KR20230088040A - Electric vehicle battery recycling method - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an electric vehicle battery recycling method capable of efficiently and safely disassembling and disassembling the electric vehicle battery and recycling the electric vehicle battery. An electric vehicle battery recycling method according to the present invention includes a discharge step of discharging the battery pack in a state in which a discharge rack having a space to accommodate a plurality of battery packs is provided and seated in each accommodation space of the discharge rack; A pack disassembly step of disassembling the discharged battery pack into a plurality of battery modules and each part; A cutting step of cutting and cutting a coupling portion connecting and fixing each battery cell in the battery module; a crushing step of crushing the battery cell and removing the organic solvent; A stabilization step of storing the crushed materials in the crushing step for a certain period of time in a storage cabinet equipped with air conditioning facilities so that a fire does not occur; and a classification step of securing powder from which impurities are removed from the stabilized pulverized material.

Description

Electric vehicle battery recycling method}

The present invention relates to an electric vehicle battery recycling method, and more particularly, to an electric vehicle battery recycling method that can efficiently and safely disassemble and dismantle and recycle electric vehicle batteries. it's about

In general, a secondary battery is a battery that can be charged and discharged, unlike a primary battery that cannot be charged. Secondary batteries are used as energy sources for small mobile devices such as smart phones, laptop computers, and camcorders, as well as medium and large-sized devices such as electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, electric bicycles, and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). do.

Lithium secondary batteries, which are representative secondary batteries, can be classified into liquid electrolyte batteries and polymer electrolyte batteries according to the type of electrolyte solution.

A battery using the liquid electrolyte is referred to as a lithium ion polymer battery, and a battery using the polymer electrolyte is referred to as a lithium polymer battery.

Meanwhile, lithium secondary batteries can be classified into cylindrical and prismatic can-type secondary batteries and flexible pouch-type secondary batteries according to the shape of a case in which an electrode assembly is accommodated.

Pouch-type secondary batteries can be manufactured in various forms and have the advantage of being highly competitive in price, but are vulnerable to breakage.

Meanwhile, the can-type secondary battery has excellent durability, high reliability, and easy mass production.

Recently, as the production of electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) increases, the use of lithium secondary batteries for automobiles is increasing, and the lithium secondary batteries for automobiles tend to be converted from a pouch type to a can type.

Although can-type lithium secondary batteries discarded from electric vehicles are expected to increase rapidly in the future, the research on the disposal method of can-type waste batteries is insufficient.

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1764382

According to the present invention, it is intended to provide an electric vehicle battery recycling method capable of recycling batteries by safely and quickly disassembling and separating large and large-capacity electric vehicle batteries.

An electric vehicle battery recycling method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a discharge rack having spaces to accommodate a plurality of battery packs and discharging the battery packs while seated in each receiving space of the discharge rack. step; subjecting the discharged battery pack to mechanical shorting, reducing the voltage to zero volts, and then maintaining the artificial shorting process through the cable; A pack disassembly step of disassembling the discharged battery pack into a plurality of battery modules and each part; A cutting step of cutting and cutting a coupling portion connecting and fixing each battery cell in the battery module; a crushing step of crushing the battery cell and removing the organic solvent; Controlling the extinguishing agent and the discharge hopper through a fire detector so that a fire does not occur in the crushing step; A stabilization step of storing the crushed materials in the crushing step for a certain period of time in a storage cabinet equipped with air conditioning facilities; and a classification step of securing powder from which impurities are removed from the stabilized pulverized material.

At this time, a cooling water circulation line is formed inside the discharge rack to treat heat generated in the discharge exaggeration.

At this time, the discharging step may include removing a case of the battery pack; seating the battery pack in the receiving space of the rack for electrical discharge and electrically discharging; lowering the voltage to 0 volt through a mechanical shorting process while the battery pack is being discharged; maintaining the battery pack short for 24 hours through an artificial shorting process using a cable; and transferring the battery pack to a work table for releasing the pack when the battery pack is maintained in the shorting process for a predetermined time and cooled down to a predetermined temperature or less.

