

Electrode slurry manufacturing device

[0001] Cross-citation with related application(s)

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0103824, filed August 5, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to an electrode slurry manufacturing device.

[0004] In modern society, the widespread use of portable devices like cell phones, laptops, camcorders, and digital cameras, as well as energy storage systems (ESS), has led to active development of related technologies. Furthermore, rechargeable secondary batteries are increasingly being used as power sources for electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs) to address air pollution issues caused by conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. This, in turn, heightens the need for further development of these batteries.

[0005] Currently commercialized secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries. Among these, lithium secondary batteries are receiving the most attention due to their advantages of free charging and discharging, low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.

[0006] These lithium secondary batteries are manufactured by sealing an electrode assembly with a separator between positive and negative electrode plates, each of which is manufactured by applying an active material slurry containing a positive active material and a negative active material to a current collecting substrate, together with an electrolyte, within a battery case.

[0007] Meanwhile, in order to manufacture the above active material slurry, a mixing operation is performed. At this time, the mixing operation is performed in a mixer, and various raw materials and solvents are introduced into the mixer.

[0008] Figure 1 schematically illustrates some of the conventional electrode slurry manufacturing devices.

[0009] Referring to FIG. 1, the electrode slurry manufacturing device (10) includes a mixer (11) in which electrode material and distilled water are mixed, powder pipes (12, 13) for introducing powder electrode material into the mixer (11), and liquid pipes (14, 15) for introducing a solvent into the mixer (11).

[0010] However, since this conventional electrode slurry manufacturing device (10) does not have a device for cleaning the inside of the powder pipes (12, 13) within the powder pipes (12, 13), an issue occurs in which the powder pipes (12, 13) are often clogged when the powder-type raw material is introduced. Specifically, when slurry is continuously produced without cleaning the powder pipes (12, 13), the powder continuously becomes entangled and accumulates in the powder pipes (12, 13), and the accumulated materials clog the powder pipes (12, 13).

[0011] In addition, there is a problem that the composition of the final slurry becomes distorted or quality deteriorates as the process of powder accumulation and falling off is not uniform as described above.

[0012] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop technology for an electrode slurry manufacturing device that can solve these problems.

[0013] The present invention aims to provide an electrode slurry manufacturing device capable of eliminating the phenomenon of a powder pipe located at the top of a mixer in an electrode slurry manufacturing device being clogged.

[0014] However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the problems described above and can be expanded in various ways within the scope of the technical ideas included in the present invention.

[0015] An electrode slurry manufacturing device according to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0016] A mixer in which electrode materials and solvents are mixed;

[0017] An electrode slurry manufacturing device comprising: at least one liquid pipe connected to the mixer and injecting a solvent into the mixer; and at least one powder pipe connected to the mixer and injecting a powder electrode material into the mixer;

[0018] The powder pipe includes a bend portion in which the direction of powder injection is changed, and includes a first pipe connected to a powder tank in which powder is stored based on the bend portion, and a second pipe connected to the mixer, and a high-pressure DI water (DIW) injection nozzle for injecting distilled water (DIW) into the powder pipe and an air injection nozzle for injecting air are formed within the second pipe.

[0019] Here, the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle and the air injection nozzle may each be included in four or more numbers.

[0020] Meanwhile, the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle may inject DIW at a pressure of 2 bar to 10 bar, and the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle may inject DIW toward the bending portion. At this time, the injection of the DIW may be performed for 1 minute to 6 minutes.

[0021] The high-pressure DIW injection nozzle may be formed at a point 1 / 3 to 9 / 10 of the total length of the second pipe based on the longitudinal direction of the powder injection direction of the second pipe from the bend.

[0022] In addition, as another component, the air injection nozzle may be configured to inject air into the second pipe when DIW injection is completed, and the air injection nozzle may inject air at a pressure of 1 bar to 5 bar, and the air may be air at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. At this time, the air injection may be performed for 30 to 120 seconds.

