MULTI-CHANNEL WHEEL-RAIL TUNNEL KILN

Abstract

 A multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln, which belongs to the field of tunnel kilns. The tunnel kiln comprises a kiln body, two atmosphere regulating chambers, a kiln outer housing, and an atmosphere control device; the kiln outer housing encloses the kiln body; and the two atmosphere regulating chambers are respectively connected at both ends of the kiln body; and the atmosphere control device is provided on the kiln body. The tunnel kiln can achieve relatively high yields and can also provide better atmosphere control.

Description

Cross-References to Related Application

[0001] The present disclosure claims the priority to the Chinese patent application with the filling No. 2021100736814 entitled "Multi-Channel Wheel-Rail Tunnel Kiln" filed with the Chinese Patent Office on January 20, 2021, and the priority to the Chinese patent application with filling No. 2021201582734 entitled "Multi-Channel Wheel-Rail Tunnel Kiln" filed with Chinese Patent Office on January 20, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of tunnel kilns, in particular to a multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln.

Background Art

[0003] In the process of preparing the cathode materials for batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, the high-temperature calcination process determines the physical and chemical properties of the cathode materials to a considerable extent, which has a great impact on the performance of the finally assembled lithium-ion batteries. At present, continuous kilns are mostly used in the production of cathode materials, which are mainly tunnel kilns. Tunnel kilns are usually kilns with a tunnel structure having openings at both ends and built by refractory materials, thermal insulation materials and building materials, which can be implemented in a variety of forms, such as push plate tunnel kiln (simply as pusher kiln), roller tunnel kiln (simply as roller kiln), wheel-rail tunnel kiln (also known as kiln-car tunnel kiln), etc. High-temperature calcination is performed on the cathode materials through continuous kilns.

[0004] However, pusher kiln and roller kiln have a problem of relatively low yield. As a continuous kiln, the wheel-rail tunnel kiln has a higher yield comparing with the abovementioned two kilns, but it has problems such as poor gas tightness, thereby it is difficult to be applied to the production for the cathode materials with higher requirement on the calcination atmosphere.

Summary

[0005] In order to improve at least one of the problems of tunnel kiln yield and gas tightness, the purpose of the present disclosure is to propose a multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln.

[0006] The present disclosure is implemented as follows.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln, which includes: a kiln body, equipped with a furnace wall, a partition wall and a track, wherein the furnace wall defines a furnace chamber and is divided into at least two kiln chambers in one-to-one correspondence to the track by the partition wall, and the track is located inside the kiln chambers; the first atmosphere regulating chamber equipped with the first internal channel, which is connected with the furnace wall at the head of kiln through the first gastight gate, wherein the first internal channel is optionally communicated with or isolated from at least two kiln chambers through the first gastight gate; the second atmosphere regulating chamber equipped with the second internal channel, which is connected with the furnace wall at the kiln tail through the second gastight gate, wherein the second internal channel is optionally communicated with or isolated from at least two kiln chambers through the second gastight gate; the outer housing of kiln, which wraps the kiln body in a gastight manner; and the atmosphere control device, which has a gas injection mechanism and a gas extraction mechanism for linkage control of the atmosphere in at least two kiln chambers, wherein the gas injection mechanism and the gas extraction mechanism are independently arranged on the furnace wall and/or the partition wall, respectively.

[0008] Optionally, the tunnel kiln includes an outer housing of first regulating chamber hermetically enclosing the first atmosphere regulating chamber and an outer housing of second regulating chamber hermetically enclosing the second atmosphere regulating chamber. Optionally, both ends of the outer housing of the kiln are respectively hermetically connected to the outer housing of the first regulating chamber and the outer housing of the second regulating chamber.

[0009] Optionally, a first moving mechanism that is capable of mating with the track in a manner of abutting joint and is movable is arranged in the first internal channel; and/or a second moving mechanism that is capable of mating with the track in a manner of abutting joint and is movable is provided in the second internal channel.

