WO2022125325A2 - Sintering equipment - Google Patents

Sintering equipment Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022125325A2
WO2022125325A2 PCT/US2021/061089 US2021061089W WO2022125325A2 WO 2022125325 A2 WO2022125325 A2 WO 2022125325A2 US 2021061089 W US2021061089 W US 2021061089W WO 2022125325 A2 WO2022125325 A2 WO 2022125325A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
filter
air
filter device
sintering
space
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2021/061089
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2022125325A3 (en
Inventor
Huixiang Li
Chuanbo WANG
Original Assignee
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Illinois Tool Works Inc. filed Critical Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Publication of WO2022125325A2 publication Critical patent/WO2022125325A2/en
Publication of WO2022125325A3 publication Critical patent/WO2022125325A3/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H01L21/6776—Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
    • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • F27B9/00—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity
    • F27B9/02—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity of multiple-track type; of multiple-chamber type; Combinations of furnaces
    • F27B9/028—Multi-chamber type furnaces
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D46/00—Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours
    • B01D46/10—Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using filter plates, sheets or pads having plane surfaces
    • B01D46/12—Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using filter plates, sheets or pads having plane surfaces in multiple arrangements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
    • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • F27B9/00—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity
    • F27B9/12—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity with special arrangements for preheating or cooling the charge
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
    • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • F27B9/00—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity
    • F27B9/30—Details, accessories, or equipment peculiar to furnaces of these types
    • F27B9/3005—Details, accessories, or equipment peculiar to furnaces of these types arrangements for circulating gases
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/18—Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
    • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • F27B9/00—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity
    • F27B9/12—Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity with special arrangements for preheating or cooling the charge
    • F27B2009/124—Cooling
    • F27B2009/126—Cooling involving the circulation of cooling gases, e.g. air
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment

Abstract

The present application provides sintering equipment. The sintering equipment comprises: a sintering section, the sintering section having a sintering space, and the sintering space being configured to sinter photovoltaic devices conveyed to pass the sintering space; a cooling section, the cooling section having a cooling space, the cooling section being located downstream of the sintering section disposed in the conveyance direction of photovoltaic devices, and the cooling section being configured to cool photovoltaic devices conveyed to pass the cooling space; a filter system, the filter system comprising a filter device, the filter device having a filter device housing and a filter element disposed in the filter device housing, the filter device housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet and the air outlet both communicating with the cooling space of the cooling section, and the filter device being configured to filter air in the cooling space. The filter system of the sintering equipment in the present application can reduce dust particles in the sintering equipment.

Description

Sintering Equipment
Technical Field
The present application relates to sintering equipment, in particular to sintering equipment for manufacturing a solar cell photovoltaic device .
Background Art
It is necessary to use sintering equipment to sinter photovoltaic devices in the production of photovoltaic devices such as silicon wafers of silicon solar cells .
Sintering equipment comprises at least a sintering section and a cooling section. Wherein, photovoltaic devices are conveyed by a conveyor belt to pass the sintering section and the cooling section in turn, and then are conveyed by the conveyor belt to leave the sintering equipment . Photovoltaic devices are sintered at a high temperature in the sintering section to achieve certain properties, and then photovoltaic devices enter the cooling section to be cooled. The temperature of photovoltaic devices can drop to a certain range in the cooling section .
Summary of the Invention
The present application provides sintering equipment . The sintering equipment comprises : a sintering section, the sintering section having a sintering space, and the sintering space being configured to sinter photovoltaic devices conveyed to pass the sintering space; a cooling section, the cooling section having a cooling space, the cooling section being located downstream of the sintering section disposed in the conveyance direction of photovoltaic devices, and the cooling section being configured to cool photovoltaic devices conveyed to pass the cooling space; a filter system, the filter system comprising a filter device, the filter device having a filter device housing and a filter element disposed in the filter device housing, the filter device housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet and the air outlet both communicating with the cooling space of the cooling section, and the filter device being configured to filter air in the cooling space . In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the cooling section comprises a heat exchanging device and the heat exchanging device is disposed below cooled photovoltaic devices in the cooling space; the filter system comprises an air duct, the air duct outlet of the air duct is connected with the air inlet of the filter device, the air duct inlet of the air duct is located inside the cooling space and below photovoltaic devices, and the air duct is configured to deliver air cooled by the heat exchanging device into the filter device.
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the sintering equipment further comprises an aerodynamic device, the aerodynamic device comprises at least one first air fan, the filter system is connected with the aerodynamic device, and the aerodynamic device is disposed at the air duct inlet of the air duct to guide air to the air inlet of the filter device .
