KR102028654B1 - Powder raw material drying apparatus for manufacturing cathode material of secondary battery and powder raw material treatment method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a drying apparatus which comprises: a dryer arranged in a horizontal direction; a dryer heating unit configured to heat the dryer; a raw material stirrer configured to stir a cathode material in a drying chamber of the dryer; an exhaust unit connected to the frying chamber; an exhaust unit connected to the drying chamber; a fixed end support for fixing a position of a fixed end of the dryer to a support base; and a free end support mounted to linearly move in the support base in a state of being mounted in a free end of the dryer to move when thermal expansion occurs in the dryer. Therefore, damage to the support base and the coupling unit of the dryer can be prevented, wherein the damage is caused by a thermal expansion phenomenon. Moreover, the drying apparatus is used to process a cathode material.

Description

Powder raw material drying apparatus for manufacturing cathode material of secondary battery and method for processing powder raw material using same {POWDER RAW MATERIAL DRYING APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CATHODE

An embodiment of the present invention is a drying device for removing mainly moisture from the powder material (cathode material raw material) constituting the cathode material for the production of cathode material (cathode material) of the secondary battery, and powder raw material using the drying device It relates to a method of treating (positive electrode material raw material).

Recently, as mobile devices such as notebook computers, tablet PCs, portable game consoles, and cellular phones are widely used, demand for secondary batteries capable of charging and discharging as a power source for these mobile devices is rapidly increasing.

In addition, in line with this, efforts for improving the performance and manufacturability of secondary batteries and research and development for commercially applying secondary batteries to electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems (ESS) have been actively made.

In general, a secondary battery includes a cathode material, an anode material, an electrolyte, and a separator, among which the cathode material is an important factor in determining performance of the secondary battery, such as capacity and output. to be.

In order to manufacture the cathode material, powder raw materials such as lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn) and aluminum (Al) are required, and a drying step of removing the contained moisture from these powder raw materials is performed. After performing the heat treatment process to prevent the deterioration of the quality of the cathode material can be improved and properties.

Here, the drying process and the heat treatment process are performed separately in a dedicated device. Therefore, since a dedicated device for the drying process and a dedicated device for the heat treatment process must be provided, respectively, high cost and long time may be required to complete drying and heat treatment of the raw material, and the processing process is cumbersome. In addition, the raw material may be damaged in a process of transferring the raw material to a dedicated device for the heat treatment process after the drying process, and may be contaminated by external air.

Therefore, it is urgently required to prepare a solution for this.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0130292 (2013.12.02.) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1911490 (2018.10.24.)

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a cathode material raw material drying apparatus and a cathode material raw material processing apparatus using the same in terms of improving the stability and efficiency of the drying process or drying process and heat treatment process for the cathode material.

The problem to be solved is not limited thereto, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the support base (support base); A dryer disposed in the horizontal direction on the support base and having a drying chamber in the longitudinal direction for accommodating a cathode material of a secondary battery therein; At least one heating jacket forming a heating chamber outside the dryer to heat the dryer with a heating medium (oil) introduced into the heating chamber; A fixed end support (fixed end frame) for fixing the position of the fixed end of the dryer to the support base; A free end support (free end frame) mounted on the free end of the dryer and mounted on the support base such that the support base is linearly movable in the longitudinal direction of the dryer to move when the dryer expands at a temperature rise; A main shaft disposed in the drying chamber in the longitudinal direction of the dryer; A plurality of stirring blades connected to the main shaft; A head shaft and a tail shaft extending from both ends of the main shaft, respectively, penetrating through the fixed and free ends of the dryer and rotatably supported by a bearing; Shaft drive means for rotating the head shaft penetrated through the fixed end of the dryer; An exhaust unit configured to exhaust the moisture (water vapor) from the drying chamber by forming the drying chamber in a vacuum atmosphere by an evacuating action; A cathode material raw material drying apparatus of a secondary battery, including a bag filter installed in an exhaust line of the exhaust unit, may be provided.