[0010] Optionally, the first internal channel has a plurality of first sub-channels, which are consistent with the number of at least two kiln chambers and are independent of each other, and the first moving mechanism includes a plurality of first sub-moving mechanisms respectively located in the plurality of first sub-channels; and/or the second internal channel has a plurality of second sub-channels that are consistent with the number of at least two kiln chambers and are independent of each other, and the second moving mechanism includes a plurality of second sub-moving mechanisms respectively located in the plurality of second sub-channels.

[0011] Optionally, two adjacent kiln chambers share a partition wall.

[0012] Optionally, the gas injection port of the gas injection mechanism is disposed on the partition wall, and the gas extraction port of the gas extraction mechanism is disposed on the furnace wall.

[0013] Optionally, the gas injection port of the gas injection mechanism is arranged on the furnace wall, and the gas extraction port of the gas extraction mechanism is arranged on the partition wall; or the gas injection ports of the gas injection mechanism are respectively arranged on the furnace wall and the partition wall, and the gas extraction ports of the gas extraction mechanism are respectively arranged on the furnace wall and the partition wall.

[0014] Optionally, when the gas extraction port of the gas extraction mechanism is arranged on the partition wall, the gas extraction port leads to the gas outlet port from the bottom of the kiln body.

[0015] Optionally, the gas injection mechanism includes a plurality of gas injection groups arranged from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body, and each gas injection group includes a plurality of gas injection ports, wherein the plurality of gas injection ports are distributed on the section of the kiln body and arranged from the bottom of kiln to the kiln roof along the kiln body; and the gas extraction mechanism includes a plurality of gas extraction groups arranged from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body, and each gas extraction group includes a plurality of gas extraction ports, wherein the plurality of gas extraction ports are distributed on the section of the kiln body and arranged from the bottom of kiln to the kiln roof along the kiln body.

[0016] Optionally, on the section of the kiln body, the gas injection group and the gas extraction group are arranged oppositely; and/or along the direction from the kiln head to the kiln tail of the kiln body, on the partition wall or furnace wall from the same side, the gas injection groups in the gas injection mechanism and the gas extraction groups in the gas extraction mechanism are alternately arranged.

[0017] Optionally, at the bottom of kiln of the kiln body, the furnace wall is provided with a curved sealing groove, wherein the curved sealing groove is configured to be embedded by the carrier traveling in the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln.

[0018] Optionally, the carrier has a convex structure, and the convex structure can be embedded in the curved sealing groove.

[0019] Optionally, the section of the curved sealing groove is U-shaped, and the curved sealing groove extends from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body.

[0020] Optionally, small holes are evenly distributed on the curved sealing groove.

[0021] Optionally, the partition wall is provided with a gas distribution chamber and an injector, the gas distribution chamber is configured to make the gas dispersedly go through the gas injection ports and ejected through the injector.

[0022] Optionally, the first atmosphere regulating chamber and the second atmosphere regulating chamber are respectively equipped with a carrier driving device.

[0023] Optionally, the carrier driving device includes a towline and a hydraulic propeller.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0024] In order to illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clearly, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced as follow. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present disclosure, thus they should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope, and those of ordinary skill in the art can also obtain other related drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort.

Fig. 1 is a structural schematic front view of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a structural schematic view of a section of the kiln body of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a structural schematic top view of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a structural schematic top view of another multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5-a is a structural schematic view of the first gas control mode in the kiln body of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the embodiment of the present disclosure at a first viewing angle.

Fig. 5-b is a structural schematic view of the first gas control method in the kiln body of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the embodiment of the present disclosure at a second viewing angle.

Fig. 6-a is a structural schematic diagram of the second gas control mode in the kiln body of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the embodiment of the present disclosure at a first viewing angle.

Fig. 6-b is a structural schematic view of the second gas control mode in the kiln body of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the embodiment of the present disclosure at a second viewing angle.