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the sintering equipment further comprises a bellows, the bellows has a bellows inlet and a bellows outlet, the bellows inlet is connected with the heat exchanging device, the bellows outlet communicates with the air duct, the aerodynamic device is disposed on the bellows, and the aerodynamic device is configured to guide air to the heat exchanging device, then to the bellows inlet and finally to the bellows outlet .
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the heat exchanging device comprises a heat exchange tube, a cooling medium flows in the heat exchange tube, airflow passages are provided in the heat exchanging device, and the bellows is disposed below the heat exchanging device .
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the filter device further comprises at least one second air fan disposed in the filter device housing, the second air fan is configured to provide power to guide air from the air inlet of the filter device housing through the filter element so that air is filtered.
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the filter device housing has a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall and a right wall, the air inlet and the air outlet are both disposed in the bottom wall of the filter device housing, the filter device housing has a filter space and an airflow output passage, the air inlet communicates with the bottom of the filter space, the airflow output passage enables the top of the filter space to communicate with the air outlet, and the filter element is disposed in the filter space .
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, a horizontal baffle and a vertical baffle are disposed in the filter device, the vertical baffle extends upward from a position between the air inlet and the air outlet in the bottom wall of the filter device housing and is a certain distance away from the top wall of the filter device housing, one side of the horizontal baffle is connected with the vertical baffle, the other side is connected with the left wall of the filter device housing, and the horizontal baffle and the vertical baffle are both connected with the front wall and the rear wall of the filter device housing so that the horizontal baffle and the vertical baffle divide the internal space of the filter device housing into a filter space and an airflow output passage, wherein, the horizontal baffle has at least one interconnecting hole and the airflow output passage communicates with the filter space through the interconnecting hole .
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the filter element comprises a level-1 filter cartridge and a level-2 filter cartridge, the level-1 filter cartridge is disposed upstream in the airflow direction, the level-1 filter cartridge is configured to filter out dust particles with a size greater than 5 μm in air, and the level-2 filter cartridge is configured to filter out dust particles with a size greater than 0.5 pm in air .
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the at least one second air fan is mounted at the at least one interconnecting hole, and the at least one interconnecting hole is provided at one end of the horizontal baffle, close to the left wall of the filter device housing; the airflow output passage comprises a horizontal passage located between the top wall of the filter device housing and the horizontal baffle and a vertical passage located between the vertical baffle and the right wall; the filter device comprises a first guide plate and a second guide plate, the first guide plate and the second guide plate aslant extend from the top of the filter device housing towards the left wall and the right wall, respectively, the first guide plate is located above the interconnecting hole, the second guide plate is located above the vertical passage, the first guide plate is configured to guide the airflow from the second air fan to the horizontal passage, and the second guide plate is configured to guide the airflow in the horizontal passage to the vertical passage .
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, the filter device further comprises a buffer plate, the buffer plate extends upward from the bottom wall of the filter device and inclines towards the air inlet to at least partially block air coming in from the air inlet .
In the above-mentioned sintering equipment, a filter device connecting opening is provided at the top of the cooling section, and the shape of the filter device connecting opening matches the shape of the bottom wall of the filter device housing so that the filter device can cover the filter device connecting opening when the filter device is connected to the cooling section .
In the present application, a filter device is added in the cooling section of the sintering equipment so that dust particles in the cooling section can be filtered out to alleviate interference of dust particles on photovoltaic devices in the cooling section.
In the sintering equipment in the present application, a part of air in the cooling section is sent back to the cooling section after being filtered by the filter device to form a relatively closed system, and most air circulates in the cooling section and the filter device to avoid external particles from entering the cooling section.
In the sintering equipment in the present application, cooled air is drawn by air fans into the filter device and then returns to the cooling section to strengthen air circulation in the cooling section so that air in the cooling section is evenly distributed and the cooling effect on photovoltaic devices is strengthened.
In the sintering equipment in the present application, the filter device is roughly in the shape of a cube, and the airflow passages and the filter element are all disposed inside the filter device housing so that the filter device is an integrated component and is easy to connect with the cooling section .
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the sintering equipment 100 in the present application.
Fig. 2A is a 3-D view of the cooling section and filter system 105 of the sintering equipment 100 in Fig. 1.
Fig. 2B is a 3-D view of the separated filter system 105 and cooling section in Fig. 2A.
Fig. 3A is a cutaway view of the cooling section and the filter system cut along the A-A line in Fig. 2A.
Fig. 3B is a 3-D view of the cooling section and the filter system 105 of the sintering equipment 100 in Fig. 2A, with the cooling section housing 201 and the internal support structure removed.