A sliding guide member (Teflon plate) is interposed between the support base and the free end support, and the free end support can be slidably moved. In addition, guide slots are formed in the free end support in the longitudinal direction of the dryer, and guide pins are inserted into each of the guide slots, and the guide pins penetrate the sliding guide member. Can be embedded in the support base.

Drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a gas injection unit for injecting gas into the cathode material in the drying chamber through the bottom of the drying chamber to promote the discharge of moisture.

Seal housings for receiving sealing members may be mounted between the fixed end of the dryer and the head shaft, and between the free end of the dryer and the tail shaft. In addition, an axial cooling chamber may be formed in the head shaft and in the tail shaft to introduce a cooling medium.

A sleeve which rotates together with the head shaft and the tail shaft may be interposed between the head shaft and the head shaft side seal housing and between the tail shaft and the tail shaft side seal housing, respectively.

Sealing member cooling passages through which gas for cooling the sealing member is introduced may be formed in the head shaft side seal housing and the tail shaft side seal housing, respectively.

The dryer has a raw material outlet formed in communication with the drying chamber at the bottom, the raw material outlet may be opened and closed by the discharge opening and closing unit.

The discharge opening and closing unit, the gate (gate) which is rotatably mounted around one side of the raw material discharge port for opening and closing the raw material discharge port according to the rotation direction; Gate driving means for rotating the gate; A clamp mounted on the other side of the raw material outlet so as to be rotatable, for pressing the closed gate in accordance with the rotational direction or releasing the pressing against the closed gate; It may include a clamp driving means for rotating the clamp.

The raw material outlet may be equipped with a packing to maintain airtightness when the gate is closed. In addition, an outlet cooling chamber in which a cooling medium is introduced may be formed around the raw material outlet.

The drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a bearing cooling unit supplying cooling oil to the head shaft bearing and the tail shaft bearing to cool and lubricate the bearing.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a dryer disposed in a horizontal direction on a support base and having a drying chamber accommodating a cathode material of a secondary battery therein in a longitudinal direction therein; A dryer heating unit for heating the dryer; A raw material stirrer for agitating the positive electrode material contained in the drying chamber; A fixed end support for fixing a position of the fixed end of the dryer to the support base; The cathode material raw material drying apparatus of the secondary battery includes a free end support mounted to the free end of the dryer and mounted to the support base in a linear direction in the longitudinal direction of the dryer to move when the dryer expands in temperature rise Can be provided.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the step of washing the cathode material raw material; Dehydrating the clean cathode material; Drying and heat-treating the dried cathode material using a drying apparatus as described above; A method of processing a cathode material of a secondary battery, including cooling the cathode material raw material having been dried and heat treated, or performing cooling and mixing with another cathode material may be provided.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the step of mixing two or more kinds of cathode material; Drying the mixed cathode material using a drying apparatus as described above; A method of processing a cathode material of a secondary battery, including cooling the dried cathode material may be provided.

Means for solving the problems will become more specific and clear through the embodiments, drawings, and the like described below. In addition, in the following, various solutions other than the above-mentioned solutions may be further presented.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the damage of the drying apparatus due to the drying process temperature and the heat treatment process temperature higher than this is prevented, the heat treatment process may be performed together with the drying process for the cathode material. Of course, since the drying and heat treatment processes are performed together in the drying apparatus, there is no need to transfer the dried cathode material to heat treatment (improving productivity and yield), thereby preventing the cathode material from reacting with a specific gas in the atmosphere. Thus, the performance of the cathode material can be improved.

Specifically, the dryer is set on the support base by a fixed end support and a free end support for mounting the fixed and free ends of the dryer to the support base, respectively, and the free end support moves relative to the fixed end support when thermal expansion occurs in the dryer ( That is, since the thermal expansion of the dryer is particularly compatible with linear expansion), the coupling portion of the support base and the dryer can be prevented from being damaged due to the thermal expansion of the dryer.