Fig. 7-a is a structural schematic view of the third gas control mode in the kiln body of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the embodiment of the present disclosure at the first viewing angle.

Fig. 7-b is a structural schematic view of the third gas control mode in the kiln body of the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the embodiment of the present disclosure at a second viewing angle.

[0025] Reference numerals: 2-saggar; 4-furnace chamber; 5-entry gastight gate; 7-first gastight gate; 9-second gastight gate; 10-exit gastight gate; 11-electric heater; 12a-first moving mechanism; 12b-second moving mechanism; 13-towline; 14-hydraulic propeller; 15-track; 16-kiln roof; 24-first atmosphere regulating chamber; 25-second atmosphere regulating chamber; 26-outer housing of first regulating chamber; 27-outer housing of second regulating chamber; 28-outer housing of kiln; 31-gas distribution chamber; 32-injector; 32a-gas injection port; 33-gas injection mechanism; 101-gas extraction mechanism; 101a-gas extraction port; 171-left wall; 172-right wall; 173-partition wall; 900-curved sealing groove; 901-kiln chamber; 902-driving mechanism; 903-gas channel.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0026] The cathode materials of batteries such as lithium-ion batteries need to be calcined during the production process, and many other types of cathode materials such as high-nickel ternary or lithium iron phosphate have higher requirements for the calcination atmosphere during high-temperature calcination. Therefore, how to calcinate materials with high efficiency and high quality to make cathode materials is a problem that needs to be carefully considered.

[0027] In response to the above requirements, the inventor proposed a multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln after studying the existing calcination equipment (mainly tunnel kiln). It is worth pointing out that although the present disclosure proposes the tunnel kiln based on calcination to make cathode materials, the use of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. That is to say, the tunnel kiln is also suitable for calcination of other materials, such as calcination of ceramics, inorganic material powder or other alloy materials. Moreover annealing treatment and other operations can be performed as well. The present disclosure does not limit the application method of the tunnel kiln.

[0028] Referring to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln mainly includes a kiln body, two atmosphere regulating chambers (respectively referred to as the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 and the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 for convenience of distinction and description), the outer housing of kiln 28 and the atmosphere control device. The outer housing of kiln 28 encloses the kiln body in a gastight manner, so as to reduce or even completely avoid the adverse effect of interfering with the calcination atmosphere caused by outside gas entering the kiln body. The atmosphere control device is configured to adjust the atmosphere in the kiln body to meet the actual calcination requirements of the cathode material. For example, the atmosphere control device is configured to adjust the process gas required for calcination. Two of the atmosphere regulating chambers are respectively connected to the kiln head and the kiln tail of the kiln body, so as to adjust the gas during the process of conveying the cathode materials, to prevent the outside gas from entering the kiln body from the kiln head or the kiln tail and disturbing the calcination atmosphere. Moreover, through the structure of the atmosphere regulating chamber, the cathode material can be efficiently and quickly transported in the tunnel kiln without introducing interfering gases. Generally speaking, through the cooperation of various components in the tunnel kiln, cathode materials can be produced with high yield and high quality.

[0029] The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln can generally choose to use a kiln car as the conveying equipment (also called a carrier) for the cathode material. Moreover, in practical applications, calcining materials can be loaded on the carrier through various containers (such as the saggar 2). During the calcination operation, the container filled with calcining materials is placed on the carrier, and both enter the first atmosphere regulating chamber from outside the tunnel kiln together. After the atmosphere is adjusted in the first atmosphere regulating chamber, both enter the kiln body for calcination, and then enter the second atmosphere regulating chamber. Thereafter, the carrier leaves the second atmosphere regulating chamber for atmosphere adjustment, and the calcination process is completed.

[0030] Combined with the above processing flow, the followings are detailed description of each component in the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln.