Fig. 4A is a 3-D view of a flow guide device unit 336 and the corresponding lower cooling device unit 338 in Fig. 3B.
Fig. 4B is an exploded view of the flow guide device unit 336 and the corresponding lower cooling device unit 338.
Fig. 5A is a 3-D view of the filter device in Fig. 2A.
Fig. 5B is an exploded view of the filter device in Fig.
5A.
Fig. 5C is a cutaway view of the filter device cut along the B-B line in Fig. 5A. Detailed Description of the Invention
Various specific implementation modes of the present invention will be described by reference to the drawings which constitute a part of the present description . It should be understood that although the terms indicating directions, such as "before", "behind", "on", "below", "left", and "right" are used to describe various exemplified structural parts and components in the present application, these terms are just used for the convenience of illustrations and are determined based on the exemplified directions in the drawings . Since the embodiments disclosed in the present application can be set in different directions, these terms indicating directions are only used as illustrations, instead of restrictions .
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the sintering equipment 100 in the present application and shows the basic structure of the sintering equipment . As shown in Fig. 1, the sintering equipment 100 comprises a sintering section 101, a cooling section 102 and a filter system 105. Photovoltaic devices to be processed are conveyed by a conveyor belt to pass through the sintering section 101 and the cooling section 102 in turn in the direction indicated by arrows 108 to complete sintering processing. The sintering section 101 has a sintering space, photovoltaic devices are heated to a certain temperature, for example, 700°C to 900°C in the sintering space so that photovoltaic devices undergo high-temperature sintering. Sintered photovoltaic devices enter the cooling section 102 and the cooling section 102 can cool photovoltaic devices to a certain temperature range, for example, below 60 °C . Cooled photovoltaic devices are conveyed by the conveyor belt to leave the sintering equipment . The sintering equipment 100 further comprises a front section 111 and a rear section 112, the front section 111 is disposed upstream of the sintering section 101, the rear section 112 is disposed downstream of the cooling section 102, and the front section 111 and the rear section 112 are configured to accommodate the power device of the conveyor belt and other devices . The sintering equipment 100 has a length direction L, a height direction H and a width direction W (see Fig. 2A) .
Fig. 2A is a 3-D view of the cooling section and the filter system 105 of the sintering equipment 100 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 2B is a 3-D view of the separated filter system 105 and cooling section in Fig. 2A and shows the position relationship between the cooling section and the filter system.
As shown in Figs . 2A and 2B, the cooling section 102 has a cooling section housing 201 and the cooling section housing 201 forms a cooling space 207. The cooling section housing 201 is roughly a box having an opening at the lower end, and the cooling section housing 201 comprises a front plate 231, a rear plate 232, an upper plate 233, a left plate 234 and a right plate 235. The left side of the cooling section housing 201 is connected with the sintering section 101 and the right side is connected with the rear section 112, a holder (not shown in the figure) and a plurality of support legs 260 connected to the holder are disposed below the cooling section 102, the support legs 260 have a certain height so that a certain distance exists between the lower opening and the ground to enable the lower opening to communicate with the ambient environment . The height of support legs 260 is small . Thus, the distance between the lower opening and the ground is small and only a small amount of air in the cooling space 207 can be exchanged with ambient air through the distance . An opening 261 and an opening 262 are respectively provided in the left plate 234 and the right plate 235 of the cooling section housing 201 to allow the conveyor belt and photovoltaic devices conveyed by the conveyor belt to pass . The opening 262 is located on the upper side in the height direction of the cooling section 102 and is higher than the upper surface of the rear section 112. Thus, the conveyor belt and conveyed photovoltaic devices are located up in the cooling section 102. A filter device connecting opening 208 is provided in the upper plate 233 of the cooling section housing 201, and the filter device connecting opening 208 is roughly a rectangle . A part of air in the cooling section 102 can go into the filter system 105, where impurities are filtered out, and then return to the cooling section 102. The filter system 105 comprises a filter device 205 and a flow guide device 215, and the flow guide device 215 is configured to draw air in the cooling section 102 into the filter device 205 for filtering. The filter device 205 is roughly a cube, and the bottom of the filter device 205 is connected with the upper plate 233 of the cooling section 102. The shape of the bottom of the filter device 205 matches the filter device connecting port 208. When the filter system 105 is well mounted on the cooling section 102, the filter device 205 covers the cooling device connecting opening 208 and sealing is formed between the bottom of the filter device 205 and the upper plate 233 of the cooling section 102 . The flow guide device 215 is located in the cooling space 207 to guide air in the lower part of the cooling space 207 to the filter device 205.