In addition, since heat damage is prevented by the cooling action on the sealing member and the packing, it is possible to stably maintain the airtightness during the drying process or the heat treatment process.

According to the above effects, long-term usability of the drying apparatus may be ensured, and maintenance and management of the drying apparatus may be performed at low cost.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, gas is injected into the cathode material pile through the bottom of the drying chamber, and the injected gas passes through the cathode material pile to discharge moisture in the cathode material pile out of the cathode material pile. In addition, because it is directed to the exhaust port, it is possible to promote the discharge of water, thereby reducing the time required for the drying process, and can also reduce the energy required for the drying process.

1 is a block diagram showing a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a configuration diagram showing a drying apparatus mainly in a dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view showing the free end of the drying apparatus and the peripheral configuration of the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a head shaft and a peripheral configuration of the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing a tail shaft and a peripheral configuration of a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view showing the outlet opening and closing unit of the drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, in the drawings referred to describe the embodiments of the present invention, the size of the component, the thickness of the line, etc. may be somewhat exaggerated for convenience of understanding. In addition, the terms used to describe the embodiments of the present invention are mainly defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, and may vary according to intentions, customs, and the like of users and operators. Therefore, the terms should be interpreted based on the contents throughout the present specification.

The drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention may be used to dry or heat-treat the cathode material at a high temperature mainly for the production of the cathode material of the secondary battery.

1 to 6 illustrate a configuration, operation, and the like of the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a support base (5) and a dryer (10). The dryer 10 is installed on the support base 5 and a drying chamber 101 is provided therein. The drying chamber 101 accommodates a powdery cathode material used for manufacturing secondary batteries. The cathode material may be lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), aluminum (Al) and the like.

Drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the dryer heating unit 30 for heating the dryer 10 to a high temperature (up to 350 ℃), the raw material stirrer 40 for stirring the raw material of the cathode material contained in the drying chamber 101, In addition, the drying chamber 101 is further provided with a vacuum atmosphere, and further includes an exhaust unit 50 for discharging water (steam) from the drying chamber 101.

Such a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can perform a drying process for the cathode material raw material in a vacuum atmosphere. Then, water may be discharged during the drying process, and the cathode material may be heat treated at a suitable temperature according to characteristics.

The dryer 10 has a certain length. The dryer 10 is disposed in the horizontal direction, and the drying chamber 101 is formed in the longitudinal direction of the dryer 10. The drying chamber 101 is made of a corrosion resistant material. According to the corrosion resistant material, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the cathode material due to corrosion of the drying chamber 101. For example, the material of the drying chamber 101 may be stainless steel.

The dryer 10 includes a dryer body 110 having open ends at both ends thereof, and two side covers 120A and 120B respectively shielding open ends of the dryer body 110. Include. Of course, the drying chamber 101 is an interior space defined by the dryer body 110 and the two side covers (120A, 120B).

The dryer body 110 is formed to have a circular cross section of constant size. The raw material inlet 102 and the exhaust port 104 communicate with the drying chamber 101 at the upper portion of the dryer body 110, respectively, and the raw material outlet 103 communicate with the drying chamber 101 at the lower portion of the dryer body 110. Is formed. The cathode material to be dried is introduced into the drying chamber 101 through the raw material inlet 102, and the dried cathode material is discharged from the drying chamber 101 through the raw material outlet 103. Exhaust and moisture discharge by the exhaust unit 50 are made through the exhaust port 104.

Although not shown, ribs for structurally reinforcing the dryer body 110 and suppressing volume expansion of the dryer body 110 according to the temperature rise are joined to the outer circumference of the dryer body 110 by welding. The ribs may be formed in the circumferential direction of the dryer body 110 and spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the dryer 10.

The dryer 10 is supported by a dryer stand 20. The dryer support 20 is a fixed end support 210 mounted on the support base 5 while being mounted on one of the two side covers 120A and 120B, and the other of the two side covers 120A and 120B. It has a free end support 220 mounted to the support base (5) in a state mounted on the support base (5) to be linearly movable in the longitudinal direction of the dryer (10).