[0031] The kiln body is extended from the kiln head (the entrance of the material to be calcined) to the kiln tail (the outlet of the material after calcination). Therefore, for the convenience of description, the direction from the kiln head to the kiln tail can be defined as the length direction, and at the same time, the section at any position in the aforementioned length direction is further defined as the width direction, that is, the direction from one side of the furnace wall to the other side of the furnace wall is defined as the width direction. The direction from the bottom of kiln to the kiln roof 16 is defined as the height direction. Fig. 1 shows the distribution of the components of the tunnel kiln in the length direction. Among them, two atmosphere regulating chambers are respectively located at the head and tail ends of the kiln body.

[0032] The kiln body is mainly composed of furnace walls, and has a furnace chamber 4 as shown in Fig. 1 defined by the enclosed furnace walls. The furnace walls include, for example, a left wall 171, a right wall 172 and a kiln roof 16, as shown in Fig. 2.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 2, a partition wall 173 is further provided in the furnace chamber 4, wherein the partition wall 173 is roughly located in the middle of the width direction of the kiln body, and certainly can also be located at other positions, which are not limited herein; and the upper part of the partition wall 173 is in contact (or combined) with the kiln roof 16, and the lower part of the partition wall 173 is in contact (or combined) with the gastight outer housing of the kiln bottom. Thus, the partition wall 173 divides the furnace chamber 4 into a plurality of channels independent of each other (so that the gases are isolated). The number of channels is at least two, and the number of channels varies according to the number of partition walls 173. In the illustrated structure of the present disclosure, one partition wall 173 is set inside the furnace chamber 4, and the furnace chamber 4 is divided into two kiln chambers 901. In practical applications, each kiln chamber 901 can have an independent partition wall 173 or two adjacent kiln chambers 901 can share one partition wall 173 (as shown in the embodiment in the present disclosure). In a specific embodiment, the construction method of the partition wall 173 can be adjusted as required, such as its thickness, shape and so on. By sharing the partition wall 173, the number of partition walls 173 can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the kiln, and improving the space utilization rate in the furnace chamber of the kiln body, which is conducive to calcining more materials; at the same time, this design also is helpful to centrally arrange various pipelines, etc.

[0034] By dividing the furnace chamber 4 of the kiln body into at least two kiln chambers 901 in a required number, each kiln chamber 901 can process different types of cathode materials, and the same type of cathode materials can certainly be processed at the same time, thereby improving the flexibility and conveniences of its use. For example, different kiln chambers 901 can be configured to produce different cathode materials, respectively, wherein the process gases required by the corresponding cathode materials are fed in respectively, and the respective cathode materials are transported, so as to realize simultaneous processing of different types of cathode materials. That is to say, by using the partition wall 173 to divide into a plurality of relatively independent kiln chambers 901, the tunnel kiln in some embodiments of the present disclosure can process different types of cathode materials at the same time or implement different calcination processes.

[0035] Track 15 is equipped in the furnace chamber 4 of the kiln body, referring to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. The track 15 is laid on the bottom of the kiln chamber 901. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the track 15 is built on the inner surface of the outer housing of kiln 28 at the bottom of the kiln chamber 901. In this case, the gastightness of the kiln body will not be affected by the track laid on the bottom of the kiln chamber 901. Optionally, the length of the track 15 can be limited within the kiln body without extending out of the kiln body. In addition, optionally, the number of tracks 15 is the same as the number of kiln chambers 901, that is, one track 15 is arranged in each kiln chamber 901. Certainly, in practical applications, additional arrangements such as spare tracks can also be provided in each kiln chamber 901, which is not limited herein.

[0036] The kiln body is surrounded by an outer housing of kiln 28 configured for sealing it. The outer housing of kiln 28 can be provided with through holes, grooves and other structures according to needs, so as to install various equipment. The installed equipment can be, for example, a gas injection pipe configured to inject gas into the kiln chamber 901 of the kiln body, or a gas exhaustion pipe for discharging gas from the kiln body to the outside of the tunnel kiln, etc. Alternatively, based on calcination needs, a heating device can be arranged in the kiln body, for example, an electric heater 11 is inserted into the furnace chamber from the outer housing of kiln 28 through the top of the furnace wall, referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. In practical application, the heating device can adopt heating rod and other forms to perform electrical heating, or can also adopt radiant tube to perform combustion heating. The heater can also be a product such as a resistance heater in specific implementation, which is not limited herein.