At this time, the disassembling of the pack may include disassembling the battery pack to remove the plurality of battery modules; recovering a plurality of battery cells by disassembling the battery module; and transferring the plurality of battery cells to a work table in the cutting step.

At this time, in the pack disassembly step and crushing step, a net may be installed at the lower part of the workbench so that the parts can fall and be sorted.

At this time, the pack disassembly step and the crushing step may recover the discharged parts using an electromagnet.

At this time, the crushing step may be performed in the order of primary punching and secondary crushing.

At this time, the crushing step may be performed in water.

At this time, the crushing step may be performed in a closed facility.

At this time, the crushing step may be performed in an inert material atmosphere during crushing.

At this time, in the step of controlling the fire extinguishing agent and the discharge hopper through the fire detector so that a fire does not occur in the crushing step, if the fire is not detected during crushing, the shredded material is continuously transported to the first moving passage, and the fire When detected, the discharge passage of the discharge hopper may be controlled so that the pulverized materials are transported to the second moving passage.

In this case, the second moving passage may be a water tank.

According to the configuration described above, the electric vehicle battery recycling method according to the present invention enables recycling by immediately disassembling, separating, and shredding the battery pack, and does not require a storage site to store the battery pack.

1 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a method for recycling an electric vehicle battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a detailed flowchart illustrating an electric vehicle battery recycling method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart of a transport path after battery cells are destroyed, which is a partial step of an electric vehicle battery recycling method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a module disassembly workshop of an electric vehicle battery recycling method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Words and terms used in this specification and claims are not construed as limited in their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but in accordance with the principle that the inventors can define terms and concepts in order to best describe their inventions. It should be interpreted as a meaning and concept that corresponds to the technical idea.

Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings correspond to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention, so that the corresponding configurations are various to replace them at the time of filing of the present invention. There may be equivalents and variations.

In this specification, terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to describe the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

A component being in the "front", "rear", "above" or "below" of another component means that it is in direct contact with another component, unless there are special circumstances, and is "in front", "rear", "above" or "below". It includes not only those disposed at the lower part, but also cases in which another component is disposed in the middle. In addition, the fact that certain components are “connected” to other components includes cases where they are not only directly connected to each other but also indirectly connected to each other unless there are special circumstances.

Hereinafter, an electric vehicle battery recycling method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the current electric vehicle battery market, many waste batteries are expected to accumulate sooner or later. Gasoline and diesel, which are fuels in an internal combustion engine vehicle, were only a tool for driving, but the battery, which serves as fuel for an electric vehicle, is the most important part of an electric vehicle. As such, the influence of battery makers has increased, and electric car manufacturers are working hard to launch electric cars with higher mileage through cooperation with battery makers. Electric vehicle batteries using lithium-based batteries can be classified according to the internal cathode active material, but can be divided into cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch types according to the shape of the external packaging. When these cells are collected and assembled in a frame to protect them from basic shock and vibration, they become a battery module, and a battery pack with several modules, cooling design, and BMS (Battery Management System) designed to be mounted on an electric vehicle.

At this time, the cylindrical battery is commonly seen in various places such as remote controllers and toys in a form that can be seen most often around. However, the cylindrical battery mainly used in electric vehicles is a secondary battery with a diameter of 18 mm and a length of 65 mm in 18650 standard. It has been standardized for a long time and is a universal secondary battery that is used in various fields. Cylindrical batteries are currently being used as a mainstay by companies that sell the largest number of electric vehicles. Pouch-type batteries are currently used in various electric vehicles, and pouch-type batteries are mainly produced by domestic manufacturers. The pouch type is produced by the stacking method and is packaged in its original form, so there is no empty space inside and high energy density. In addition, unlike cylindrical and prismatic products, it can be manufactured in various shapes due to the nature of the flexible outer packaging. Pouch-type batteries are also gaining strength in the electric vehicle market.

The weight of one battery pack is close to about 450 kg, so it is impossible to load it. In addition, the volume of the battery pack is, for example, 1.5 X 2.0 X 0.3 m, and when not loaded, a large amount of land for discharging is required.

