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Solid-state batteries drying Equipment

Industrial drying machines are designed to remove moisture from your product. But the drying process must cater to variations in the state of matter and molecular structure of the input material. Industrial dryer technology exploits the modes of heat transfer (convection, conduction, radiation, evaporative cooling) to control the moisture content.

Drying

The inventor of the lithium-ion battery predicted that solid-state batteries would become commercially available by the mid-2020s, making them an attractive option for energy storage in a wide range of applications, including electric vehicles. This battery type promises a marked improvement in safety, power, and environmental impact compared to current battery packs that use a liquid electrolyte. However, recent breakthroughs in the lab don’t automatically translate into mass production. The complex processing requires specially-designed manufacturing technology to make solid-state batteries a real solution, especially for the automotive industry.

Solid-state batteries

For transferring highly active pharmaceutical ingredients (HAPI) without contamination from the isolator centrifuge to the next process step (e.g. vacuum tray dryer).


<h2>Simple and efficient handling within the isolator</h2>
The VTC isolator centrifuge from Ferrum is designed especially for the use in an isolator.

This allows the operator contamination-free transport of toxic active pharmaceutical ingredients (HAPI) from the centrifuge to the next process step (e.g. vacuum dryer).

The solids are discharged from the basket either manually or by means of a lifting device.

The system is Suitable for pilot plants as well as small production quantities in the pharmaceutical industry.

Isolator centrifuge

The battery industry requires high purity components. To obtain more than 99.5% lithium carbonate production-technologies must perform several complex steps. The lithium carbonate separation step uses a vertical peeler centrifuge to separate solid particles from liquid, where the scrapped solids are discharged through the bottom of the centrifuge vessel. It is suited for high throughput and flexibility in the filling, intensive washing, and solid discharge steps.


<h2>High rotating speed centrifuge filtering to separate mixtures</h2>
The RINA Serie 300 Vertical Automatic by Riera Nadeu are high rotating speed vertical centrifuges with automatic discharge dedicated to the solid-liquid separation of slurries. The RINA Serie 300 has two versions, particularly the 300 F filtering (“F” version) and the 300 D decanting basket (“D” version). The RINA 300F is a filtering version for separating mixtures such as lithium carbonate, oxalic acid, salicylic acid, and others. It is used when the solid suspension forms a permeable cake inside the drilled basket. The bottom of the centrifuge contains the solids automatically discharged during the scraping phase. The filtering version’s retention capacity can hold up to 55 to 1300 dm3 and varies from 500 up to 1800 mm basket diameter.

The RINA 300F is especially recommended for products requiring variable residence time when spinning and intensive washing. It features multiple configurations and working recipes, including blanketing, spinning, washing(s), automatic discharge, CIP, etc. As a result, the Rina 300F is easy to use, versatile, and low maintenance while also adaptable to work in an explosive hazardous area. It can also be manufactured in various materials, from basic steel to high-grade alloy.

Automatic centrifuge for lithium carbonate

Lithium hydroxide, a lithium compound used in making lithium batteries, is indispensable in various industries such as the pharmaceutical or chemical industry as well as for the battery market. To separate lithium crystals, centrifugation is an essential component in the production process. Continuous vertical centrifuges are most frequently used to process crystalline or fibrous solids as they provide high continuous throughput and provide a guided solid transport.


<h2>Separating of crystalline, granular, and fibrous particles in a liquid</h2>
The RINA 500F Vertical by Riera Nadeu is a continuous vertical filtering centrifuge fitted with a conical rotor for the solid-liquid separation of crystalline, granular, and fibrous product solutions. It is suitable for applications separating solutions of tartaric acid, lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate, metformin, APIs, and in the production of explosive powders. The RINA 500F attains a high filtration rate reaching solid concentrations ranging between 30% and 80% and particle sizes between 50 and 500 µm. Adjusting the feed rate and the speed difference of the epicycloid sets the centrifuge's residence time.

A distinct feature of the RINA 500F is its extremely high capacity over its compact dimension, low weight, and accessible, continuous operation mode. When necessary, the centrifuge can also be used to wash the cake (dewatered solids) and immediately separate the mother liquors and wash liquids using two different outlets. In addition, its high centrifugal force provides efficient solid dewatering and cake washing. The RINA 500F also works in a potentially explosive atmosphere. Therefore, it can be installed with other devices such as cooling systems, CIP, and alternative provisions to adapt to the expected process and existing conditions.

