Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M6/00—Primary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M6/52—Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste cells or batteries, e.g. recycling
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/54—Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
  • Y02W30/84—Recycling of batteries or fuel cells

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and a device for sorting used batteries and accumulators.
• the sorting of used batteries or accumulators comprises a first preliminary mechanical sorting step in order to separate the batteries or accumulators according to their shape and / or their dimensions, followed by a second step, for a given shape and / or dimensions. , depending on the chemical nature of the batteries or accumulators, by measuring one or more parameters characteristic of the part concerned.
• the chemical nature of a battery or accumulator can be determined by measuring its specific mass or by measuring thermal, acoustic or electrical properties. For example, the analysis of the speed of propagation of ultrasound through the body of the part to be analyzed, or the measurement of the heat dissipation power of the part after a short heating period, or the measurement of the residual electrical resistance , are indications directly linked to the composition and / or the internal structure of the used battery or accumulator. However, after use or during storage, these methods are not sufficiently reliable.
• the analysis of the internal composition of the battery or accumulator is necessary for the determination of their chemical nature, but this analysis must be carried out with unopened batteries or accumulators, by a method making it possible to remove the influence of the outer layers of the cell or accumulator shell.
• Publication WO91 / 15036 describes a device and a method for sorting used batteries or accumulators according to their chemical nature, based on the analysis of the inductive effect produced by the materials contained in the battery or accumulator, including the ferromagnetic properties are different according to their chemical nature, this by the consecutive application to an excitation circuit of at least two different voltage amplitudes at the same frequency, or two different frequencies for the same voltage amplitude.
• Sorting according to the chemical composition involves the elaboration, by the passage at constant speed of a cell or an accumulator through a coil, of an inductive response with two components, representative of the ferromagnetic mass of the cell or the accumulator, and the distribution of the ferromagnetic mass.
• these sorting methods have certain shortcomings, linked in particular to the sorting head. Despite great efforts to increase the capacity, it has not been possible to develop heads allowing both efficient sorting at high throughput and a small percentage of sorting errors or rejects. Therefore, the treatment of high flow rates requires the use of several measuring heads for sorting according to the chemical composition, with several control computers, therefore a high cost.
• the determination of the ferromagnetic mass requires a very thorough preliminary mechanical sorting to separate the used batteries and accumulators according to their exact dimensions.
• the orientation of the batteries and accumulators, as well as their speed of movement through the head must be controlled, usually by means of a conveyor belt.
• Certain spent batteries and accumulators present in the mixture have external contact parts, etc., which can distort the measurements.
• the subject of the invention is a simplified method and device for sorting and separating automatically used batteries or accumulators of different shapes and sizes depending on their chemical nature, and which in particular allow large flows to be processed.
• the method and the device specific to this invention obviate the drawbacks of known methods and devices and allow sorting and separation of used batteries or accumulators of different shapes and dimensions in a quick, reliable and economical manner according to their chemical nature.
• an identification signal or "signature" is established consisting of a characteristic combination based on the measurement of several parameters, in particular a dimension (for example the length), the metallic mass , the ferromagnetic mass and, advantageously, a derivative of the ferromagnetic mass composed of filtered harmonics.
• Sorting can be done by simply dropping the batteries and accumulators through the measuring device, for example in an inclined tube whose internal diameter is sufficient to allow the largest batteries and accumulators to be sorted to pass.
• the method also allows a "learning" of the characteristics of all kinds of batteries and accumulators, allowing its rapid and simple adaptation to any new kind of battery or accumulator.
• FIG. 1 is a diagram of a sorting device according to the invention.
• the device illustrated in Figure 1 by way of example consists of a tube 1 into which the battery 2 to be tested slides.
• the tube 1 preferably made of transparent material, for example acrylic, has an internal diameter capable of receiving the range of cells and accumulators to be sorted, for example of the order of 40-60 mm.
• This tube 1 is inclined at 45 ° or any other suitable angle for the fall of the batteries and accumulators.
• various detectors the responses of which are transmitted to a microprocessor 3.
• the data received is processed by the microprocessor 3, allowing it to identify the type of battery and to direct it towards the place desired, by means of a sorting signal S.
• the detectors arranged along the tube 1 are: an optical unit 4, a tuned coil 5, an excitation coil 6, and two receiving coils 7 and 8.
• the optical unit 4 comprises several optical detectors arranged along the tube 1, for example four infrared cells 4a arranged two by two on the opposite edges of the lower part of the tube 1, and spaced along the tube, for example about 10 cm.
• infrared cells 4a on the passage of the stack 2 allows the microprocessor 3 to calculate the length and the average speed of the stack in the tube 1.
• Other arrangements allow, if desired, the calculation of the diameter or the width of batteries and accumulators.
• the tuned coil 5 is energized and tuned on a high frequency, about 50 to 200 kHz, and operates on the principle of a metal detector.
• the circuit is detuned by modification of the self-induction and of the selectivity.
• the microprocessor 3 supplies a digital signal which represents the metallic mass of the battery 2.
• the excitation coil 6 is supplied from an amplifier 11 by a low frequency current, for example around 300 Hz, and thus creates a magnetic field in the tube 1.
• the receiver coils 7 and 8 are mounted in opposition, so that at rest, their magnetic fields cancel each other out.
• the shape of the signal collected by the coils 7, 8 depends on the magnetic quality of the battery 2.
• the magnetic mass of a Ni-Cd accumulator is mainly defined by the presence of nickel in the accumulator, while the magnetic mass of other batteries is only defined by the mantle.
• the signal collected by the coils 7, 8 for these other batteries has a higher harmonic rate than for Ni-Cd accumulators (mainly harmonic 3).
• a good ferromagnetic quality causes few harmonics, while an average ferromagnetic quality causes more harmonics.
• the first coil 7 collects the absolute magnetic signal, and it is the amplitude of this absolute signal, representative of the ferromagnetic mass of the battery 2, which is processed by the filter / converter 12.
• the signal from the second coil 8, after filtering, contains only the harmonics of the signal. After analog / digital conversion of these signals by the filters / converter 12, the microprocessor 9 can easily identify the Ni-Cd accumulators, which have a low harmonic rate.
• the device described provides, for each battery 2, a "signature" composed of four values which make it possible to identify it, in this example: the length (optical unit 4), the metal mass (coil 5), the ferromagnetic mass (coil 7), and the ferromagnetic quality or harmonic rate (coil 8).
• a "signature" composed of four values which make it possible to identify it, in this example: the length (optical unit 4), the metal mass (coil 5), the ferromagnetic mass (coil 7), and the ferromagnetic quality or harmonic rate (coil 8).
• these four characteristic values are established by successive passages of a reference battery or accumulator in order to constitute these reference values or signatures.
• Each battery or accumulator is therefore identified by these four values which constitute an identification signal or signature.
• certain stacks can be identified by several sets of four values, for example the rectangular stacks capable of crossing the tube 1 under different orientations. Knowing the composition of these reference batteries and accumulators, the reference values of each identification signal can be associated with a sorting signal chosen according to the chemical composition.
• the four values obtained for each cell or accumulator correspond either to the reference values, which causes the corresponding sorting signal, or are unknown and the cell or the accumulator is discarded.
• an examination of the battery or accumulator allows it to be assigned a sorting signal according to its composition.
• the device described can be supplemented by other detectors, for example X-ray, optical

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Electrochemistry (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
• Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Magnetic Means (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

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• 1994
  • 1994-05-03 WO PCT/IB1994/000090 patent/WO1994025992A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1994-05-03 EP EP94912665A patent/EP0648381A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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