TWM646395U - Resource-oriented recycling device for wasted solar power modules - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a device for recycling waste solar modules. The device for recycling waste solar modules mainly includes a continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace. The continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace has a cavity. The cavity The body is equipped with a heating device to heat the cavity to a predetermined temperature, and also includes a transmission device, which drives a conveyor belt, which is used to carry waste solar modules in and out of the continuous high-temperature pyrolysis furnace cavity, as mentioned above The cavity of the continuous high-temperature pyrolysis furnace is connected with a waste gas treatment device to introduce the waste gas generated from the cracked packaging materials and plastic backsheets of the waste solar modules. After passing the test, it is discharged. The conveyor belt comes out of the continuous high-temperature cracking furnace. There is a recovery area behind the thermal cracking furnace cavity to sequentially take out and recover the metal frame, metal wires, silicon materials and glass cover plates. There is a dust collection device at the end of the conveyor belt to collect the remaining dust, with continuous and rapid The effect of recycling waste solar modules for reuse.

Description

Waste solar module resource recycling device

This invention belongs to the field of resource recycling processing technology, and specifically refers to a new design of a waste solar module resource recycling device. This invention does not need to remove the metal outer frame of the waste solar module first, so that it can achieve continuous and rapid recycling of waste solar energy. The function of module resource recycling for reuse.

According to statistics, the number of new solar module installations worldwide has grown significantly since 2010. my country is also actively promoting green energy transformation and a non-nuclear homeland. Solar power generation has now become one of the main sources of renewable energy. Under normal use, solar photovoltaic modules can have a lifespan of more than 20 years. Among alternative energy sources that allow the sustainable development of nature, solar power generation is indeed one of the important goals. Therefore, countries around the world are promoting the installation of solar modules. The number of new solar photovoltaic installations worldwide has grown significantly, and it is expected that a large number of discarded solar modules will be produced in the near future. In the future, we will inevitably face a huge solar module waste disposal problem. However, there is currently no appropriate processing technology for waste solar modules in China. They can only be disposed of by burying them. This not only has high processing costs but also causes environmental burdens. If we can plan in advance to recycle waste solar photovoltaic modules and come up with effective solutions. and technical countermeasures can not only create circular economic benefits, but also reduce the burden on the environment. When the recycling and processing fees are lower and the selling price of recycled resources is higher, the solar module recycling industry can operate and develop sustainably together with the solar energy industry.

Existing solar modules mainly include solar cells, which are installed in solar cells. The glass cover plates and plastic back plates on both sides of the pool, as well as the metal frame (usually aluminum frame) surrounding the solar cells, glass cover plates and plastic back plates; among them, the glass cover plates and plastic back plates are made of packaging materials (acetic acid Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) is combined with solar cells to form a complete solar module. The aforementioned encapsulation material EVA is a material that tightly bonds the glass cover, solar cells and plastic backsheet. Due to the encapsulation material EVA has good weather resistance, so although it can provide solar photovoltaic modules with a service life of up to 20 years, when recycling and decomposing solar photovoltaic modules, the encapsulating material EVA becomes difficult to handle.

The conventional recycling method of waste solar modules usually involves mechanical disassembly to remove the metal frame. Since the solar cells and valuable metals are still tightly covered by glass covers, EVA and plastic back sheets, they must be further disassembled in detail. In order to obtain recycled materials such as glass, solar cell wafers and metals. The current main recycling methods are as follows:

The crushing method directly crushes the modules (glass cover/EVA/solar cell/EVA/plastic back sheet) using roller, hammer, centrifugal wind, etc., and then sieves the crushed parts according to different particle sizes. Finally, sort based on color or density. Color sorting can sort out glass and metal based on transparency, while density can sort out inorganic substances (glass, metal, silicon, etc.) and organic substances (EVA, backsheet, etc.) based on size. For example, China's patent number M633283 "Solar panel recycling and classification device" includes an interconnected crushing mechanism and an eddy current screening mechanism. The main method is to place the recycled solar panels into the feed hopper of the crushing mechanism, and through The guide rotating cylinder is guided to the rotating knife shaft under the feed hopper groove for crushing to form broken materials, which are then transported to the eddy current screening mechanism through the guide conveyor frame, and then transported and moved by the conveyor belt, so that the broken materials pass through the inside of the conveyor belt When the eddy current roller is above the eddy current roller, the eddy current ability of the eddy current roller's excitation will classify the scraps into metallic substances and non-metallic substances and then pop out, and fall directly to the corresponding metal collection unit and non-metallic substances due to the gravity of the earth. receive In the collection unit, it is output through the metal material output device and the non-metal material output device respectively to achieve classified collection; thereby, the recycling and processing classification of recycled solar panels is achieved (refer to the patent announcement information on October 21, 2022). The crushing method requires less equipment investment, but after processing, because the EVA will still adhere to the glass cover and solar cells, the recycled resources are sold at a lower price.