[0037] In addition, as a measure to improve the temperature distribution (thermal field) in the kiln body, appropriate structural modifications can also be made to the furnace wall of the kiln body. For example, in some examples, at the kiln bottom of the kiln body (or referred to as the position near the track 15), the structure of the furnace wall is modified to form a structure of the curved sealing groove 900 as shown in Fig. 2. That is, a curved sealing groove 900 is provided at the bottom of the furnace wall. The curved sealing groove 900 can cooperate with the carrier (as shown in Fig. 5-a, Fig. 6-a and Fig. 7-a), thereby the carrier can be separated during the traveling process, consequently minimizing the heat transfer from top to bottom without obstructing the normal movement of the carriers.

[0038] The kiln wall and the carrier are tightly fit, but a gap required for the thermal expansion of the material is preserved. Optionally, the size of the gap, for example, can be about 15 mm, certainly with no restriction, and the gap required for thermal expansion of materials can be flexibly set according to the actual situation. At the same time, the gap is configured to form a pressure difference between the above and below the carrier platform, so that the gas inlet pressure at the bottom of the carrier is slightly greater than the space pressure above the carrier platform, such that the curved sealing groove 900 forms a gas curtain, thereby preventing the exhaust gas inside the furnace chamber above the carrier platform from sinking to the low-temperature space below the carrier platform. The curved sealing groove 900 of the kiln wall can be selected to be spliced by multiple pieces of high-temperature refractory materials, and small holes are evenly distributed in the middle position, which are configured to inject a small amount of process gas to help strengthen the effect of the gas curtain.

[0039] As a structure that cooperates with the curved sealing groove 900 to realize isolation, the carrier can have a convex structure. When the carrier is moving on the track 15, optionally, the gear with a motor can be matched with the rack to realize that the carriers move on the track 15 by the driving mechanism 902, and the convex structure can be embedded in the curved sealing groove 900 as shown in Fig. 2. The section of curved sealing groove 900 can roughly be a U-shaped structure, and is arranged along the length direction of the kiln body, so as to allow the carrier to pass through the kiln body. The combination of the configuration of the curved sealing groove 900 and the refractory and thermal insulation materials laid on the carrier platform can prevent the high temperature in the furnace chamber above the carrier platform from being transferred to the space below the carrier platform, and thus prevent thermal damage to other components under the carrier platform.

[0040] The gastight design of the kiln body can be realized through the structure of the outer housing of kiln 28, but when the carrier enters and exits the kiln body, impurity gas or interfering gas or non-process gas may also be introduced from the outside, and consequently the atmosphere control in the kiln body is affected. Based on this case, one atmosphere regulating chamber is equipped at the kiln head and the kiln tail, respectively.

[0041] The furnace wall at the kiln head is connected to the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 through the first gastight gate 7. In order to replace the gas inside, a gastight gate, such as an entry gastight gate 5, is correspondingly provided at the entrance of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, as shown in Fig. 1. A first internal channel is arranged in the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, and communicates with the kiln chamber 901 of the kiln body through the first gastight gate 7 (which certainly can also be blocked). The first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 can replace the gas to the same process gas as in the kiln chamber, accordingly when the carrier enters the kiln chamber 901 from the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, impurity gas or interfering gas or non-process gas will not be introduced into the kiln chamber 901. Moreover, based on this, the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 has a gas adjustment system (not shown in the drawing). For example, the gas adjustment system can be realized by using conventional structures such as vacuum machines, blowers, and ventilation channels, which is not specifically limited and detailed in the present disclosure.