According to such a dryer stand 20, the dryer 10 has a fixed end 10A and a free end 10B. In addition, the fixed end 10A and the free end 10B of the dryer 10 are supported by the fixed end support 210 and the free end support 220, respectively. And, the free end support 220 is moved relative to the fixed end support 210 when thermal expansion occurs due to the temperature rise in the dryer (10).

Therefore, in the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the dryer 10 may be stably set on the support base 5, and the coupling portion between the support base 5 and the dryer 10 may be a dryer ( It is possible to prevent damage due to the thermal expansion (especially linear expansion) phenomenon of 10).

The fixed end support 210 may be coupled to the support base 5 by fastening bolts to fix the position.

In order to linearly move the free end support 220, a sliding guide member 230 is interposed between the support base 5 and the free end support 220. The sliding guide member 230 provides a sliding surface in contact with the free end bearing 220, and the free end bearing 220 is moved along the sliding surface of the sliding guide member 230. The sliding guide member 230 is formed to have a flat upper surface, and the flat upper surface is a sliding surface.

Such sliding guide member 230 may include a material having a small coefficient of friction. For example, the sliding guide member 230 may be a plate made of Teflon, or may be a plate coated with a predetermined thickness of Teflon on the top.

Guide slots 221 penetrate through the free end support 220. Guide slots 221 are formed long in the longitudinal direction of the dryer (10). The guide slots 221 may be arranged in a horizontal direction at regular intervals to be parallel to each other.

Guide pins 240 are inserted into the guide slots 221. Each of the guide pins 240 is embedded in the support base 5 with the lower portion penetrated by the sliding guide member 230 to limit the horizontal movement of the sliding guide member 230 and the free end support 220 is a dryer 10. Guide them to move accurately in the longitudinal direction. For example, the guide pins 240 may be bolts having male threads, and the support base 5 may have threaded holes coupled to these bolts.

According to the guide action of the guide slots 221 and the guide pin 240, as the free end support 220 is moved in a direction shifted from the longitudinal direction of the dryer 10 to prevent the dryer 10, etc. from being damaged. Can be.

The dryer heating unit 30 includes at least one heating jacket 310 or 320 for forming the heating chamber 301 outside the dryer 10, and a heating medium supply source for introducing a heating medium into the heating chamber 301. By including it, the dryer 10 is heated with a heating medium introduced into the heating chamber 301.

It is preferable that the heating jackets 310 and 320 are provided in plural and arranged to heat the dryer 10 uniformly. For example, the heating jackets 310 and 320 may be divided into at least one body heating jacket 310 surrounding the dryer body 110 and a cover heating jacket 320 covering the two side covers 120A and 120B, respectively. Can be. In addition, the body heating jacket 310 may be provided in plural and arranged in the longitudinal direction of the dryer 10.

The dryer heating unit 30 is provided with a heating medium inlet and a heating medium outlet communicating with the heating chamber 301 in the heating jackets 310 and 320, respectively, and the heating medium is heated from the heating medium source through the heating medium inlet. 301 and circulated in such a way that it is recovered from the heating chamber 301 to the heating medium supply source through the heating medium outlet. The heating medium may be oil and the heating medium source may be a boiler.

According to the dryer heating unit 30, the drying chamber 101 can be uniformly maintained at the temperature required for drying or heat treatment of the cathode material.

The raw material stirrer 40 includes the rotating shafts 410, 420, and 430, the stirring blades 440 mounted to the rotating shaft, and the shaft driving means 450 for rotating the rotating shaft. When the rotating shaft is rotated, the cathode material is agitated by the stirring blades 440, and the moisture in the cathode material pile is discharged out of the cathode material pile and then discharged to the outside of the drying chamber 101 through the exhaust port 104. do.

