Rotary Drum Catalyst Coating for Uniform Carbon Nanostructure Supports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods face challenges in uniformly forming a catalyst layer on the surface of particulate supports, especially as the size of the supports decreases, leading to inefficient production of carbon nanotubes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a rotary drum system where a particulate support is rotated to stir and fluidize, sprayed with a catalyst solution, and dried with a controlled gas flow, allowing for overlapping steps to achieve uniform catalyst layer formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the particulate support size is decreased to improve productivity, then the production efficiency increases, but the uniformity of catalyst layer formation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by rotating the particulate support during the catalyst coating process. The support is rotated at a specific speed to ensure that the catalyst solution is uniformly distributed across its surface, preventing aggregation and ensuring even catalyst layer formation even on smaller particles that would otherwise be difficult to coat uniformly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a slurry containing the catalyst dispersed in a liquid medium that is applied to the rotating particulate support. The hydraulic application method ensures uniform distribution of the catalyst slurry across the support surface, and the subsequent drying process removes the liquid to form a uniform catalyst layer.
2Ease of manufacture
If the immersion method is used to apply catalyst solution, then the process is simple, but liquid bridging and particle adhesion occur causing non-uniform catalyst layer formation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a static immersion method, the patent rotates the particulate support during catalyst application. This dynamic approach prevents liquid bridging between particles by continuously moving the support surface through the catalyst slurry, ensuring each particle is coated uniformly without aggregation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent disperses the catalyst in a liquid medium to form a stable slurry before application. This preliminary preparation ensures uniform catalyst distribution in the liquid, preventing particle aggregation during the coating process and enabling uniform catalyst layer formation on the support.
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
Enables uniform catalyst layer formation on particulate supports, facilitating high-efficiency synthesis of fibrous carbon nanostructures like carbon nanotubes with improved mass productivity.
Implementation Method 1
rotating a rotary drum housing a particulate support inside thereof so as to stir and fluidize the particulate support
Implementation Method 2
causing a drying gas to flow toward the inside of the rotary drum so as to dry catalyst solution attached to the surface of the particulate support
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method of producing a catalyst-bearing support that produces a catalyst-bearing support used in production of a fibrous carbon nanostructure. The production method includes: a stirring step of rotating an approximately circular tube-shaped rotary drum around a central axis so as to stir a particulate support; a spraying step of spraying a catalyst solution against the particulate support inside of the rotary drum; and a drying step causing a drying gas to flow to inside of the rotary drum from outside of the rotary drum so as to dry catalyst solution attached to the particulate support. In this production method, at least part of an implementation period of the stirring step and at least part of an implementation period of the spraying step overlap with each other.