Furnace atmosphere control for lithium-ion battery cathode material production
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsJingjing Cai, Paulina Weronika Kus, Liang He, Guido Plicht, David Millington
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling the atmosphere of a multizone calcination (firing) furnace for production of high-quality nickel-rich cathode material for lithium-ion and solid-state batteries. A high-quality oxygen-rich atmosphere is maintained to ensure the quality of the cathode material. An atmosphere control system continuously measures and analyzes the composition of the calcination furnace atmosphere in different zones and adjusts the flowrate of oxygen-rich atmosphere into the furnace to optimize the calcination process.
Claims11
A method of furnace atmosphere control for a calcination furnace for the production of a lithium ion battery cathode material, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) measuring a first oxygen concentration, a first moisture concentration and a first carbon dioxide concentration of an atmosphere inside a first zone of the calcination furnace;
- (b) measuring a second oxygen concentration, a second moisture concentration and a second carbon dioxide concentration of an atmosphere inside a second zone of the calcination furnace, wherein the second zone adjoins the first zone and a border between the first and second zones is located where a temperature of the atmosphere reaches a predetermined soaking temperature;
- (c) supplying an oxygen process gas comprising at least 50 percent oxygen by volume, independently, to the first and second zones of the calcination furnace;
- (d) controlling a flow rate of a first stream of oxygen process gas into the first zone as a function of at least one selected from the group of (i) the first oxygen concentration measured in step (a), (ii) the first moisture concentration measured in step (a), and (iii) the first carbon dioxide concentration measured in step (a);
- (e) controlling a flow rate of a second stream of oxygen process gas into the second zone as a function of at least one selected from the group of (i) the second oxygen concentration measured in step (b), (ii) the second moisture concentration measured in step (b), and (iii) the second carbon dioxide concentration measured in step (b);
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- (f) maintaining the flow rate of the first stream of oxygen process gas at or below the flow rate of the second stream of oxygen process gas, to prevent to prevent a gaseous flow from the first zone into the second zone.
A method of furnace atmosphere control for a calcination furnace for the production of a lithium ion battery cathode material, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) measuring a first oxygen concentration of an atmosphere inside a first zone of the calcination furnace;
- (b) measuring a second oxygen concentration inside a second zone of the calcination furnace, wherein the second zone adjoins the first zone and a border between the first and second zones is located where a temperature of the atmosphere reaches a predetermined soaking temperature;
- (c) supplying an oxygen process gas comprising at least 50 percent oxygen by volume, independently, to the first and second zones of the calcination furnace;
- (d) controlling a flow rate of a first stream of oxygen process gas into the first zone as a function of the first oxygen concentration measured in step (a);
- (e) controlling a flow rate of a second stream of oxygen process gas into the second zone as a function of the second oxygen concentration measured in step (b);
- and
- (f) maintaining the flow rate of the second stream of oxygen process gas at or below the flow rate of the first stream of oxygen process gas, to prevent to prevent a gaseous flow from the second zone into the first zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.