The rotating shaft includes a main shaft 410 disposed in the drying chamber 101 in the longitudinal direction of the dryer 10, and a head shaft 420 and a tail shaft 430 connected to both ends of the main shaft 410, respectively. As the main shaft 410, a hollow shaft may be applied to reduce the weight. The head shaft 420 and the tail shaft 430 extend from both ends of the main shaft 410 toward the fixed end 10A and the free end 10B of the dryer 10, respectively, and have two side covers 120A and 120B on both sides. Penetrate each).

Such a rotating shaft is coated with a wear-resistant material as a whole or only except the portion located outside the dryer (10). According to the wear-resistant coating, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the cathode material due to wear of the rotating shaft. For example, the rotating shaft may be coated with tungsten carbide (WC) having excellent wear resistance.

The stirring blades 440 are connected to the outer circumference of the main shaft 410 is rotated with the rotation shaft. In order to prevent impurities from being mixed due to abrasion of the stirring blades 440 in the cathode material, the stirring blades 440 are coated with a wear-resistant material. In one example, the coating on the stirring blades 440 may be made of tungsten carbide.

As described above, in the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the drying chamber 101 is formed in the horizontal direction, and the rotation shafts 410, 420, and 430 are also arranged in the horizontal direction parallel to the drying chamber 101 and the stirring blades ( 440 are mounted on the outer circumference of the rotating shaft. That is, it has a horizontal structure. Such a horizontal structure has an advantage in that the drying chamber is formed in the vertical direction, and the rotational axis in which the stirring blades are mounted on the outer circumference thereof is also more advantageous in terms of mass capacity compared with the vertical structure in which the drying chamber is disposed in the vertical direction.

In more detail, in the case of the vertical structure, it is inevitable to enlarge the drying chamber in the horizontal direction to increase the capacity. This is because when the drying chamber is enlarged in the vertical direction and the cathode material is stacked high and the drying (or heat treatment) process is performed, the process efficiency is greatly reduced. However, when the drying chamber is enlarged in the horizontal direction, in order to uniformly stir the cathode material, the size of the stirring blades should be increased or a plurality of rotating shafts equipped with the stirring blades should be taken.

On the other hand, the horizontal structure of the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention can be configured with a large capacity while solving the problem of the vertical structure.

The shaft drive means 450 is connected to the head shaft 420 which penetrates the side cover 120A by the fixed end 10A side. According to this, the thermal expansion (particularly, linear expansion) phenomenon of the dryer 10 does not affect the shaft driving means 450, so that the shaft driving means 450 can be safely protected.

The shaft drive means 450 may include a drive motor 451 and a power transmission mechanism. The power transmission mechanism may be a chain transmission mechanism. Specifically, the power transmission mechanism includes two sprocket wheels 452 and 453 and two sprocket wheels 452 and 453 mounted on the shaft and the head shaft 420 of the driving motor 451 and paired with each other. By including a chain caught in the chain, the rotational force of the drive motor 451 can be transmitted to the head shaft 420.

The head shaft 420 and the tail shaft 430 which are respectively penetrated by the two side covers 120A and 120B are rotatably supported by a bearing assembly including bearings 460A and 460B.

A seal housing 470A is mounted between the fixed end 10A side side cover 120A and the head shaft 420 to maintain airtightness between the fixed end 10A side side cover 120A and the head shaft 420. do. A seal housing 470B is also mounted between the free end 10B side side cover 120B and the tail shaft 430 to maintain the airtightness between the free end 10B side side cover 120B and the tail shaft 430. do.

The seal housing 470A on the head shaft 420 side forms a sealing space in which at least one sealing member 471 is accommodated between the fixed end 10A side cover 120A and the head shaft 420. The seal housing 470B on the tail shaft 430 side forms a sealing space in which at least one sealing member 471 is accommodated between the free end 10B side cover 120B and the tail shaft 430. .