[0023] The air injection nozzle may be formed at a point closer to the bend than the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle, and specifically, the air injection nozzle may be formed at a point 1 / 4 to 4 / 5 of the total length of the second pipe based on the longitudinal direction, which is the powder injection direction of the second pipe, from the bend.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a part of a conventional electrode slurry manufacturing device.

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a part of an electrode slurry manufacturing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 is an enlarged schematic diagram showing the inside of the powder pipe of Figure 2.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inside of the powder pipe as viewed from direction A of Fig. 3.

[0028] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the invention. The present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0029] In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts that are not related to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used for identical or similar components throughout the specification.

[0030] Meanwhile, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawing are arbitrarily shown for convenience of explanation, and therefore the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is shown.

[0031] Additionally, throughout the specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0032]

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates an electrode slurry manufacturing device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an enlarged perspective view showing the inside of one of the powder pipes (130), and FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of the powder pipe (130) as viewed from direction A of FIG. 3.

[0034] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, an electrode slurry manufacturing device (100) according to the present invention includes a mixer (110) in which an electrode material and a solvent are mixed; one or more liquid pipes (120) connected to the mixer (110) and injecting a solvent into the mixer (110); and one or more powder pipes (130) connected to the mixer (110) and injecting a powder electrode material into the mixer (110).

[0035] In order to explain the powder pipe (130), when examining the powder pipe (130) in detail, the powder pipe (130) includes a bend (133) in which the direction of powder injection is changed, and includes a first pipe (131) connected to a powder tank (140) in which powder is stored based on the bend (133) and a second pipe (132) connected to a mixer (110), and within the second pipe (132), one or more high-pressure DI water (DIW) injection nozzles (210) for injecting distilled water (DI water) into the powder pipe (130) and one or more air injection nozzles (220) for injecting air are formed.

[0036] Of course, if two or more powder pipes are included, the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210) and air injection nozzle (220) described above are equally applied to other powder pipes.

[0037] Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 4 of the powder pipe cross-section of FIG. 3, each of the high-pressure DIW spray nozzles (210) and the air spray nozzles (220) may be included in at least four, so that four high-pressure DIW spray nozzles (210) (211, 212, 213, 214) and four air spray nozzles (220) (221, 222, 223, 224) may be formed.

[0038] In this case, when a plurality of high-pressure DIW injection nozzles (210) and air injection nozzles (220) are formed, they may be formed at regular intervals from each other.

[0039] When four or more are formed as described above, it is more preferable because the powder accumulated inside the pipe can be completely washed away by the DIW injection.

[0040] These high-pressure DIW injection nozzles (210) can be injected at a pressure of 2 bar to 10 bar, specifically at a pressure of 3 bar to 8 bar, and more specifically at a pressure of 3 bar to 5 bar, in order to prevent powder accumulation in the powder pipe (130).

[0041] At this time, if the process is performed at a lower pressure beyond the above range, the intended effect of the original cannot be obtained, and if the process is performed at a higher pressure, there are problems such as difficulty in operation and increased equipment costs.

[0042] Meanwhile, since the powder pipe (130) includes a bend (133) in which the direction of powder injection is changed, more powder may accumulate in the bend (133), thereby changing the composition of the final manufactured slurry or causing slurry quality issues.

[0043] Therefore, according to the present invention, the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210) may be formed in a form that sprays DIW toward the bending portion (133). That is, the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210) formed in the second pipe may be formed in the opposite direction to the flow of powder to spray DIW toward the bending portion (133). At this time, the injection of DIW may be performed for 1 to 6 minutes, and more specifically, for 2 to 5 minutes.

[0044] If the injection time is too long outside the above range, the overall process time will increase and efficiency will decrease, and if the injection time is too short, sufficient cleaning of the powder may not occur, which is not desirable.

[0045] From this, powder can be prevented from accumulating in the bending portion (133), and the inside of the powder pipe (130) can be cleaned along with the production of electrode slurry.