Fig. 3A is a cutaway view of the cooling section and the filter system cut along the A-A line in Fig. 2A. Fig. 3B is a 3-D view of the cooling section and the filter system 105 of the sintering equipment 100 in Fig. 2A, with the cooling section housing 201 and the internal support structure removed, and shows the relationship of the filter system 105 with the components inside the cooling section 102. As shown in Figs . 3A and 3B, an upper cooling device 311, a lower cooling device 312, and a conveyance passage 315 are disposed in the cooling space 207, and the conveyance passage 315 is configured to accommodate the conveyor belt (not shown in the figures) . The upper cooling device 311 and the lower cooling device 312 are disposed on the upper and lower sides of the conveyance passage 315, respectively, and the upper cooling device 311 and the lower cooling device 312 are configured to lower the temperature in the cooling section 102 to cool photovoltaic devices conveyed by the conveyor belt . The upper cooling device 311 comprises a plurality of air fans 360, and the plurality of air fans 360 are borne by an upper air fan support 319 and are evenly distributed in the length direction and width direction of the sintering equipment 100 to provide a uniform airflow downward. The lower cooling device 312 comprises a plurality of lower cooling device units 338 and the structure of each cooling device unit 338 is similar or the same. The plurality of cooling device units 338 are arranged side by side in the width and length directions of the sintering equipment 100. Each cooling device unit 338 comprises a heat exchanging device 323 and an air fan 370, and the air fan 370 is connected to the lower part of the heat exchanging device 323 through a lower air fan support 373. The air fan 370 guides air downwards . The heat exchanging device 323 comprises a finned tube heat exchanger 339. Each finned tube heat exchanger 339 comprises a heat exchange tube and fins connected to the heat exchange tube, and a fluid can pass through the finned tube heat exchanger 339 from the top down. In the cooling section 102, the air fan 360 and the air fan 370 are located on the upper and lower sides of the conveyor belt, respectively, and evenly guide air from the top down so that air around photovoltaic devices on the conveyor belt flows from the top down . Light photovoltaic devices on the conveyor belt will move when influenced by air flowing laterally and upwards . However, air flowing downwards around the conveyor belt can prevent light photovoltaic devices from moving. The lower cooling device 312 in the present application comprises an air fan 370, and the air fan 370 supplies an air flow to strengthen air convection inside the cooling section to improve the heat exchanging effect of the finned tube heat exchanger 339. Meanwhile, the air fan 370 further provides an aerodynamic device for the filter system 105 to guide air into the filter system 105 for filtering. That is to say, the filter system 105 utilizes the air fan 370 of the lower cooling device 312 to provide a power for air flowing inside .
The inlet end of the flow guide device 215 of the filter system 105 is connected with the bottom of the lower cooling device 312, and the outlet end is connected with the filter device 205. The flow guide device 215 guides air which has exchanged heat with the finned tube heat exchanger 339 into the filter device 205. The flow guide device 215 comprises a plurality of flow guide device units 336 and the structure of each flow guide device unit 336 is similar or the same . Each lower cooling device unit 338 is connected with the corresponding flow guide device unit 336.
Fig. 4A is a 3-D view of a flow guide device unit 336 and the corresponding lower cooling device unit 338 in Fig. 3B, Fig. 4B is an exploded view of the flow guide device unit 336 and the corresponding lower cooling device unit 338, and Figs . 4A and 4B show the structure of the flow guide device unit 336 and the corresponding lower cooling device unit 338. In Figs . 4A and 4B, the structures of one flow guide device unit 336 and the corresponding lower cooling device unit 338 are described. As shown in Figs . 4A and 4B, the lower cooling device unit 338 comprises a finned tube heat exchanger 339 and a bellows 407, and the air fan 370 is connected with the bellows 407. The finned tube heat exchanger comprises a heat exchange tube 408 and a plurality of fins 418 arranged side by side . The heat exchange tube 408 comprises a plurality of bent heat exchange tube segments, and the plurality of heat exchange tube segments are connected end to end to form a heat exchange tube passage . A cooling medium flows in the heat exchange tube passage to exchange heat with the ambient environment . The fins 418 are connected with the external side wall of the heat exchange tube 408 and extend in the height direction of the sintering device to increase the heat exchange area . The extension direction of the fins is roughly perpendicular to the extension direction of the heat exchange tube segments . A distance exists between adjacent fins, and a distance also exists between adjacent heat exchange tube segments . Thus, an airflow passage 419 is formed between adjacent fins so that air can pass . The bellows 407 has a bottom 431 and a side portion 432 extending upward from around the bottom 431. The top 435 of the side portion 432 forms an upper opening and the upper opening forms a bellows inlet 411. A plurality of air fan mounting holes are provided in the bottom 431 and the air fan mounting holes form bellows outlets 412. The air fans 370 are connected with the bottom 431 and are axially aligned with the bellows outlets 412 to guide air in the bellows 407 out of the bellows outlet 412. The top 435 of the side portion 432 is connected with the bottom of the finned tube heat exchanger 339 so that air flowing through the fins can go into the bellows inlet 411 . The flow guide device unit 336 comprises an air duct 461 and a drainage cover 462, the air duct 461 has an air duct inlet 471 and an air duct outlet 473, the drainage cover 462 comprises a drainage cover inlet 473 and a drainage cover outlet 474. The drainage cover outlet 474 is connected with the air duct inlet 471, and the drainage cover inlet 473 is connected with the bottom of the bellows
407 so that the drainage cover inlet 473 communicates with the bellows outlet 412. In one embodiment of the present application, the air fan 370 is accommodated in the drainage cover 462. In other embodiments, the air fan 370 may be accommodated in the bellows 407. The shape and length of the air duct in each flow guide device unit 336 are set according to the position of the connected lower cooling device unit 338. In the present application, a plurality of bellows 407 form the lower air fan support 373. The shapes of the bellows 407 and the drainage cover 462 are so designed that most air which has exchanged heat with the finned tube heat exchanger 339 can be collected into the filter device 105 and then can flow from the filter device 105 into the upper part of the cooling section 102 to further lower the temperature of air around the conveyor belt .