[0042] In addition, corresponding to a kiln body with multiple furnace chambers, the first internal channel of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 can be an independent channel, as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, in such equipment, the tunnel kiln can calcinate the same cathode material in different kiln chambers 901 at the same time. In some other embodiments, the tunnel kiln can calcinate different cathode materials in different kiln chambers 901 at the same time. For simultaneously calcining different cathode materials or calcining the same cathode material in different kiln chambers 901, when the calcination atmospheres used in different kiln chambers 901 are inconsistent, the above-mentioned first internal channel can be configured to have a plurality of first sub-channels that are consistent with the number of kiln chambers 901 and are independent of each other, as shown in Fig. 3. In these embodiments, the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 can be composed of two independent regulating chambers (the structure is shown in Fig. 3). In actual implementation, the two regulating chambers can also be connected to each other.

[0043] As some beneficial improvements, the tunnel kiln can also be provided with an outer housing of first regulating chamber 26, which wraps the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 in a gastight manner to enhance its gastightness. In addition, the end of the outer housing of kiln 28 can optionally be connected with the outer housing of first regulating chamber 26, such that the first gastight gate 7 can be sealed to deal with the possible gas leakage at the first gastight gate 7.

[0044] In addition, since the carrier needs to enter the kiln chamber 901 of the kiln body through the first internal channel of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, and the track 15 in the kiln body does not extend outside the kiln body, in order to make the carrier smoothly transported between outside the tunnel kiln and kiln body, a first moving mechanism 12a is set in the first internal channel, as shown in Fig. 1. The first moving mechanism 12a can move freely in the first internal channel (the left and right directions shown in the drawing), for example, along the direction from the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 to the kiln body, or along the direction from the kiln body to the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24. At the same time, the first moving mechanism 12a can also be docked with the track 15 in the kiln body, for example, the first moving mechanism 12a is docked with the end of the track 15.

[0045] As an optional embodiment, the first moving mechanism 12a includes a guide track and a driving device (not shown) adapted thereto. Therefore, the way that the first moving mechanism 12a docks with the track 15 in the kiln body can be that the end of the guide track is attached to and in contact with the end of the track 15, thereby substantially forming a "continuous" "road" for the carrier to move. After the delivery of the carrier into the kiln body is completed, the first moving mechanism 12a can move back, for example, move to the entrance of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, so as to wait for the next carrier outside the tunnel kiln. In addition, when the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 needs to perform gas replacement, the first moving mechanism 12a will stay at a designated position in the first internal channel, and the position where it stays will not affect the closure and sealing of the gastight gate on both sides of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24.

[0046] The quantity and installation position of the first moving mechanism 12a can be adjusted according to different configurations of the first internal channel of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24. For example, when multiple first sub-channels corresponding to the kiln chamber 901 of the kiln body are arranged in the first internal channel of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, multiple first moving mechanisms 12a can be correspondingly configured. In other words, one first moving mechanism 12a is arranged in each first sub-channel.

[0047] As an optional solution, in order to expediently "push" the carrier (such as kiln car) carrying the container (such as saggar 2) of calcined materials onto the first moving mechanism 12a in the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, or "push" the carrier from the first moving mechanism 12a in the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 into the kiln chamber 901 of the kiln body, a carrier driving device (such as conventional towline 13 and hydraulic propeller 14, referring to Fig. 1) can also be configured in the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24. The towline 13 is configured to drag the carrier outside the tunnel kiln to the first moving mechanism 12a in the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24; and the hydraulic propeller 14 is configured to push the carrier in the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 into the kiln chamber 901 of the kiln body.

[0048] Similar to the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, a second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 equipped with a second internal channel is provided at the kiln tail of the kiln body. Moreover, the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 is connected with the furnace wall at the kiln tail through the second gastight gate 9. In order to replace the gas therein, a gastight gate, such as the exit gastight gate 10, is correspondingly provided at the outlet of the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25. The second internal channel communicates with the kiln chamber 901 of the kiln body, so that the carrier can enter from the kiln tail. Moreover, corresponding to the way of use, the second internal channel can be an independent channel, or can be divided into a plurality of second sub-channels that are consistent with the number of kiln chambers 901 of the kiln body and independent of each other.