The solution method mainly grinds the glass cover and plastic backplane, and then uses the solution method to dissolve the remaining parts (EVA/solar cells/EVA) or reduce its viscosity (usually dissolve it). The choice of solvent includes acid , alkali and organic solvents, etc. After the EVA is removed, the battery pieces can be collected. Chinese Patent No. I798067 "Grinding Solar Module Recycling Equipment" includes: a platform with a solar module placement area; a grinding tool installed above the platform and moving relative to the solar module placement area ; and a negative pressure collector, which includes a negative pressure suction head and is arranged above the platform to collect grinding powder with negative pressure; wherein the grinding tool and the negative pressure suction head are fixed in the same housing (2023 Please refer to the patent announcement information on April 1, 2019). China's patent number I798636 "Solar cell module recycling and removal equipment" is suitable for removing a solar cell module. The solar cell module recovery and removal equipment includes: a platform for carrying the solar cell module; at least one removal device, It is arranged on the platform and includes a scraping member that can contact a back plate of the solar cell module, and a cover that covers the scraping member. The cover defines a scraping space and has a connection with the scraping member. An air inlet and an air exhaust port are spatially connected; a transmission device is connected to the at least one removal device and can drive the at least one removal device to move, so that the removal member can remove the solar cell module and allow the outside air to pass through The air inlet enters and comes into contact with the removal piece, and the removal material generated in the removal space can be extracted from the removal part through the air extraction port through the cooperation of the air inlet and the air extraction port. space; and a measuring device, including an optical ruler and a measuring piece. The optical ruler is provided on the transmission device for measuring the relative position of the removed pieces. The measuring piece is set on the side of the platform opposite to the solar cell module to measure the thickness of a cover of the solar cell module (refer to the patent announcement information on April 11, 2023). However, the main problem with this solution method is that it uses a chemical solution to process EVA. After the module is processed, an additional process is required to dispose of the waste solution. Although it can be recycled and reused through filtration, centrifugation or distillation, the extra time or energy will be spent. causing an increase in processing costs.