[0046] Here, when the amount of DIW required for manufacturing the electrode slurry is measured by a meter, the amount is determined and injected from the high-pressure DIW spray nozzle (210) and the liquid pipe (120) in the bending portion (133). In other words, the total amount injected into the high-pressure DIW spray nozzle (210) and the liquid pipe (120) can be appropriately distributed / injected so as to correspond to the total amount of DIW required. For example, the entire amount of the measured DIW may be injected through the high-pressure DIW spray nozzle (210), or when cleaning through the high-pressure DIW spray nozzle (210) is not required, the entire amount may be injected through the liquid pipe (120), or a combination of the two; specifically, more than the minimum amount required for cleaning may be injected through the high-pressure DIW spray nozzle (210), and the remaining required amount may be injected through the liquid pipe (120).

[0047] Meanwhile, if a high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210) is formed in the first pipe (131), there is no need to spray DIW in the opposite direction to the flow of powder, but since a weak pump is used and a self-weight metering method is used, it is preferable to form it as close to the mixer as possible at the lower side within the powder pipe (130).

[0048] Accordingly, the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210) may be formed at a point 1 / 3 to 9 / 10 of the total length (L) of the second pipe (132) based on the longitudinal direction, which is the powder injection direction of the second pipe (132), from the bend (133), in one example. In other words, the length (l2) from the bend (133) to the position where the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210) is formed may be 1 / 3 to 9 / 10 (l2 = 1 / 3L to 9 / 10L) of the total length (L) of the second pipe (132).

[0049] If it is formed outside the above range and close to the bend (133), it is difficult to spray DIW toward the bend (133), making sufficient cleaning difficult. In addition, if it is formed too close to the mixer (110), greater pressure is required to spray DIW to the bend (133), which is not desirable.

[0050] Meanwhile, when the inside of the powder pipe (130) is cleaned using DIW along with the production of the electrode slurry in this way, residual DIW may remain inside the powder pipe (130), and thus, the powder may stick to it during the subsequent production process and accumulate in a larger amount inside the powder pipe (130).

[0051] Therefore, in the case where electrode slurry production and pipe cleaning are performed simultaneously by forming a high-pressure DIW spray nozzle (210) in a powder pipe (130) as in the present invention, it is preferable to perform air drying to remove DIW remaining from the DIW spray after the operation of the high-pressure DIW spray nozzle (210).

[0052] Accordingly, according to the present invention, an air injection nozzle (220) is formed together with a high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210) within the second pipe (132).

[0053] Therefore, when DIW injection is completed, the air injection nozzle (220) can inject air into the second pipe (132).

[0054] At this time, the air injection is to remove the DIW remaining in the second pipe (132), and it is more preferable for drying to inject air at a pressure higher than a certain level, and therefore, the air injection nozzle (220) can inject air at a pressure of 1 bar to 5 bar, specifically, can inject air at a pressure of 2 bar to 5 bar, and more specifically, can inject air at a pressure of 2 bar to 4 bar.

[0055] If air is sprayed at too low a pressure outside the above range, sufficient drying may not occur or drying may take a long time, resulting in poor manufacturing efficiency. If air is sprayed at too high a pressure, work may be difficult and equipment costs may increase.

[0056] The above air may be air having a temperature of 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, and more specifically, air having a temperature of 23 to 25 degrees Celsius.

[0057] The above air is injected for drying to remove DIW remaining in the powder pipe (130), but if air at too high a temperature is injected, the manufacturing cost increases, and the temperature inside the powder pipe (130) rises overall, which may not be desirable from a safety perspective.

[0058] Additionally, the injection of the air may be performed for 30 to 120 seconds, specifically 60 to 120 seconds.

[0059] If the above air is injected for a time that is too short compared to the above range, the DIW may not be sufficiently dried, and more powder may become entangled and accumulate in the subsequent electrode slurry manufacturing process. If the air is injected for too long, the manufacturing efficiency may decrease due to an excessive increase in the process time, which is not desirable.

[0060] Meanwhile, the air injection nozzle (220) may be formed at a point closer to the bend (133) than the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210).

[0061] This is because, compared to DIW injection, the actual reach distance is shorter in the case of air injection due to pressure and state, and direct injection to the bending part (133) is advantageous for drying.