[0049] In addition, a second moving mechanism 12b (can be one or more) that can dock to and cooperate with the track 15 and is movable is provided in the second internal channel, which is configured to transfer the carrier from the kiln body. Therefore, the number of the second moving mechanism 12b can be set according to the configuration of the second internal channel, for example, the second moving mechanism 12b can be one (corresponding to the embodiment with one second sub-channel), or can be multiple (corresponding to the embodiment with multiple second sub-channels). Further, as mentioned above, in order to load or unload the carrier on the second moving mechanism 12b, two towlines 13 arranged in opposite directions can be provided in the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25; and one of them is configured to drag the carrier from the kiln body onto the second moving mechanism 12b of the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25, and the other is configured to drag the carrier from the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 to the outside of the tunnel kiln.

[0050] In some other embodiments, the outer surface of the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 can be wrapped by the outer housing of second regulating chamber 27 to improve gastightness. Further, the connection between the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 and the kiln tail of the kiln body can also be sealed through a gastight connecting piece, so as to deal with the gas leakage of the second gastight gate 9. In the foregoing description of the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25, if there are other structures and internal structures thereof that are not mentioned or detailed, those can refer to the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, which will not be repeated herein. All in all, the gastightness of the tunnel kiln can be further improved (to avoid being affected by interfering gases) by enclosing the two atmosphere regulating chambers with a gastight housing. The gastightness of the tunnel kiln can also be improved by connecting the outer housing of kiln covering the kiln body with the outer housing of regulating chamber, for example, to avoid possible gas leakage at the joint between the atmosphere regulating chamber and the gastight gate of the kiln body.

[0051] For the atmosphere control during the calcination process, the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln in the present disclosure is equipped with an atmosphere control device. The atmosphere control device mainly includes a gas injection mechanism 33 and a gas extraction mechanism 101, wherein the gas injection mechanism 33 is configured to inject process gas into the furnace chamber of the kiln body; and the gas extraction mechanism 101 is configured to extract waste gas, water vapor, etc. from the furnace chamber. For example, the gas injection mechanism 33 has a gas injection port 32a configured to inject process gas; and the gas extraction mechanism 101 has a gas extraction port 101a configured to discharge waste gas to the outside of the tunnel kiln (which can be combined with the exhaustion channel 101 for suction).

[0052] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the gas injection mechanism 33 and the gas extraction mechanism 101 can independently select the positions locating in the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln, and the convenience of installation, the control effect of atmosphere and temperature, etc. can be considered during the process of position selection. For example, both independently control the atmosphere in all the kiln chambers 901 through the furnace wall and the partition wall 173.

[0053] In some embodiments, the gas injection port 32a of the gas injection mechanism 33 is arranged on the partition wall 173, and the gas extraction port 101a of the gas extraction mechanism 101 is disposed on the furnace wall. Thus, in such embodiment, the process gas is ejected from the partition wall 173 into the furnace chamber, and passes through the saggar 2 loaded with the calcined material. The waste gas and so on are drawn from the furnace wall (mainly from the furnace wall along the width direction) and discharged. Moreover, in some improved embodiments, a gas distribution chamber 31 can be provided in the partition wall 173, which is configured to make the gas dispersedly go through the gas injection port 32a and sprayed out through the injector 32, referring to Fig. 5-a and Fig. 5-b.

[0054] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the gas injection port 32a of the gas injection mechanism 33 is disposed on the furnace wall, and the gas extraction port 101a of the gas extraction mechanism 101 is disposed on the partition wall 173. Therefore, the process gas is blown in from the furnace wall, enters the furnace chamber, passes through the saggar 2 loaded with calcined materials, then enters the partition wall 173, and is finally drawn out of the furnace chamber. Therefore, the above-mentioned injector 32 and the gas distribution chamber 31 can be arranged on the furnace wall (such as the left wall 171 and the right wall 172), referring to Fig. 6-a and Fig. 6-b.