Heat treatment method. Before performing heat treatment, the metal frame must be removed first, and then the backsheet of the solar photovoltaic module must be removed. This is because most of the backsheets currently are composed of fluorine-containing polymers, and fluorine-containing polymers may be damaged during the heat treatment process. Produce substances that are harmful to organisms and the environment; remove the remaining part of the backsheet (glass/EVA/solar cells/EVA) and place it in a heat treatment furnace to thermally decompose the EVA. After the EVA is decomposed, the glass and cells are collected separately. This heat treatment method uses thermal energy to crack or burn EVA in solar photovoltaic modules. However, after EVA is thermally decomposed, it may produce organic waste gas, acid gas or dioxin, etc., and the metal components in solar photovoltaic modules may also be destroyed due to high temperatures. exhaust, so the subsequent exhaust gas needs to be handled with caution. China's patent number I783429 "solar photovoltaic module plasma thermal cracking recovery device" patent, which includes: a vacuum chamber, which is used for inductively coupled plasma anaerobic thermal cracking reaction and is arranged in a first box On the top, the vacuum chamber has a corresponding first end and a second end. The first end is provided with a chamber door. The bottom end of the chamber door is connected to a slide rail. The slide rail is arranged on a second box. The vacuum chamber is allowed to slide back and forth laterally to open or close the chamber door. The chamber door is provided with a carrying platform. The carrying platform is for placing at least one material to be processed and can automatically transport and carry the material to be processed. In the vacuum chamber, the material to be processed is a discarded or decommissioned solar photovoltaic module (photovoltaic module) after the aluminum frame and junction box are removed; an automatic control module is installed in the second box, which contains There is a programmable logic controller (PLC) and a control interface unit. The programmable logic controller is used for users to Switch the automatic control module to automatic operation mode or manual operation mode. The control interface unit is equipped with an anti-fool mechanism for instant abnormality and emergency stop to prevent operational errors during the entire operation period; a pumping and vacuum measurement The module includes a vacuum valve, a chamber vacuum gauge, a process vacuum gauge, a pressure regulating valve and a pumping control solenoid valve arranged on the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum chamber and the chamber vacuum gauge An air inlet control solenoid valve is disposed between the vacuum chamber and the process vacuum gauge. An automatic pressure relief solenoid valve for the low vacuum pumping pipeline is disposed between the vacuum chamber and the process vacuum gauge to quickly and accurately control the set pressure function and has a constant pressure control. Programmable voltage function selection; and an inductive coupling plasma module including an induction coil and a radio frequency plasma power generator, the induction coil surrounds the vacuum chamber, and the radio frequency plasma power generator is disposed on the first inside the box, and is coupled to the induction coil through an automatic matching controller to drive the induction coil to generate inductively coupled plasma (ICP), using the inductively coupled plasma anaerobic thermal cracking reaction to generate high energy The heat source concentrates on the abandoned or retired solar photovoltaic module, cracks the packaging material and plastic backsheet of the abandoned or retired solar photovoltaic module, and causes silicon, metal, glass and carbon to reach preliminary stratification, in which the packaging material is acetic acid. Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) (refer to the patent announcement information on November 11, 2022). However, first dismantling the metal frame and then recycling the waste solar modules through heat treatment adds another processing procedure, making it impossible to continuously and quickly recycle the waste solar modules for reuse. The aforementioned lack of resource recycling and processing technology for waste solar modules has become a problem that the industry urgently needs to overcome.

In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in conventional technology, the creator of this creation has accumulated his professional knowledge in the design and manufacturing of technological industrial products such as precision ceramics and biotechnology and environmental protection for many years. After continuous research and improvement, he finally succeeded in developing this creation and made it public. World.

The reason is that the main purpose of this invention is to provide a waste solar module resource recycling device. The waste solar module resource recovery device of this invention mainly includes a continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace. The continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace There is a cavity, and the cavity is equipped with a heating device to heat the cavity to a predetermined temperature. It also includes a transmission device that drives a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is used to carry waste solar modules in and out of the continuous high-temperature heat exchanger. The cavity of the cracking furnace. The cavity of the continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace is connected with a waste gas treatment device to introduce the waste gas generated from the cracked packaging materials and plastic backsheets of the waste solar modules. After passing the test, the waste gas will be discharged. There is a recovery area after the conveyor belt exits the continuous high-temperature pyrolysis furnace cavity to sequentially remove and recover the metal frame, metal wires, silicon materials and glass cover plates. There is a dust collection device at the end of the conveyor belt to collect the remaining dust. It has the effect of continuously and quickly recycling waste solar modules for reuse.

The aforementioned conveyor belt of this invention is an overlapping woven mesh belt, which is breathable and can transfer the heat generated by the heating device to the top of the conveyor belt.

The above-mentioned waste solar modules in this creation are sent to the high-temperature thermal cracking furnace for thermal cracking with the glass cover on the bottom to prevent the thermal cracking powder particles, metal wires and silicon materials from falling below.

The front end of the conveyor belt of this invention is equipped with an automatic feeding device to automatically feed the flattened waste solar modules into the high-temperature thermal cracking furnace for thermal cracking.

The aforementioned recycling area of this creation is also equipped with a dust collection device to collect dust with negative pressure after taking out the recycled metal frame.

1: Continuous high temperature thermal cracking furnace

10:Cavity

11:Heating device

2: Transmission device

21:Recycling area

20: Conveyor belt

3: Exhaust gas treatment device

4:Dust collection device

40:Dust collection device

5: Automatic feeding device

[Figure 1] is a step flow chart of the waste solar module resource recycling method created in this invention;

[Figure 2] is a front cross-sectional view of the waste solar module resource recycling device created by this invention;

[Figure 3] is a schematic front view of the waste solar module resource recycling device created by this invention;

[Figure 4] is a top view of the waste solar module resource recycling device created by this invention;

[Figure 5] is a partial cross-sectional view of the cavity of the waste solar module recycling device of this invention.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of this invention, an embodiment of the technical means is enumerated and explained below with a diagram, so that the review committee can gain a better understanding of the structure, characteristics and achieved effects of this invention.