Sealing member cooling passages 472 for cooling the sealing member 471 may be formed in the seal housing 470A on the head shaft 420 side and the seal housing 470B on the tail shaft 430 side, respectively. Gas may be forcibly introduced into the sealing member cooling channels 421 and 431. Gases introduced into the sealing member cooling passages 421 and 431 to cool the sealing member 471 in the seal housing 470A on the head shaft 420 side and in the seal housing 470B on the tail shaft 430 side. When the outside air is used, when the airtightness of the sealing member 471 is lowered, the outside air may easily flow into the drying chamber 101 and react with the cathode material, thus not reacting with the cathode material processed in the drying chamber 101. It is preferable to select and use a kind of gas from the viewpoint of preventing deterioration of the cathode material quality.

A sleeve 480A that rotates together with the head shaft 420 is interposed between the seal housing 470A on the head shaft 420 side and the head shaft 420. The sleeve 480A on the head shaft 420 side may be coupled to the head shaft 420 with a fastening bolt. A sleeve 480B that rotates together with the tail shaft 430 is interposed between the seal housing 470B on the tail shaft 430 side and the tail shaft 430. The sleeve 480B on the tail shaft 430 side may be coupled to the tail shaft 430 with a fastening bolt.

The sleeves 480A and 480B prevent the head shaft 420 and the tail shaft 430 from directly contacting the sealing member 471 in the seal housings 470A and 470B, thereby preventing the head shaft 420 and the tail shaft. Protect (430) to prevent wear.

Exhaust unit 50 includes a vacuum pump (510) for performing the exhaust action. The vacuum pump 510 is connected to the exhaust port 104 through the exhaust line.

The bag filter 55 collects the cathode material which is discharged together with the water through the exhaust port 104. The bag filter 55 may be disposed on the exhaust port 104 in a vertical direction so that the collected cathode material may be dropped into the drying chamber 101 through the exhaust port 104.

The raw material outlet 103 is opened and closed by the outlet opening and closing unit. The outlet opening / closing unit includes a gate 610, a gate driving means 620, a clamp 630, and a clamp driving means 640.

Two hinge shafts are disposed in the longitudinal direction of the dryer 10 on both sides of the raw material outlet 103 based on the raw material outlet 103.

The gate 610 is mounted on either one of the two hinge shafts and rotates together with the hinge shafts, and opens or closes the raw material outlet 103 according to the rotation direction. The clamp 630 is mounted on the other of the two hinge shafts and rotated together with the hinge shafts, and the clamp 630 is pressed to keep the closed gate 610 in a closed state or to press against the closed gate 610 according to the rotation direction. Release it. The gate driving means 620 rotates the hinge axis on the gate 610 side, and the clamp driving means 640 rotates the hinge axis on the clamp 630 side.

The gate driving means 620 includes a cylinder 621 in which the cylinder housing is rotatable about an axis parallel to the hinge axis of the gate 610 side, and one end of the cylinder rod 621 is hinged on the gate 610 side. And a link 622 having the other end mounted on the hinge axis on the side of the gate 610 while being rotatably connected about an axis parallel to the axis. The cylinder 621 may be rotatably supported about an axis parallel to the hinge axis of the gate 610 side by a bracket mounted to a surrounding structure (for example, a dryer or a support base).

According to the gate driving means 620, the link 622 is rotated according to the movement direction of the piston rod, the hinge axis of the gate 610 side is rotated in the same direction as the link 622, the gate 610 is opened Or close.

The clamp drive means 640 also comprises a cylinder 641 and a link 642. Since the cylinder 641 and the link of the clamp driving means 640 are configured and operate the same as or similar to the cylinder 621 and the link 622 of the gate driving means 620, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. do.

The drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a gas injection unit 70 for injecting gas into the cathode material through the bottom of the drying chamber 101.

The gas injection unit 70 includes nozzles 710 uniformly distributed at the bottom of the drying chamber 101, and a gas supply source connected to the nozzles 710. The nozzles 710 are preferably provided without protruding from the bottom of the drying chamber 101. As the gas injected from the gas injection unit 70 into the drying chamber 101, it is preferable to select and use a gas that does not react with the cathode material processed in the drying chamber 101 in view of improving the performance of the cathode material.

