Patent Description:
The present disclosure relates to an electrode drying system, and more particularly, to an electrode drying system in which energy efficiency may be improved.

As technology development and demand for mobile devices have increased, the demand for secondary batteries as energy sources have rapidly increased. A secondary battery essentially includes an electrode assembly as a power generation element. An electrode assembly has a structure in which a positive electrode, a separator, and a negative electrode are stacked at least once, and the positive electrode and the negative electrode are manufactured by applying and drying a positive electrode active material slurry and a negative electrode active material slurry on current collectors formed of an aluminum foil and a copper foil, respectively. <CIT> discloses an electrode drying device. <CIT> discloses a drying furnace equipment for drying treatment of an electrode sheet. <CIT> discloses a fresh air pretreatment system for an oven for lithium battery manufacturing. <CIT> discloses a drying method suitable for drying a coating film, for example, in the process of electrode manufacturing. <CIT> discloses a drying apparatus. <CIT> discloses a control system for an industrial dryer. <CIT> discloses a method and apparatus for drying coated webs.

<FIG> is a view schematically illustrating a conventional electrode drying system.

Referring to <FIG>, air supplied through an air supply fan <NUM> is provided to a drying oven <NUM> to dry electrodes, and then is discharged to the outside through an exhaust fan <NUM>.

However, because the air discharged to the outside through the exhaust fan <NUM> after drying the electrodes in the drying oven <NUM> is high-temperature air, when the high-temperature air is discharged to the outside, a large amount of energy is also discharged, thereby leading to a waste of energy.

Also, because a negative electrode among the electrodes uses water as a solvent, the air discharged to the outside through the exhaust fan <NUM> after drying the electrodes in the drying oven <NUM> contains a lot of moisture.

Because a humidity of air supplied to the drying oven <NUM> is an important factor greatly affecting electrode drying quality along with a temperature, there is a demand for a method of reusing high-temperature and humid air discharged from the drying oven <NUM> in order to reduce a drying deviation according to a seasonal temperature or humidity difference.

The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing an electrode drying system in which energy efficiency may be improved by reusing at least part of discharged air.

The invention is an electrode drying system according to claim <NUM>.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrode drying system including a drying oven configured to dry a solvent in an electrode active material slurry on an electrode sheet in which the electrode active material slurry is applied to a current collector, an air supply member configured to supply air to the drying oven, and a ventilation member configured to discharge air from the drying oven, wherein at least part of air discharged from the ventilation member is introduced into the air supply member again.

The air supply member and the ventilation member communicate with each other.

The electrode drying system may include a vent member located between the ventilation member and the air supply member and configured to discharge part of air discharged from the ventilation member to outside.

The electrode drying system may include a humidity sensor located between the air supply member and the drying oven, a humidifying member provided to humidify air according to a humidity, and a control member configured to control the humidifying member according to a humidity detected by the humidity sensor.

The electrode drying system may include a temperature sensor located between the air supply member and the drying oven, a heater configured to heat air according to a temperature, and a control member configured to control the heater according to a temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

The electrode drying system may further include a flow rate control valve provided between the ventilation member and the air supply member and configured to control a flow rate of air discharged from the ventilation member.

The flow rate control valve may include at least one of an automatic control valve whose opening rate is automatically controlled by the control member and a manual control valve whose opening rate is manually controlled by an operator.

The vent member may include a first vent member connected to the automatic control valve, wherein the automatic control valve includes a first automatic control valve provided between the ventilation member and the air supply member, and a second automatic control valve provided between the ventilation member and the first vent member, wherein the first automatic control valve and the second automatic control valve are arranged to be orthogonal to each other.

The vent member may include a second vent member connected to the manual control valve, wherein the manual control valve includes a first manual control valve provided between the ventilation member and the air supply member, and a second manual control valve provided between the ventilation member and the second vent member, wherein the first manual control valve and the second manual control valve are arranged to be orthogonal to each other.

The electrode drying system includes a drain member provided between the ventilation member and the air supply member.

The drain member is provided in a drain duct inclined downward from the ventilation member and inclined downward from the air supply member.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, at least part of high-temperature and humid air discharged from a ventilation member is introduced into an air supply member and is reused, thereby improving energy efficiency.

The size of each element or a specific portion of the element shown in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted or schematically drawn for the purpose of convenience and clarity of explanation. Accordingly, the size of each element may not substantially reflect its actual size. While describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related well-known functions or configurations that may blur the points of the present disclosure are omitted.

Also, in the present specification, it will be understood that when elements are "connected" or "coupled" to each other, the elements may be directly connected or coupled to each other, or may be indirectly connected or coupled to each other with an intervening element therebetween.