The waste solar module resource recycling method and device of this invention are suitable for waste, damaged or decommissioned waste solar modules. The waste solar modules mainly include solar cells, glass covers and plastics arranged on both sides of the solar cells. The back panel, as well as the metal frame surrounding the solar cells, glass cover and plastic back panel, the glass cover panel and plastic back panel are composed of a combination of packaging materials and solar cells. The aforementioned packaging material is vinyl acetate polymer ( Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). In view of the current market share of solar modules, monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon are dominant. Among them, the largest solar panel is a crystalline silicon solar panel. The main components of a standardized crystalline silicon solar module are 67.4~74.2% glass cover, 10.3~17.3% metal frame (usually aluminum frame), 9.6~ 11.3% vinyl acetate polymer EVA (encapsulation material) and plastic backsheet, 2.6~3.4% silicon, and 1% other metals such as copper, silver, zinc, lead, etc. This creation is mainly aimed at abandoned or decommissioned solar photovoltaic modules without removing the metal frame. Therefore, the metal frame, glass cover, silicon material after thermal cracking of the solar cell, and metal wires (such as copper, silver, zinc , lead) will be the main targets for recycling and material recycling applications, while the packaging materials EVA and plastic backsheets will be hot Lytic elimination.

Please refer to Figure 1. This invention provides a resource recycling method for waste solar modules. This invention is suitable for waste solar modules that are abandoned, damaged or decommissioned. The waste solar modules mainly include solar cells, which are installed on the solar panel. There are glass cover plates and plastic back plates on both sides of the battery, as well as a metal frame surrounding the solar cell, glass cover plate and plastic back plate. The glass cover plate and plastic back plate are composed of a combination of packaging materials and solar cells. This creative method Including: sending the waste solar modules into a high-temperature thermal cracking furnace for thermal cracking. The thermal cracking temperature is below 650°C to crack the packaging materials and plastic backsheets of the waste solar modules to remove the metal frames, metal wires, The silicon material and glass cover are separated, and the generated waste gas is treated and discharged after passing the test. The metal frame, metal wires, silicon material and glass cover are then taken out and recycled in sequence. (The glass cover can be sieved to a thickness larger than 3mm. Particle collection and fine particle collection less than 3mm) and finally the remaining dust is collected to complete the recycling of waste solar modules, which has the effect of continuously and quickly recycling waste solar modules for reuse.

The aforementioned waste solar modules in this creation are sent into a high-temperature thermal cracking furnace for thermal cracking with the glass cover down, to avoid thermal cracking particles above (powder remaining after thermal cracking of packaging materials and plastic backsheets), Metal wires and silicon materials fall below (the glass cover is not thermally cracked and can carry the thermally cracked powder particles, metal wires, and silicon materials above).

This creation also includes a leveling step before sending the waste solar modules into the high-temperature thermal cracking furnace for thermal cracking. This is to level the deformed waste solar modules first to facilitate transportation and automatic delivery to high temperature. Thermal cracking furnace.

The aforementioned packaging material of this invention is vinyl acetate polymer (Ethylene vinyl acetate, EVA).

This creation also includes the step of collecting dust with negative pressure after taking out the recycled metal frame.

Please refer to Figure 2-5. This invention is suitable for discarded, damaged or decommissioned waste solar modules. The waste solar modules mainly include solar cells, glass covers and plastic backsheets arranged on both sides of the solar cells. And a metal frame surrounding the solar cells, glass cover and plastic backsheet. The glass cover and plastic backsheet are composed of a combination of packaging materials and solar cells. The waste solar module resource recycling device of this invention mainly includes a continuous Type high-temperature thermal cracking furnace 1, the continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace 1 has a cavity 10 (see Figure 5), the cavity 10 is provided with a heating device 11 to heat the cavity 10 to a predetermined temperature, and also includes There is a transmission device 2 (see Figures 2 and 3). The transmission device 2 drives a conveyor belt 20. The conveyor belt 20 is used to carry waste solar modules in and out of the continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace cavity 10. The aforementioned continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace The cracking furnace cavity 10 is connected with a waste gas treatment device 3 to introduce and process the waste gas generated by the cracked packaging materials and plastic backsheets of the waste solar modules, and discharge it after passing the test. [The waste gas treatment device 3 is a conventional technology and does not No need to say more], the conveyor belt 20 has a recovery area 21 (see Figure 4) after it exits the continuous high-temperature pyrolysis furnace cavity 10, to sequentially take out and recover the metal frame, metal wires, silicon materials and glass cover plates for transportation There is a dust collecting device 4 at the end of the belt 20 to collect the remaining dust, which has the effect of continuously and quickly recycling the waste solar modules for reuse.