According to the gas injection unit 70, the gas ejected upward from the nozzles 710 is injected into the cathode material raw material pile and passes through the cathode material raw material pile. At this time, the moisture in the cathode material raw material pile is forcibly discharged out of the cathode material raw material pile by the gas passing through the cathode material raw material pile.

Therefore, the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention can promote the discharge of water during the drying process, and can save time and energy required for the drying process.

Axial cooling chambers 421 and 431 are formed in the head shaft 420 and in the tail shaft 430, respectively. Cooling medium is introduced into each of the axial cooling chambers 421 and 431 by an axial cooling unit 80 including a cooling medium supply source. The cooling medium introduced into each of the axial cooling chambers 421 and 431 may be recovered and then supplied again.

According to the axial cooling unit 80, the head shaft 420 and the tail shaft 430 is cooled to seal the sealing member 471 and the tail shaft 430 in the seal housing 470A on the head shaft 420 side. It is possible to prevent the sealing member 471 in the housing 470B from being damaged due to the high temperature, thereby stably maintaining the airtightness by the sealing member 471 during the drying process.

The dryer body 110 is formed to have a shape in which the periphery of the raw material outlet 103 protrudes by a predetermined height, and the packing 130 which maintains airtightness when the gate 610 is closed is formed in the protruding raw material outlet 103. Is mounted. In addition, an outlet cooling chamber 105 is formed around the protruding raw material outlet 103. In the outlet cooling chamber 105, a cooling medium is introduced by an outlet cooling unit 90 including a cooling medium source including a cooling medium source. The cooling medium introduced into the outlet cooling chamber 105 may be resupplyed after being recovered.

According to the outlet cooling unit 90, it is possible to cool the surroundings of the raw material outlet 103 during the drying process, thereby protecting the packing 130 from high heat. Thus, the safety of the packing 130 may be secured, and a decrease in airtightness due to thermal damage of the packing 130 may be prevented.

On the other hand, the drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the bearing cooling unit for supplying cooling oil to the bearing 460A on the head shaft 420 side and the bearing 460B on the tail shaft 430 side to cool and lubricate. (85) may be further included.

According to the bearing cooling unit 85, it is possible to ensure the smooth operation of the bearings (460A, 460B) at a high temperature.

Looking at the cathode material processing method using a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

For example, after the cathode material is washed, and the dehydrated cathode material is dehydrated, drying and heat treatment are performed on the dehydrated cathode material using a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Can be treated in order of cooling to a temperature at which handling is possible.

According to such a treatment method, the cathode material is prepared so that unnecessary components are removed through a washing process (for example, washing with water), and then water is removed in a dehydration process and a drying process, and have the characteristics required. It may be heat treated to a suitable temperature. If necessary, the cathode material may be mixed with other cathode material in the cooling step to supplement the characteristics.

Here, the cooling process may be performed using a separate dedicated device, or may be performed using a drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the case of processing a large amount of cathode material, it may be advantageous to transfer and perform the cooling process to a separate dedicated device in terms of shortening the cooling time. When the cathode material is processed in a small amount, the heating medium provided by the dryer heating unit 30 of the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is cooled to a low temperature (for example, about 30 ° C.) and then supplied. Can be.

As another example, two or more kinds of cathode material may be mixed and dried on the mixed cathode material using the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and then the dried cathode material may be cooled to a temperature at which handling is possible. . If necessary, the cooled cathode material may be fired.

Here, each of the cooling process and the firing process may be performed using a separate dedicated device, or may be performed by a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, after performing the firing process together with the drying process using the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the cooling process may be performed by a separate dedicated device, or by using the drying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The cathode material may be treated in the order of the drying step, the predetermined step and the cooling step.

The present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and the accompanying drawings and may be variously modified by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. In addition, the technical idea described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented independently, or two or more may be implemented in combination with each other.