Continuous centrifuge for lithium hydroxide

In battery production, a critical phase entails mixing solids with liquids. To achieve optimal performance, minimizing agglomerates in the coating masses is vital. This necessitates a homogeneous dispersion of particles in the coating slurry, comprising solvents, binders, and adhesive materials. Nevertheless, traditional procedures continue to face persistent challenges, such as clumping and undissolved powder residues on unwetted tank surfaces.


<h2>Fully enclosed batch mixing system for fuel cell and battery</h2>
The CMX 2000 inline mixer from IKA incorporates powders into liquids in an enclosed and complete system. It mixes the liquid solvents homogeneously with solids ensuring consistent product and dispersion quality with concentrated energy input.

Featuring a dosing feeder for solids and recirculation technology, the solution limits the mixing process to one machine and reduces the potential for emissions.

The multi-level pump is designed to keep high-viscosity materials flowing without leaving deposits in the mixing container. The chemicals are recirculated to ensure consistent blending and prevent the formation of agglomerates in the final mix.

Solid may be fed with a bulk bag unloader, a hopper, sack-emptying boxes, or directly from the bag with a suction lance. The CMX 2000 is available for batch sizes between 2 and 5.000 liters.

Inline solid-liquid mixer for battery production

Landline telephones in the 1980s were minimalist gadgets that kept getting slimmer in the 1990s. In contrast, cell phones in the same period were bulky and cumbersome. And once they lost their charge, they turned into a giant paperweight. Then came a revolution in batteries and automation with lithium-ion battery manufacturing equipment. Mobile phones packed more power, recharged faster, and endured more recharge cycles. Above all, they were light and small, making cell phones the inseparable companions they are today. But Lithium-ion batteries power much more than phones. As a result, the world is seeing steady growth in battery manufacturing equipment and lithium-ion production lines.

Lithium-ion batteries

Built upon its world-leading laboratory equipment, IKA Process is a game changing manufacturer of dispersing machines, homogenizers, stirrers, jet flow agitators, and kneading machines.

Anything below a 50-micrometer speck of dust falls out of the visual acuity of the human eye. Yet, we can still perceive the effects of the things we cannot see.

The coating process for lithium-ion batteries is a case in point. The complex paste of binders, conductive agents, and active particles is coated a few micrometers thick on a conductor, but the presence of lumps can impair the batteries’ performance.

The critical process in achieving homogeneous coating slurry is mixing. However, mixing is never just mixing, as we’ve learned from Ralf Bürgelin, process expert at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ika-works" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IKA Process Equipment</a>. The most important factor is to get particles well dispersed and this can be accomplished by conducting the mixing process in-line.


<h2>Increase energy to keep solids apart</h2>
“<em>Ingredients like binders and carbon powders tend to agglomerate in liquid</em>,” Ralf explains. These materials float on the surface and clump together as soon as they are introduced to a liquid phase.

Agglomerate formation is a problem for all slurry materials, but battery coating layers are applied at the micrometric scale, and imperfections are significantly amplified. Aggregates can vary in size, ranging from large to small. Big aggregates can result in scratches on the coating surface, while small aggregates can decrease the battery's performance.

This is a main hurdle for conventional mixing to overcome. But IKA is no conventional technology provider: “<em>We solve the challenge of agglomeration by conducting the dispersion inline within a small chamber in a high turbulence zone</em>.” The intensity keeps the solid particles apart and distributes them uniformly throughout the liquid medium.
<h2>Reduce space in the mixing chamber to regulate particle motion</h2>
Besides energy, there is also the question of volume. When powders are released in large mixing vessels like planetary mixers, particles can escape. By contrast, IKA guides the liquid mixture in a small chamber where particles have no room to escape. This allows IKA to exert more precise control over the dispersal.

But doesn’t this high-energy mixing in a confined space generate excessive thermal stress on the materials?

“<em>Temperatures should not rise over 50° C</em>,” warns Ralf. In fact, the standard mixer from IKA operates at room temperature and rises to around 30-40 degrees as the mixture recirculates.

In line mixing, high turbulence, and a small chamber. These parameters are the levers that ensure a stable coating paste without agglomerates. Even though the active layer is smaller than a speck of dust, the quality of the lump-free coating is for all to see.