Fig. 5A is a 3-D view of the filter device in Fig. 2A, Fig. 5B is an exploded view of the filter device in Fig. 5A, and Fig. 5C is a cutaway view of the filter device cut along the B-B line in Fig. 5A. As shown in Figs . 5A, 5B and 5C, the filter device comprises a filter device housing 510, a filter element 508 and a plurality of air fans 509, and the filter element 508 and the air fans 509 are accommodated in the filter device housing 510. The filter device housing 510 is roughly in the shape of a cubic box and comprises an upper housing 544 and a lower housing 545 to facilitate the installation of internal components of the filter device . The filter device housing 510 comprises a top wall 534, a bottom wall 533, a front wall 535, a rear wall 536, a left wall 531 and a right wall 532. Air inlets 501 and an air outlet 502 are provided in the bottom wall 533, wherein a plurality of air inlets 501 are provided and each air inlet 501 is connected with the corresponding air duct outlet 472. The air outlet communicates with the cooling space 207. A horizontal baffle 541 and a vertical baffle 542 are disposed in the filter device 205, the vertical baffle 542 extends upward from the bottom wall 533 of the filter device housing 510 and is a certain distance away from the top wall 534 of the filter device housing 510, one side of the horizontal baffle 541 is connected with the vertical baffle 542, the other side is connected with the left wall
531 of the filter device housing 510, and the horizontal baffle 541 and the vertical baffle 542 are both connected with the front wall 535 and the rear wall 536 of the filter device housing 510 so that the horizontal baffle 541 and the vertical baffle 542 divide the internal space of the filter device housing 510 into a filter space 518 and an airflow output passage 519. The air inlet 501 and the air outlet 502 are respectively located on the two sides of the vertical baffle 542, the air inlet 501 is located at the bottom of the filter space 518 and communicates with the filter space 518, and the air outlet 502 communicates with the airflow output passage 519. The filter element 508 is disposed in the filter space 518, the filter element 508 extends in the width direction W and the length direction L, and the four side edges are respectively connected with the left wall 531, the rear wall 536, the vertical baffle 542 and the front wall 535. In this way, air going from the air inlet 501 into the filter space 518 flows out of communicating holes 565 after passing the filter element 508.
A plurality of communicating holes 565 are provided in the horizontal baffle 541, and the communicating holes 565 are arranged in a direction from the front wall 535 to the rear wall 536 and are close to the left wall 531. The communicating holes 565 are located at the top of the filter space 518. The communicating holes 565 form the air outlet of the filter space 518. The airflow output passage 519 communicates with the filter space 518 through the communicating holes 565. The air fans 509 are mounted on the horizontal baffle 541 and are axially aligned with the communicating holes 565. After being drawn by air fans 509 into the filter space 518 and filtered by the filter element 508, air flows out of the communicating holes 565 and goes into the airflow output passage 519.
The filter element 508 comprises a level-1 filter cartridge 546 and a level-2 filter cartridge 547, and the level-1 filter cartridge 546 is closer to the air inlets 501 than the level-2 filter cartridge 547, that is to say, the level-1 filter cartridge 546 is disposed upstream in the airflow direction, and air passes through the level-1 filter cartridge 546 and the level-2 filter cartridge 547 in turn . Wherein, the level-1 filter cartridge 546 is configured to filter out dust particles with a size greater than 5 pm in air, and the level-2 filter cartridge 547 is configured to filter out dust particles with a size greater than 0.5 pm in air.