Therefore, if the battery pack for recycling is immediately disassembled and recycled when it is received, the need for such a site may be eliminated.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the electric vehicle battery recycling method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a discharging step (S1), a pack disassembly step (S2), a cutting step (S3), a crushing step (S4), and stabilization. step, and a classification step (S5).

In the discharging step (S1), referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a discharging rack having a space to accommodate a plurality of battery packs is provided and the battery pack is seated in each receiving space of the discharging rack. can discharge.

At this time, a cooling water circulation line is formed inside the rack for discharging, and heat generated during the discharging process can be suppressed through water cooling or air cooling.

At this time, the discharging step (S1) includes the steps of removing the case of the battery pack (S11), placing the battery pack in the receiving space of the discharge rack and electrically discharging (S12), After discharging to 0 volts in the discharging step, short-circuiting, artificially maintaining the short circuit using a cable in the shorting step, moving the battery pack to a storage area where an air conditioning system is installed, placing the battery pack in a storage area When cooled down to a predetermined time and a predetermined temperature or less for the shot, a step (S15) of transferring the pack to the worktable for the pack releasing step (S16) may be included.

At this time, the discharging step (S1) may further include removing the case, electrically discharging it (S12), loading it into a storage closet (S13), and discharging the coolant generated from the loaded object (S14). The cooling water may be discharged as a process by-product by injecting external air into an air injection facility such as a compressor.

At this time, each of four battery packs may be loaded through the rack for discharging.

At this time, the rack for discharge can be implemented as a closed structure for protecting the pack from rain and moisture. In addition, since the battery pack is accompanied by fever during the discharging process below the SOC, it is possible to implement a cooling device in the discharging process by circulating cooling water using a circulation pump in the discharging rack. At this time, the discharge water circulation line is already configured in the pack itself.

In the pack disassembly step (S2), referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the discharged battery pack may be disassembled into a plurality of battery modules and each component (S16).

At this time, the pack disassembly step (S2) includes the step of disassembling the battery pack and removing a plurality of battery modules (S17), and the step of disassembling the battery module (S18) and collecting a plurality of battery cells (S19). and transferring the plurality of battery cells to the worktable of the cutting step (S3) (S25).

At this time, in the pack disassembly step (S2) and crushing step (S4), a net may be installed at the bottom of the work table so that the parts can be dropped and sorted.

At this time, the pack disassembly step (S2) and crushing step (S4) can recover the discharged parts using an electromagnet.

At this time, the battery pack is composed of a plurality of modules, high voltage parts, and communication parts, and the disassembling process of the battery pack presents a number of risks of electric shock.

Therefore, there is a need for a technique capable of grasping the configuration of electricity and sequentially disassembling it in a safe way. For example, it may be possible to safely dismantle without risk factors only by disassembling in the order of removing a high voltage cable, removing a communication cable, and removing a main part.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , in the cutting step (S3), a coupling portion for connecting and fixing each battery cell in the battery module may be cut and cut (S31).

At this time, the battery cell is in the form of two cells or three cells coupled to an electrode through welding, and when the disassembly process is performed by single cutting the welded portion, it may take a lot of time.

Therefore, when the cell coupling part is cut through a cutter, a single battery cell can be easily recovered in a short time (S32).

At this time, the cutter may exist in various forms, and may be in the form of a saw or a grinder.

In addition, cell recovery process efficiency may be increased through cutting in the form of a module in which the steel frame is removed.

At this time, the recovered battery cells are transferred to a process for crushing battery cells by a transfer conveyor (S33).

At this time, a number of bolts are generated in the dismantling process and are of a single material Fe series.

Therefore, bolts generated in the disassembly process may act as process obstacles in the cell recovery process.

At this time, the lower part of the workbench may be sorted by material by dropping to the floor at the same time as bolts, etc., which are removed in the form of a net, are dismantled.

In addition, the Fe-based material may be classified as a magnetic material using magnetism. Accordingly, the bolts discharged from the module disassembly process can be recovered by using the electronic magnet in the module disassembly work table, and waste disposal is also easy.

In the crushing step (S3), referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery cell may be crushed and the organic solvent may be removed (S41).

At this time, the crushing step (S3) may be made in the order of primary punching and secondary crushing.