10: dryer
10A: fixed end
10B: Free End
20: dryer stand
210: fixed end bearing
220: free end support
230: sliding guide member
30: dryer heating unit
40: raw material stirrer
410: main shaft
420: Head Shaft
430: Tail Shaft
440: stirring blade
450: shaft drive means
50: exhaust unit
55: bag filter
60: outlet opening and closing unit
70: gas injection unit

Claims (11)

A support base; A dryer disposed in the horizontal direction on the support base and having a drying chamber in the longitudinal direction for accommodating a cathode material of a secondary battery therein; At least one heating jacket forming a heating chamber outside the dryer to heat the dryer with a heating medium introduced into the heating chamber; A fixed end support for fixing a position of the fixed end of the dryer to the support base; A free end support mounted on a free end of the dryer and mounted on the support base so as to be linearly movable in the longitudinal direction of the dryer to move when the dryer expands at a temperature rise; A main shaft disposed in the drying chamber in the longitudinal direction of the dryer; A plurality of stirring blades connected to the main shaft; A head shaft and a tail shaft extending from both ends of the main shaft, respectively, penetrating through the fixed and free ends of the dryer and rotatably supported by a bearing; Shaft drive means for rotating the head shaft penetrated through the fixed end of the dryer; An exhaust unit configured to exhaust the moisture from the drying chamber by forming the drying chamber in a vacuum atmosphere by an evacuating action; A bag filter installed in an exhaust line of the exhaust unit,
Seal housings for receiving sealing members are mounted between the fixed end of the dryer and the head shaft, and between the free end of the dryer and the tail shaft, respectively, and a cooling medium is introduced into the head shaft and the tail shaft. Axial cooling chambers are formed respectively,
Drying material for cathode material of secondary battery. The method according to claim 1,
A sliding guide member is interposed between the support base and the free end support, and the free end support is slidably moved.
Guide slots are formed in the free end bearing in the longitudinal direction of the dryer,
Guide pins are inserted into each of the guide slots.
The guide pins are penetrated through the sliding guide member and embedded in the support base,
Drying material for cathode material of secondary battery. delete The method according to claim 1 or 2,
A sleeve rotating between the head shaft and the head shaft side seal housing and between the tail shaft and the tail shaft side seal housing are respectively interposed with the head shaft and the tail shaft,
Drying material for cathode material of secondary battery. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The head shaft side seal housing and the tail shaft side seal housing are each provided with a sealing member cooling passage through which gas for cooling the sealing member is introduced.
Drying material for cathode material of secondary battery. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The lower part of the dryer is formed with a raw material outlet communicating with the drying chamber,
The raw material outlet is opened and closed by the outlet opening and closing unit,
The outlet opening and closing unit,
A gate mounted rotatably on one side of the raw material outlet to open and close the raw material outlet according to a rotational direction;
Gate driving means for rotating the gate;
A clamp rotatably mounted on the other side of the raw material outlet to pressurize the closed gate or to release the pressing of the closed gate in accordance with the rotational direction;
A clamp driving means for rotating the clamp;
Drying material for cathode material of secondary battery. The method according to claim 6,
The raw material outlet is equipped with a packing to maintain airtightness when the gate is closed,
Around the raw material outlet is formed a discharge port cooling chamber for introducing a cooling medium,
Drying material for cathode material of secondary battery. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And a bearing cooling unit supplying cooling oil to the head shaft bearing and the tail shaft bearing to cool and lubricate the bearing.
Drying material for cathode material of secondary battery. delete Cleaning the cathode material;
Dehydrating the clean cathode material;
Drying and heat-treating the dehydrated cathode material using a drying apparatus according to claim 1;
Cooling or mixing the cathode material raw material having been dried and heat-treated, and mixing with other cathode material raw material,
Method for processing cathode material of secondary battery. Mixing at least two cathode materials;
Drying the mixed cathode material using the drying apparatus according to claim 1;
Cooling the dried cathode material raw material,
Method for processing cathode material of secondary battery.

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