The aforementioned conveyor belt 20 of this creation is an overlapping braided mesh belt, which is breathable and can transfer the heat generated by the heating device 11 to the top of the conveyor belt 20. [The overlapping braided mesh belt is the densest weaving method and consists of left and right spirals and straight cores. , the materials can be 304, 310S, 314, 316, NI80, 253MA, galvanized wire, etc. The product uses are quenching furnaces, small surface treatment machinery, forging machinery, etc.]

The waste solar modules mentioned above in this creation are sent in with the glass cover down. The high-temperature thermal cracking furnace performs thermal cracking to prevent thermal cracking particles (particles remaining after thermal cracking of packaging materials and plastic backsheets), metal wires, and silicon materials from above from falling below.

The front end of the conveyor belt of this invention is equipped with an automatic feeding device 5 (see Figures 3 and 4) to automatically send the flattened waste solar modules into the high-temperature thermal cracking furnace 1 for thermal cracking.

The above-mentioned recycling area 21 of this invention is also equipped with a dust collection device 40 to collect dust with negative pressure after taking out the recycling metal frame.

To sum up, the "Waste Solar Module Resource Recycling Device" disclosed in this invention is unprecedented and has not been seen in published publications at home and abroad. It is considered to be a novelty patent, and this invention can indeed It eliminates the deficiencies of conventional technology and achieves the design purpose. It has fully met the patent requirements. I have submitted the application in accordance with the law. I sincerely ask your review committee to review it and grant the patent to this case. I feel it is very convenient.

However, the above is only one of the best possible embodiments of this invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of this invention. Anyone familiar with this art can make equivalent structural changes using the description of this invention and the scope of the patent application. , should be included in the patent scope of this creation.

1: Continuous high temperature thermal cracking furnace

10:Cavity

2: Transmission device

20: Conveyor belt

3: Exhaust gas treatment device

Claims (5)

A waste solar module resource recycling device, suitable for waste, damaged or decommissioned waste solar modules. The waste solar module mainly includes a solar cell, a glass cover plate and a plastic back plate arranged on both sides of the solar cell, and The metal frame surrounds the solar cells, glass cover plate and plastic back plate. The glass cover plate and plastic back plate are composed of a combination of packaging materials and solar cells. It mainly includes a continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace. The continuous high-temperature thermal cracking furnace The thermal cracking furnace has a cavity that is equipped with a heating device to heat the cavity to a predetermined temperature. It also includes a transmission device that drives a conveyor belt that carries waste solar modules in and out. Continuous high-temperature pyrolysis furnace cavity. The aforementioned continuous high-temperature pyrolysis furnace cavity is connected with a waste gas treatment device to introduce and process the waste gas generated from the cracked packaging materials and plastic backsheets of the waste solar modules. After testing After passing the discharge, the conveyor belt has a recycling area after exiting the continuous high-temperature pyrolysis furnace cavity to sequentially take out and recover the metal frame, metal wires, silicon materials and glass cover plates. There is a dust collection device at the end of the conveyor belt. By collecting the remaining dust, it has the effect of continuously and quickly recycling waste solar modules for reuse. In the device for recycling waste solar modules as described in claim 1, the conveyor belt is an overlapping woven mesh belt. In the device for recycling waste solar modules as described in claim 1, the waste solar modules are sent into a high-temperature thermal cracking furnace with the glass cover down for thermal cracking. As for the waste solar module resource recovery device described in claim 1, the front end of the conveyor belt is provided with an automatic feeding device to automatically send the flattened waste solar modules into a high-temperature thermal cracking furnace for thermal cracking. Waste solar module resource recycling device as described in claim 1, the aforementioned recycling The area is also equipped with a dust collection device to collect dust with negative pressure after taking out the recycled metal frame.

Images