At this time, the crushing step (S3) may be made in water.

At this time, the crushing step (S3) may be performed in an enclosed space, and may be performed in an inert material (eg, nitrogen) atmosphere during crushing.

At this time, the crushing step (S3) is an essential process for resource recovery of the battery cell, and is also a process for removing fire-causing substances such as organic solvents contained therein.

At this time, there is a high risk of fire or explosion in the crushing step (S3), and as a solution to this, it may be implemented in the order of primary punching and secondary crushing.

At this time, scrap discharged through secondary crushing may cause a fire due to the reaction between sparks and residual organic solvents that may occur during the crushing process. As a way to solve this problem, when a fire is detected through a fire detector sensor, The discharge hopper control allows discharge into water.

At this time, scrap discharged through secondary crushing may cause a fire due to the reaction between sparks and residual organic solvents that may occur during the crushing process. As a way to solve this problem, when a fire is detected through a fire detector sensor, Extinguishing material built inside can be sprayed.

At this time, in order to prevent the spread of fire occurring in the secondary shredded material, it may be discharged into a water tank provided instead of a storage area through a discharge hopper control.

That is, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, after the battery is shredded (S41), it is transported on the conveyor of the shredded material transfer unit (S42). At this time, a fire may occur in this part, and the fire may be detected through a fire detector (S43). In the normal case, if it is not determined that a fire has occurred, the crushed materials are discharged through the transfer path 1 (44) and transported to the storage area on the lower conveyor (50) and loaded (S5). If it is determined that a fire has occurred by detecting a fire, in FIG. 4, the opening and closing device 47 is opened, and the crushed materials are transferred to the transfer path 2 (46) and discharged (S45), and then fall into the lower water tank 48. The fire will be extinguished. At this time, a fire alarm alarm (S46) may sound.

On the other hand, in addition to this, the above-described underwater crushing, closed crushing, crushing processes using inert materials (eg, nitrogen), etc. may be implemented.

In the stabilization step of the storage step (S5), referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the crushing and classifying facility charging step (S6), the crushed materials may be stored for a certain period of time in a storage cabinet equipped with air conditioning facilities to prevent fire. (S5).

On the other hand, it is necessary to operate a storage room to store discharged battery packs.

If not loaded, the area of the site for storage may be increased. To this end, it may be possible to implement a loadable storage rack for storing the battery pack.

At this time, four or more battery packs may be loaded through the storage rack.

At this time, it may be possible to implement a cooling facility for efficiently controlling the fever symptoms generated during the discharge process and an air conditioning facility for removing the organic solvent.

The material selection step (S6) is a step of charging grinding and classifying equipment, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it is possible to secure powder from which impurities are removed from the stabilized crushed material.

At this time, a process of storing the shredded battery cells to stabilize them is also required.

At this time, there is a risk that the shredded battery cell may remain on the surface of the internal fire-causing material, and a large amount of organic solvent may remain in the atmosphere as a gaseous material.

At this time, it is possible to implement air conditioning and cooling facilities in the storage room, and it is possible to implement a fire suppression function through gas concentration control through a gas meter.

Meanwhile, a step (S7) of additionally recovering valuable metals may be included after charging the pulverization and classification equipment.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 3 , a schematic configuration diagram of a wave crushing facility for implementing an electric vehicle battery recycling method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. First, the battery cells dismantled from the raw material transfer unit 10 go up on the conveyor 11 and are supplied to the crushing unit 30 .

At this time, the punching unit 31 is installed on the top of the crushing unit 30, and the crushing unit 32 is installed on the bottom thereof. Accordingly, the supplied battery cells are first punched by the punching unit 31 and secondarily shredded by the shredding unit 32 . Exhaust of the gas generated here may be controlled by the gas control unit 33 . In addition, an exhaust unit 30 is installed above the crushing unit 30 to treat the generated gas.

