Heated Screw Conveyor for Battery Piece Drying and Conveyance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for treating used batteries require significant time for electrolyte removal and subsequent conveyance, making these steps rate-determining processes in the treatment process.
Innovation Solution
A drying treatment apparatus that integrates drying treatment and conveyance by using a screw conveyor with a heater and pressure reducing pump to vaporize electrolyte from crushed battery pieces, allowing simultaneous drying and conveyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drying treatment is performed separately from conveyance, then sufficient electrolyte removal is achieved, but treatment time is extended and process efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the drying treatment function and conveyance function into a single integrated apparatus. The housing serves both as a drying chamber with heating elements and as a conveyance pathway, allowing crushed battery pieces to be dried and transported simultaneously through the same structure, thereby eliminating the need for separate drying and conveyance steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both a drying chamber (with heaters for vaporizing electrolyte) and a conveyance system (with screw conveyor for transporting crushed pieces). This multi-functionality allows the same structure to accomplish both drying and transport tasks, reducing overall process time and equipment requirements.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate drying treatment and conveyance steps are used, then each process can be optimized independently, but the overall treatment process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple treatment steps (drying and conveyance) into a single integrated process within one apparatus. The housing contains both the heating elements for drying and the screw conveyor for transport, allowing both functions to be performed simultaneously in sequence rather than as separate steps, thereby simplifying the overall process flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated housing structure performs multiple functions: heating for drying, mechanical conveyance via screw conveyor, and vapor collection. This multi-functional design reduces the number of separate devices and steps needed, simplifying the overall system while maintaining the ability to optimize each function within the integrated structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Achieves effective step shortening by integrating drying treatment and conveyance, reducing overall treatment time and improving efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a heater that heats the housing... performing the drying treatment to vaporize the electrolyte from the crushed pieces
Implementation Method 2
a screw conveyor including a screw blade provided in an internal space of the housing, and a driving device that drives the screw blade, the screw conveyor conveying the crushed pieces charged through the charging port to the discharging port using a pushing-out action of the screw blade
Data Source
AI summary
A drying treatment apparatus includes: a housing having a charging port for charging crushed pieces, and a discharging port for discharging the crushed pieces; a screw conveyor including a screw blade provided in an internal space of the housing, and a driving device that drives the screw blade, the screw conveyor conveying the crushed pieces charged through the charging port to the discharging port using a pushing-out action of the screw blade; and a heater that heats the housing. In the drying treatment apparatus, the driving device drives the screw blade while the heater is heating the housing.