<FIG> is a view schematically illustrating an electrode drying system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view schematically illustrating a portion A of <FIG>, especially illustrating a state where a ventilation member and an air supply member are connected to each other.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, an electrode drying system <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a drying oven <NUM>, an air supply member <NUM>, and a ventilation member <NUM>.

The drying oven <NUM> is provided to dry a solvent in an electrode active material slurry on an electrode sheet (not shown). As described above, a positive electrode and a negative electrode include electrode sheets (not shown) formed by applying electrode active material slurries, that is, a positive electrode active material slurry and a negative electrode active material slurry, on current collectors formed of an aluminum foil and a copper foil, respectively.

Because a solvent corresponding to a liquid component is included in the electrode active material slurry, the solvent included in the electrode active material slurry is dried in the drying oven <NUM>. The drying oven <NUM> has a receiving space in which an electrode may be accommodated, and when the electrode is accommodated in the receiving space, hot air is sprayed to the electrode to dry the electrode.

The drying oven <NUM> is connected to the air supply member <NUM>, and receives air from the air supply member <NUM>. Because air supplied to the drying oven <NUM> through the air supply member <NUM> is high-temperature and humid air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> and introduced into the air supply member <NUM> again, the air may be used in the drying oven <NUM>.

A humidifying member <NUM> is provided between the drying oven <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM>, and air supplied from the air supply member <NUM> to the drying oven <NUM> is supplied with moisture by the humidifying member <NUM> and is sprayed to an electrode when necessary.

Also, a heater <NUM> is provided between the drying oven <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM>, and air supplied from the air supply member <NUM> to the drying oven <NUM> is heated by the heater <NUM> and is sprayed to the electrode.

Air supplied from the air supply member <NUM> to the drying oven <NUM> to dry the electrode is discharged through the ventilation member <NUM>.

The air supply member <NUM> supplies air to the drying oven <NUM>. The air supply member <NUM> may include an air supply duct <NUM> through which air moves, and an air supply fan <NUM> coupled to the air supply duct <NUM>. That is, after external air moves to the air supply duct <NUM> due to an operation of the air supply fan <NUM>, the external air is supplied to the drying oven <NUM> connected to the air supply duct <NUM>.

The air supply member <NUM> is connected to the ventilation member <NUM>. That is, the air supply member <NUM> and the ventilation member <NUM> communicate with each other, and air supplied from the air supply member <NUM> to the drying oven <NUM> to dry the electrode and discharged to the ventilation member <NUM> may be supplied to the drying oven <NUM> again through the air supply member <NUM>.

In this case, all of the air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> may move to the air supply member <NUM>, or only part of the air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> may move to the air supply member <NUM>.

A circulation fan <NUM> and a filter <NUM> may be provided between the air supply member <NUM> and the drying oven <NUM>.

The ventilation member <NUM> is connected to the air supply member <NUM>, and air moving from the drying oven <NUM> is discharged through the ventilation member <NUM>. As described above, the ventilation member <NUM> may be connected to the air supply member <NUM> and may be configured so that all or part of air discharged through the ventilation member <NUM> moves to the air supply member <NUM>.

The ventilation member <NUM> may include an exhaust duct <NUM> through which air is discharged, and an exhaust fan <NUM> coupled to the exhaust duct <NUM>. Due to an operation of the exhaust fan <NUM>, air may move from the exhaust duct <NUM> to the air supply duct <NUM>, or air may be discharged from the exhaust duct <NUM> to the outside.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, a vent member <NUM> is located between the ventilation member <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM>, and is provided to discharge part of air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> to the outside. That is, as described above, when the ventilation member <NUM> is provided so that only part of air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> moves to the air supply member <NUM>, the remaining air that does not move to the air supply member <NUM> is discharged to the outside through the vent member <NUM>.

The vent member <NUM> may include a first vent member <NUM> and a second vent member <NUM>. The first vent member <NUM> is connected to an automatic control valve <NUM> described below, and the second vent member <NUM> is connected to a manual control valve <NUM>.

The electrode drying system <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a humidity sensor <NUM>, the humidifying member <NUM>, and a control member <NUM>. The electrode drying system <NUM> may also include a temperature sensor <NUM> and the heater <NUM>.

The humidity sensor <NUM> is located between the air supply member <NUM> and the drying oven <NUM> and measures a humidity of air moving to the drying oven <NUM>. The humidifying member <NUM> is provided to humidify air according to the humidity. The control member <NUM> is provided to control the humidifying member <NUM> according to the humidity detected by the humidity sensor <NUM>.

The temperature sensor <NUM> is located between the air supply member <NUM> and the drying oven <NUM> and measures a temperature of air moving to the drying oven <NUM>. The heater <NUM> is provided to heat air according to the temperature. The control member <NUM> is provided to control the heater <NUM> according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor <NUM>.