The airflow output passage 519 comprises a horizontal passage 525 located between the top wall 534 of the filter device housing 510 and the horizontal baffle 541 and a vertical passage 524 located between the vertical baffle 542 and the right wall 532. The communicating holes 565 communicate with the horizontal passage 525, the air outlet 502 is located at the bottom of the vertical passage 524, and air in the airflow output passage 519 flows from the horizontal passage 525 to the vertical passage 524.
The filter device 205 further comprises a first guide plate 521 and a second guide plate 522, the first guide plate 521 and the second guide plate 522 aslant extend from the top of the filter device housing 510 towards the left wall 531 and the right wall 532, respectively, and the first guide plate 521 and the second guide plate 522 respectively form an included angle of about 45° with the top wall 534. The first guide plate 521 is located above the communicating holes 565. Air flowing out of the communicating holes 565 flows in the vertical direction (namely, the direction parallel to the left wall 531 of the housing) and arrives at the first guide plate 521 . Since the first guide plate is disposed at a certain angle, air changes the flow direction at the first guide plate 521 and flows in the extension direction of the horizontal passage 525. Wherein, the first guide plate 521 and the communicating holes 565 are all close to the left wall 531 so that the space between the left wall 531, the top wall 534 and the first guide plate 521 is small and most air will not stay here but will flow out of the horizontal passage 525 as quick as possible . The second guide plate 522 is located above the vertical passage 524, and air in the horizontal passage 525 changes the flow direction at the second guide plate 522 and flows in the extension direction of the right wall 532 until it flows to the air outlet 502. The angles and positions of the first guide plate 521 and the second guide plate 522 enable air to easily flow from the filter space 518 to the air outlet 502, thus reducing an energy loss caused by irregular flowing of air in the filter device housing 510.
The filter device 205 further comprises a buffer plate 583, and the buffer plate 583 extends upward from the side of the air inlets 501 in bottom wall 533 of the filter device and inclines towards the air inlets 501 to at least partially block air coming in from the air inlets 501. The buffer plate 583 changes the flow direction of air coming in from the air inlets 501 and lowers the flow speed of air . Thus, damage caused by air at high speed to the filter element 508 can be avoided. In one embodiment of the present application, two buffer plates 583, aslant extending from the middle of the bottom wall 533 towards the left wall 531 and the right wall 532 respectively, are provided to partially block two rows of air inlets 501. In other embodiments, the positions and directions of the buffer plates 583 may be determined according to the positions and the number of air inlets 501. As shown in Figs . 3A and 5C, in the cooling section 102, the air fan 360 supplies a downward air flow and the air flow goes into the lower cooling device 312 through the conveyor belt . In the lower cooling device 312, the air flow exchanges heat with the finned tube heat exchanger 339 to lower the temperature and then goes into the bellows 407. Air drawn by the air fans 370 mounted on the bellows 407 flows out of the bellows outlet 412, flows through the drainage cover 462 and goes into the air duct 461. The air fans 370 supply power so that air can flow through the air duct 461 into the flow guide device 205. Air goes into the flow guide device 205 from the air inlets 501 of the flow guide device 205, is slowed down after being buffered by the buffer plate 583, and flows to the filter element 508. After air is filtered by the filter element 508, most dust particles in air stay in the filter element 508, and clean air flows out of the communicating holes 565. The air fans 509 supply power for air in the filter device so that air can successfully pass through the filter element 508. Filtered air passes through the airflow output passage 519 and goes into the cooling section 102 again from the air outlet 502. When the sintering equipment works, the filter system 105 works at the same time, air circulates between the cooling device 205 and the cooling space 207, dust particles are intercepted by the filter element 508, and the amount of dust particles in the cooling space 207 maintains a low level so that the quality of processed photovoltaic devices can be improved .
After the sintering equipment in the present application works for a period of time a certain amount of dust particles in the sintering equipment will be produced. For example, one source of dust particles is the friction of the conveyor belt . Dust particles may somewhat influence the processing production of photovoltaic devices . Air in the sintering section 101 flows slowly and dust particles may deposit at the bottom of the sintering section 101 with the aid of gravity and influence photovoltaic devices little . Cooling devices comprising air fans are arranged in the cooling section 102, air flows in the cooling section 102 under the action of air fans, and dust particles are relatively difficult to deposit, but are diffused in the cooling space 207 of the whole cooling section 102. Photovoltaic devices may be influenced in this case. In the present application, a filter device is added in the cooling section 102 of the sintering equipment so that dust particles in the cooling section 102 can be filtered out to alleviate interference of dust particles on photovoltaic devices in the cooling section 102. The filter element 508 in the present application can be regularly cleaned and replaced to maintain a good filtering effect .