At this time, the crushed material transfer unit 40 formed long in the horizontal direction is installed under the crushing unit 30, and the hopper 41 is installed on the upper part of the crushed material transfer unit 40, and the transport conveyor is guided by the hopper 41. The debris that has fallen on the side moves gradually to the other side. Gas generated while moving is exhausted to the gas control unit 42, and an extinguishing agent spray unit 43 is installed in case a fire occurs. In addition, a VOC measuring unit and a fire detector 44 are installed to inform the operator of the measured value so that he can respond.

At this time, the crushed materials arriving at the end of the transfer conveyor fall onto the conveyor connected to the storage area. Fallen debris is exposed in the air, and a fire may occur. As a way to solve this problem, the fire extinguishing agent injection unit is controlled through a fire detector to extinguish the fire.

At this time, in order to prevent the spread of fire, the discharge direction of the hoppers 45 and 46 is controlled through a fire detector, so that when a fire is detected, the fire is discharged into the provided water tank 48 to prevent the spread.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the spirit of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments presented herein, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention may add or change components within the scope of the same spirit. Other embodiments can be easily proposed by adding, deleting, adding, etc., but this will also be said to be within the scope of the present invention.

S1: discharging step S2: pack dismantling step
S3: cutting step S4: green onion crushing step
S5: storage step 10: raw material transfer unit
11: conveyor 20: exhaust unit
30: crushing unit 31: punching unit
32: shredding unit 40: shredding transfer unit
50: conveyor

Claims (12)

A discharging step of providing a discharge rack having a space to accommodate a plurality of battery packs and electrically discharging the battery pack while seated in each accommodation space of the discharge rack;
subjecting the discharged battery pack to mechanical shorting, reducing the voltage to zero volts, and then maintaining the artificial shorting process through the cable;
A pack disassembly step of disassembling the discharged battery pack into a plurality of battery modules and each part;
A cutting step of cutting and cutting a coupling portion connecting and fixing each battery cell in the battery module;
a crushing step of crushing the battery cell and removing the organic solvent;
Controlling the extinguishing agent and the discharge hopper through a fire detector so that a fire does not occur in the crushing step;
A stabilization step of storing the crushed materials in the crushing step for a certain period of time in a storage cabinet equipped with air conditioning facilities;
A classification step of securing powder from which impurities are removed from the stabilized pulverized material;
Including, electric vehicle battery recycling method. According to claim 1,
An electric vehicle battery recycling method in which a coolant circulation line is formed inside the discharge rack to treat heat generated during discharge. According to claim 1,
The discharging step is
removing the case of the battery pack;
seating the battery pack in the receiving space of the rack for electrical discharge and electrically discharging;
lowering the voltage to 0 volt through a mechanical shorting process while the battery pack is being discharged;
Maintaining the battery pack for 24 hours through an artificial shorting process using a cable;
and transferring the battery pack to a work table for releasing the pack when the short process is maintained for a predetermined time and cooled to a predetermined temperature or less. According to claim 1,
The pack disassembly step,
removing the plurality of battery modules by releasing the battery pack;
recovering a plurality of battery cells by disassembling the battery module; and
Containing, an electric vehicle battery recycling method comprising: transferring the plurality of battery cells to a work table of the cutting step. According to claim 1,
The crushing step is an electric vehicle battery recycling method consisting of the order of primary punching and secondary crushing. According to claim 5,
The crushing step is an electric vehicle battery recycling method made in water. According to claim 5,
The crushing step is performed in an enclosed space, an electric vehicle battery recycling method. According to claim 5,
The crushing step is an electric vehicle battery recycling method made in an inert material atmosphere during crushing. According to claim 1,
In the pack disassembly step and crushing step, a net is installed at the bottom of the workbench so that the parts can fall and be sorted. According to claim 1,
The electric vehicle battery recycling method in which the pack disassembly step and the crushing step recover the discharged parts using an electromagnet. According to claim 1,
In the step of controlling the fire extinguishing agent and the discharge hopper through a fire detector so that a fire does not occur in the crushing step, if a fire is not detected during crushing, the shredded material is continuously transported to the first moving passage, and when a fire is detected An electric vehicle battery recycling method for controlling a discharge passage of a discharge hopper so that shredded materials are transferred to a second moving passage. According to claim 11,
The second moving passage is a water tank, electric vehicle battery recycling method.

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