When the electrode is dried in the drying oven <NUM>, both a temperature and a humidity of air are important factors affecting the quality of the electrode. However, because there is a temperature or humidity difference according to weather or season (in particular, summer and winter), non-drying or over-drying may occur during drying of the electrode.

For example, when both a humidity and a temperature of air are set based on summer, in winter, the humidifying member <NUM> for increasing a humidity of air supplied to the drying oven <NUM> is required and the heater <NUM> for increasing a temperature of air supplied to the drying oven <NUM> is also required.

However, because both the humidifying member <NUM> and the heater <NUM> need energy, the electrode drying system <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure moves high-temperature and humid air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> to the air supply member <NUM> again and supplies the air to the drying oven <NUM> to reuse the air.

However, because the control member <NUM> controls the humidifying member <NUM> and the heater <NUM> according to a humidity and a temperature measured by the humidity sensor <NUM> and the temperature sensor <NUM> and uses the humidifying member <NUM> and the heater <NUM> only when necessary, the use of the heater <NUM> and the humidifying member <NUM> may be reduced, and thus, power consumption by the heater <NUM> and the humidifying member <NUM> may be reduced, thereby improving energy efficiency.

Referring to <FIG>, a flow rate control valve <NUM> is provided between the ventilation member <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM> to control a flow rate of air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM>.

The flow rate control valve <NUM> may include at least one of the automatic control valve <NUM> whose opening rate is automatically controlled by the control member <NUM> and the manual control valve <NUM> whose opening rate is manually controlled by an operator.

The automatic control valve <NUM> may include a first automatic control valve <NUM> and a second automatic control valve <NUM>. The first automatic control valve <NUM> is provided between the ventilation member <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM>. The second automatic control valve <NUM> is provided between the ventilation member <NUM> and the first vent member <NUM>.

The first automatic control valve <NUM> and the second automatic control valve <NUM> may be orthogonal to each other, accurately move air in any one of a direction in which the air is discharged to the outside and a direction in which the air is supplied to the drying oven <NUM>.

The manual control valve <NUM> may include a first manual control valve <NUM> and a second manual control valve <NUM>. The first manual control valve <NUM> is provided between the ventilation member <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM>. The second manual control valve <NUM> is provided between the ventilation member <NUM> and the second vent member <NUM>.

The first manual control valve <NUM> and the second manual control valve <NUM> may be orthogonal to each other, to accurately move air in any one of a direction in which the air is discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> to the outside and a direction in which the air is supplied to the drying oven <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a drain duct <NUM> is inclined downward from the exhaust duct <NUM> of the ventilation member <NUM>, and is also inclined downward from the air supply duct <NUM> of the air supply member <NUM>.

A drain member <NUM> is provided between the ventilation member <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM> in the drain duct <NUM>.

As described above, because air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> is high-temperature and humid air, condensation may occur in various ducts including the air supply duct <NUM> and the exhaust duct <NUM> in winter. Also, in order to discharge the condensation, the drain duct <NUM> is provided between the air supply duct <NUM> and the exhaust duct <NUM> and the drain member <NUM> discharges the condensation through the drain duct <NUM>.

That is, the drain duct <NUM> for discharging condensation occurring when the ventilation member <NUM> is connected to the air supply member <NUM> may not be required when the ventilation member <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM> are not connected to each other.

The operation and effect of the electrode drying system <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to <FIG>, because the ventilation member <NUM> and the air supply member <NUM> communicate with each other, high-temperature and humid air moving to the drying oven <NUM> through the air supply member <NUM> to dry an electrode and then discharged to the ventilation member <NUM> may move to the drying oven <NUM> again through the air supply member <NUM> and may be used to dry the electrode.

That is, because air discharged from the ventilation member <NUM> is reused to dry the electrode, the humidifying member <NUM> and the heater <NUM> may be used only when necessary, thereby improving energy efficiency.

Claim 1:
An electrode drying system (<NUM>) comprising:
a drying oven (<NUM>) configured to dry a solvent in an electrode active material slurry on an electrode sheet in which the electrode active material slurry is applied to a current collector;
an air supply member (<NUM>) configured to supply air to the drying oven (<NUM>); and
a ventilation member (<NUM>) configured to discharge air from the drying oven (<NUM>),
wherein at least part of air discharged from the ventilation member (<NUM>) is introduced into the air supply member (<NUM>) again;
wherein the air supply member (<NUM>) and the ventilation member (<NUM>) communicate with each other;
and wherein the electrode drying system (<NUM>) further comprises a drain member (<NUM>) provided between the ventilation member (<NUM>) and the air supply member (<NUM>),
characterized in that
the drain member (<NUM>) is provided in a drain duct (<NUM>) inclined downward from the ventilation member (<NUM>) and inclined downward from the air supply member (<NUM>).