Saying goodbye to lumps in battery coating paste

Chemical

The battery revolution is as old as the industrial revolution. But batteries only emerged as a viable power source with lithium-ion solutions in the last quarter of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Today, anything from power tools to automobiles runs on batteries, but advances in battery making equipment are eyeing more ambitious undertakings. Will we ever see battery-powered container ships? Will Battery Energy Storage Systems grow grid-scale successfully? Production technology is steadily moving towards this vision.

Batteries

Due to their potential hazardous nature, chemicals are classified for proper identification and safety during production. Chemical classification depends on their properties, structures and functions. In the chemical industry, you can regard them as basic chemicals such as acids, chemical products to produce plastic materials and finished chemicals for use in cosmetology. As a manufacturer or engineer, you want to know their reactivity when using chemical processing equipment.

Chemicals

Powder containment is the cornerstone of chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Floating particles do not only represent efficiency loss but serious hazards too. Lack of tightness during the powder discharge process leads to cross-contamination and operational health risks.


<h3>Dock transfer systems squarely in place</h3>
The ASBV active/passive valve interface by Andocksysteme locks into position, minimizing exposure of material during powder discharge. The system has two split valves – one active, one passive – that can be easily and reliably centred on each other at a tolerance of ± 14 mm.

Once the units are docked, the valve discs open simultaneously, preventing exposure of the products during transfers. The dust-tight environment achieves contamination values lower than 1µg/m3.

The ASBV solution is fitted with EPDM seals and are optional with a wide range of materials, such as PTFE, offering top-range chemical resistance. All seals are made from FDA-approved materials and can handle a wide range of temperatures as well as explosion-proof executions.

Washing the ASBV interface is simple as the system can be connected to a WIP loop to flush out residual powders. These containment solutions serve applications with an exceptional performance and are easy to be integrated. Moreover, high quality parts and reduced complexity drives simple maintenance.

High containment split butterfly valve

Andocksysteme is a specialist in developing and engineering high-quality containment docking and solutions for bulk material.

In 2023, the New York City Fire Department mounted a 200-firefighter operation to put out a massive residential blaze. It was only one of 130 fires in a year caused by a lithium-ion battery failure.

LIB devices catch fire when dendrite formation punctures the membrane separating the electrodes, shorting the circuit. The thermal pressures that develop from this excessive flow of current only need milliseconds to release the energy packed in the battery cells and explode.

If a battery containing a few grams of chemical solutions is enough to mutate a phone into a pocket bomb, handling the materials in bulk can turn a battery production facility into an inferno.


<h3>Exposure to impurities is playing with fire</h3>
The risks of combustion are especially high during the discharge process. Many of the production steps are performed in a contained environment, but the dispensing areas expose the materials to the elements.

If airborne particles and oxygen come into contact with the mixture, they destabilize the delicate chemical composition. Given the power density per batch, a small amount of impurities is enough to generate unforeseen reactions that could quickly burst into flames.

But in theory, such accidents are preventable. Handling materials in a closed system should keep them away from contamination.

It is <a href="https://andocksysteme.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andocksysteme</a>’s job to translate this theory into practice. The containment technology company is at the forefront of safe handling solutions.
<h3>A closed system is as strong as its high-containment valve</h3>
The risk profile of battery production mixtures hinges directly on the valve interface. In fact, discharge stations are the Achilles heel of a closed system and quality valves keep the process safe.

The perfect valve technology for battery manufacturers involves multiple layers of protection against contamination. The construction material is critical, which is why Andocksysteme builds its interfaces from inert stainless steel.

Another crucial factor is seal technology. With a reliable locking mechanism and tight-fitting seals the active-to-passive valves match together perfectly to avoid cross-contamination of these toxic fine powders. Moreover, the valve system must integrate into an automatic dispensing process typically deployed by manufacturers.

Seamless high-volume production is vital to an industry that is growing so fast. Indeed, the LIB manufacturing market is on fire. The right containment technology ensures that hazardous substances (powders) are transferred safely and operators are well protected.

Material discharge should be no burning issue for battery manufacturers

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Solid-state batteries drying

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Solid-state batteries drying Equipment

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Isolator centrifuge

Automatic centrifuge for lithium carbonate

Continuous centrifuge for lithium hydroxide

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