Quartz Powder Waste Recovery for Functional Fiber Cladding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The recovery and reuse of quartz powder waste from the out-of-tube deposition process in optical fiber preform rod manufacturing is challenging due to low purity and environmental pollution concerns, and existing methods fail to produce a functional cladding for the optical fiber preform rod.
Innovation Solution
A method involving acid washing, separation, drying, calcination, crushing, and doping with a nitrogen-chlorine mixture to purify quartz powder, followed by assembly with a core rod and melt shrinking to create a functional quartz cladding for the optical fiber preform rod.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If quartz powder waste is directly emitted into the air, then disposal is simple, but dust pollution occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful quartz powder waste into a useful resource by recovering it through acid washing and centrifugal separation, then utilizing it as raw material for preparing optical fiber preform rods, thereby eliminating dust pollution while creating economic value
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a recovery system that captures quartz powder waste from the deposition process, purifies it through acid washing, and recycles it back into the manufacturing process, replacing the traditional disposal method
2Loss of substance
If quartz powder waste is used as raw material, then resource waste is reduced, but low purity prevents direct use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the purity parameter of quartz powder waste through acid washing to remove metal impurities, and through centrifugal separation to remove moisture, transforming it from low-purity waste to high-purity raw material suitable for optical fiber manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces hydrochloric acid as an intermediary substance to chemically interact with and remove metal impurities from the quartz powder, and uses centrifugal force as an intermediary mechanism to separate the purified quartz powder from the acid solution
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional landfill method is used, then disposal is simple, but environmental harm occurs to soil
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the environmentally harmful quartz powder waste into a beneficial resource by recovering it and using it as raw material for optical fiber preform rods, completely eliminating the need for landfill and its associated environmental harm to soil
4Productivity
If out-of-tube deposition is used, then production efficiency is improved, but tail gas treatment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers valuable quartz powder from the tail gas that would otherwise be wasted, converting a complex treatment problem into a resource recovery opportunity, and uses the recovered material to simplify the overall process by reducing raw material requirements
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
The method enables the production of optical fiber preform rods with functional claddings that meet optical performance requirements, reduces environmental pollution, and simplifies the manufacturing process, particularly for low-attenuation and high-bending-resistant fibers.
Implementation Method 1
reacting a quartz powder collected in the treatment of a tail gas from deposition of an optical fiber preform rod in a hydrochloric acid solution, precipitating the quartz powder out
Implementation Method 2
draining the surface water from the quartz powder diluted with pure water obtained in Step (1), centrifuging, and separating the quartz powder
Implementation Method 3
drying the quartz powder obtained in Step (2) in a dryer lined with high-purity quartz and drying so that the quartz powder has a moisture content of 2% or less
Implementation Method 4
calcinating the quartz powder dried in Step (3) in a device lined with high-purity quartz
Implementation Method 5
crushing and grinding to an average particle size of 0.2-1 mm
Implementation Method 6
introducing a nitrogen-chlorine mixture containing 15%-25% chlorine, and maintaining it for not less than 12 h
Implementation Method 7
doping the quartz powder, and melt shrinking and sintering to obtain a transparent glass rod
Data Source
AI summary
The present application provides a method for recovering and reusing quartz powder waste in an out-of-tube deposition process. The quartz powder recovered by this method meets the optical performance requirements for the preparation of an optical fiber preform rod having a functional cladding, reduces the production cost, and solves the problem of environmental pollution. Also, the present invention further provides a method for preparing an optical fiber preform rod by using the recovered quartz powder. The method reduces and simplifies the difficulty in the manufacturing of a core rod of a preform rod, and simplifies the difficulty in the manufacturing of some preform rods of special structures.