[0062] Accordingly, the air injection nozzle (220) may be formed at a position closer to the bend (133) than the position of the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle (210), for example, at a position 1 / 4 to 4 / 5 of the total length (L) of the second pipe (132) based on the longitudinal direction, which is the powder injection direction of the second pipe (132) from the bend (133). In other words, the length (l1) from the bend (133) to the position where the air injection nozzle (220) is formed may be 1 / 4 to 4 / 5 (l1 = 1 / 4L to 4 / 5L) of the total length (L) of the second pipe (132).

[0063] If it is formed outside the above range and far from the bending portion (133), the DIW remaining in the bending portion (133) may not be sufficiently dried or may take a long time to be sufficiently dried, which is not desirable.

[0064] Accordingly, the electrode slurry manufacturing device according to the present invention is configured to form a high-pressure DIW spray nozzle inside a powder pipe and spray DIW toward a bend where the direction of the powder pipe changes, thereby simultaneously manufacturing the electrode slurry and cleaning the inside of the powder pipe, thereby preventing powder from accumulating inside the powder pipe. In addition, after the DIW spraying is completed, air is injected into the inside of the powder pipe by an air spray nozzle to remove the remaining DIW, thereby preventing the inside of the powder pipe from becoming wet, thereby preventing powder accumulation inside the powder pipe, and thereby eliminating the slurry solid content spec-out phenomenon even in the continuous manufacturing of the electrode slurry.

[0065] Moreover, since the powder pipe can be cleaned simultaneously with the production of the electrode slurry, no pipe clogging occurs, eliminating the labor and time consumed due to pipe clogging.

[0066]

[0067] Although the preferred examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mixer in which electrode material and solvent are mixed; An electrode slurry manufacturing device comprising: at least one liquid pipe connected to the mixer and injecting a solvent into the mixer; and at least one powder pipe connected to the mixer and injecting a powder electrode material into the mixer; The above powder pipe includes a bend in which the direction of powder injection is changed, An electrode slurry manufacturing device comprising a first pipe connected to a powder tank in which powder is stored based on the above-mentioned bending portion and a second pipe connected to the mixer, wherein a high-pressure DI water (DIW) injection nozzle for injecting distilled water (DIW) into the inside of the powder pipe and an air injection nozzle for injecting air are formed within the second pipe.

2. In paragraph 1, An electrode slurry manufacturing device comprising at least four of the above high-pressure DIW injection nozzles and the above air injection nozzles.

3. In paragraph 1, An electrode slurry manufacturing device in which the above high-pressure DIW injection nozzle injects DIW at a pressure of 2 bar to 10 bar.

4. In paragraph 1, An electrode slurry manufacturing device in which the above high-pressure DIW injection nozzle injects DIW toward the above-mentioned bending portion.

5. In paragraph 1, An electrode slurry manufacturing device in which the above DIW is injected for 1 to 6 minutes.

6. In paragraph 1, An electrode slurry manufacturing device in which the high-pressure DIW injection nozzle is formed at a point 1 / 3 to 9 / 10 of the entire length of the second pipe based on the longitudinal direction of the powder injection direction of the second pipe from the bending portion.

7. In paragraph 1, The above air injection nozzle is an electrode slurry manufacturing device that injects air into the second pipe when DIW injection is completed.

8. In paragraph 1, An electrode slurry manufacturing device in which the above air injection nozzle injects air at a pressure of 1 bar to 5 bar.

9. In paragraph 1, The above air is an electrode slurry manufacturing device having a temperature of 20 to 30 degrees Celsius.

10. In paragraph 1, An electrode slurry manufacturing device in which the above air injection is performed for 30 to 120 seconds.

11. In paragraph 1, An electrode slurry manufacturing device in which the above air injection nozzle is formed at a point closer to the bend than the above high-pressure DIW injection nozzle.

12. In paragraph 11, An electrode slurry manufacturing device in which the air injection nozzle is formed at a point 1 / 4 to 4 / 5 of the entire length of the second pipe based on the longitudinal direction of the powder injection direction of the second pipe from the bending portion.

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