In the present application, a part of air in the cooling section 102 is sent back to the cooling section 102 after being filtered by the filter device 205 to form a relatively closed system, where the outlet of the filter device 205 does not directly communicate with the ambient environment . If the outlet 502 of the filter device 205 directly communicates with the ambient environment, particles or impurities in the ambient environment may go into the sintering equipment through the filter device 205. In the present application, most air circulates in the cooling section 102 and the filter device 105 to avoid external particles from entering the cooling section 102.
In the cooling section of common sintering equipment, the heat exchanger is disposed below photovoltaic devices, and in addition, air in the cooling section is usually so configured that it flows from the top down in order to prevent photovoltaic devices from moving when influenced by an upward or lateral air flow. In this way, a large amount of air cooled by the heat exchanger is deposited in the lower part of the cooling section . However, photovoltaic devices are located in the middle part of the cooling section . Thus, air cooled by the heat exchanger cannot effectively cool photovoltaic devices . In the present application, cooled air is drawn by air fans into the filter device 105 and then returns to the cooling section 102 to strengthen air circulation in the cooling section 102 so that air in the cooling section 102 is evenly distributed and the cooling effect on photovoltaic devices is strengthened.
In the present application, the filter device 205 is roughly in the shape of a cube, and the airflow output passage 519 and the filter element 508 are all disposed inside the filter device 205 housing 510 so that the filter device 205 is an integrated component and is easy to assemble with the cooling section 102. The air inlets 501 and the air outlet 502 of the filter device 205 are all disposed at the bottom of the filter device 205, and the direction of air in the filter device 205 is guided by the guide plates 521 and 522 so that air easily flows from the air inlets 501 to the air outlet 502.
Although only some features of the present application are illustrated and described in this document, those skilled in the art can make various improvements and changes . Therefore, it should be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all improvements and changes falling within the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

Claims
1. Sintering equipment, characterized in that the sintering equipment comprises : a sintering section (101) , the sintering section (101) having a sintering space and the sintering section (101) being configured to sinter photovoltaic devices conveyed to pass the sintering space; a cooling section (102) , the cooling section (102) having a cooling space (207) , the cooling section (102) being located downstream of the sintering section (101) disposed in the conveyance direction of photovoltaic devices, and the cooling section (102) being configured to cool photovoltaic devices conveyed to pass the cooling space (207) ; a filter system (105) , the filter system (105) comprising a filter device (205) , the filter device (205) having a filter device housing (510) and a filter element (508) disposed in the filter device housing (510) , the filter device housing (510) having an air inlet (501) and an air outlet (502) , the air inlet (501) and the air outlet (502) both communicating with the cooling space (207) of the cooling section (102) , and the filter device (105) being configured to filter air in the cooling space (207) .
2. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cooling section (102) comprises a heat exchanging device (323) and the heat exchanging device (323) is disposed below cooled photovoltaic devices in the cooling space (207) ; the filter system (105) comprises an air duct (461) , the air duct outlet (472) of the air duct (461) is connected with the air inlet (501) of the filter device (205) , the air duct inlet (471) of the air duct (461) is located inside the cooling space (207) and below photovoltaic devices, and the air duct (461) is configured to deliver air cooled by the heat exchanging device (323) into the filter device (205) .
3. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the sintering equipment further comprises an aerodynamic device, the aerodynamic device comprises at least one first air fan (370) , the filter system (105) is connected with the aerodynamic device, and the aerodynamic device is disposed at the air duct inlet (471) of the air duct (461) to guide air to the air inlet (501) of the filter device (205) .
4. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the sintering equipment further comprises a bellows (407) , the bellows (407) has a bellows inlet (411) and a bellows outlet (412) , the bellows inlet (411) is connected with the heat exchanging device (323) , the bellows outlet (412) communicates with the air duct (461) , the aerodynamic device is connected with the bellows (407) , and the aerodynamic device is configured to guide air to the heat exchanging device, then to the bellows inlet (411) and finally to the bellows outlet (412) .
5. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the heat exchanging device (323) comprises a heat exchange tube (408) , a cooling medium flows in the heat exchange tube (408) , airflow passages
(419) are provided in the heat exchanging device (323) , and the bellows
(407) is disposed below the heat exchanging device (323) .
6. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the filter device (205) further comprises at least one second air fan (509) disposed in the filter device housing (510) , the second air fan (509) is configured to provide power to guide air from the air inlet
(501) of the filter device housing (510) through the filter element
(508) so that air is filtered.
7. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the filter device housing (510) has a top wall (534 ) , a bottom wall (533) , a front wall (535) , a rear wall (536) , a left wall (531) and a right wall (532) , the air inlet (501) and the air outlet (502) are both disposed in the bottom wall (533) of the filter device housing (510) , the filter device housing (510) has a filter space (517) and an airflow output passage (519) , the air inlet (501) communicates with the bottom of the filter space (517) , the airflow output passage (519) enables the top of the filter space (517) to communicate with the air outlet (502) , and the filter element (508) is disposed in the filter space (517) .
8. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that a horizontal baffle (541) and a vertical baffle (542) are disposed in the filter device (205) , the vertical baffle (542) extends upward from between the air inlet (501) and the air outlet (502) in the bottom wall (533) of the filter device housing (510) and is a certain distance away from the top wall (534) of the filter device housing (510) , one side of the horizontal baffle (541) is connected with the vertical baffle (542) , the other side is connected with the left wall (531) of the filter device housing (510) , and the horizontal baffle (541) and the vertical baffle (542) are both connected with the front wall (535) and the rear wall (536) of the filter device housing (510) so that the horizontal baffle (541) and the vertical baffle (542) divide the internal space of the filter device housing (510) into a filter space (518) and an airflow output passage (519) , wherein, the horizontal baffle (541) has at least one interconnecting hole (565) and the airflow output passage (519) communicates with the filter space (518) through the interconnecting hole (565) .
9. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the filter element (508) comprises a level-1 filter cartridge (546) and a level-2 filter cartridge (547) , the level-1 filter cartridge (546) is disposed upstream in the airflow direction, the level-1 filter cartridge (546) is configured to filter out dust particles with a size greater than 5 pm in air, and the level-2 filter cartridge (547) is configured to filter out dust particles with a size greater than 0.5 pm in air .
10. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the at least one second air fan (509) is mounted at the at least one interconnecting hole (565) , and the at least one interconnecting hole (565) is provided at one end of the horizontal baffle (541) , close to the left wall (531) of the filter device housing (510) ; the airflow output passage (519) comprises a horizontal passage (525) located between the top wall (534) of the filter device housing (510) and the horizontal baffle (541) and a vertical passage (524) located between the vertical baffle (542) and the right wall (532) ; the filter device comprises a first guide plate (521) and a second guide plate (522) , the first guide plate (521) and the second guide plate (522) aslant extend from the top of the filter device housing (510) towards the left wall (531) and the right wall (532) , respectively, the first guide plate (521) is located above the interconnecting hole (565) , the second guide plate (522) is located above the vertical passage (524) , the first guide plate (521) is configured to guide the airflow from the second air fan (509) to the horizontal passage (525) , and the second guide plate (522) is configured to guide the airflow in the horizontal passage (525) to the vertical passage (524) .
11. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the filter device (205) further comprises a buffer plate (583) , and the buffer plate (583) extends upward from the bottom wall (533) of the filter device and inclines towards the air inlet (501) to at least partially block air coming in from the air inlet (501) .
12. The sintering equipment as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a filter device connecting opening (208) is provided at the top of the cooling section (102) , and the shape of the filter device connecting opening (208) matches the shape of the bottom wall (533) of the filter device housing (510) so that the filter device (205) can cover the filter device connecting opening (208) when the filter device (205) is connected to the cooling section (102) .
PCT/US2021/061089 2020-12-11 2021-11-30 Sintering equipment WO2022125325A2 (en)

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CN202011446655.3A CN114623683A (en) 2020-12-11 2020-12-11 Sintering equipment

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Cited By (1)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN115183584A (en) * 2022-07-14 2022-10-14 四川大学 Multistage flow equalization sintering device and method

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CN205023315U (en) * 2015-09-16 2016-02-10 江苏英富光电科技有限公司 Discharge mechanism of solar cell layer press
US20190249923A1 (en) * 2018-02-15 2019-08-15 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Methods and apparatus to provide closed loop control in a solar cell production system
CN110314441A (en) * 2018-03-30 2019-10-11 台湾积体电路制造股份有限公司 The method for the fluid that filter device and filtering use in semiconductor fabrication
CN209896100U (en) * 2019-07-04 2020-01-03 安徽正飞信息科技有限公司 LED packaging structure capable of being cooled rapidly

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN115183584A (en) * 2022-07-14 2022-10-14 四川大学 Multistage flow equalization sintering device and method
CN115183584B (en) * 2022-07-14 2023-08-11 四川大学 Multistage flow equalizing sintering device and method

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