[0055] Alternatively, the gas injection ports 32a of the gas injection mechanism 33 are respectively provided on the furnace wall and the partition wall 173, and the gas extraction ports 101a of the gas extraction mechanism 101 are respectively provided on the furnace wall and the partition wall 173, referring to Fig. 7-a and Fig. 7-b.

[0056] In some embodiments, when the gas extraction port 101a of the gas extraction mechanism 101 is arranged on the partition wall 173, the gas extraction port 101a can be selected to lead out from the bottom of the kiln body to the gas outlet port. That is, a gas channel 903 is provided at the bottom of the kiln body (as shown in Fig. 6-a and Fig. 7-a), and the end of the gas channel 903 forms a gas outlet port. The gas exhaustion port 101a communicates with the gas channel 903, and thus the waste gas can be discharged through the gas outlet port.

[0057] A plurality of gas injection port 32a of the gas injection mechanism 33 and a plurality of gas extraction port 101a of the gas extraction mechanism 101 can be set according to the needs, and based on the specific size and structure of the kiln body, a spatial placement is arranged properly, so as to realize uniform delivery of process gas and discharge waste gas for temperature control simultaneously.

[0058] For example, in the height direction of the kiln body, from the bottom of kiln to the kiln roof 16, the gas injection mechanism 33 has a plurality of gas injection ports 32a, and these gas injection ports 32a are arranged in layers at intervals. For convenience of description, these gas injection ports 32a can be referred to as a gas injection group. That is to say, each gas injection port 32a in one gas injection group is distributed at intervals along the section of the kiln body. At the same time, in the length direction of the kiln body, a plurality of gas injection groups of the gas injection mechanism 33 are distributed at intervals. That is, a plurality of gas injection groups is arranged from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body. In other words, the gas injection mechanism 33 includes a plurality of gas injection groups arranged from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body, and each gas injection group includes a plurality of gas injection ports 32a. The plurality of gas injection ports 32a are distributed on the section of the kiln body and are arranged from the bottom of kiln to the kiln roof along the kiln body.

[0059] Correspondingly, the gas extraction mechanism 101 can also be of a similar distribution manner. That is, the gas extraction mechanism 101 can have multiple gas extraction groups, and each gas extraction group is arranged in the direction from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body. Meanwhile, each gas extraction group has a plurality of gas extraction ports 101a. All the gas extraction ports 101a in the same gas extraction group are arranged along the height direction of the kiln body, from the kiln bottom to the kiln roof 16. In other words, the gas extraction mechanism 101 includes a plurality of gas extraction groups arranged from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body, and each gas extraction group includes a plurality of gas extraction ports. The plurality of gas extraction ports are distributed on the section of the kiln body and arranged from the bottom of the kiln to the kiln roof along the kiln body.

[0060] In some other embodiments, each gas extraction group shares one gas extraction port. In other words, the number of gas extraction ports of multiple gas extraction groups can be one or two or three or more.

[0061] In some embodiments, on the section of the kiln body, the gas injection groups and the gas extraction groups are arranged oppositely to each other. For example, in the width direction of the kiln body, the gas injection port 32a and the gas extraction port 101a are in the same direction. For example, the axis of the gas injection port 32a and the axis of the gas extraction port 101a are collinear, as shown in Fig. 6-b. Alternatively, the gas injection port 32a and the gas extraction port 101a also can be deviated from each other by a certain distance rather than strictly opposed to each other.

[0062] In the above embodiments, the case that all the gas injection ports 32a are located on the same side of the furnace wall or the partition wall 173 is mainly used as an example for description. For example, the left furnace wall in the width direction of the kiln body is only provided with the gas injection port 32a, and the right furnace wall in the width direction of the kiln body is only provided with the gas injection port 32a, and at the same time, the partition wall 173 in the kiln body is only provided with the gas extraction port 101a. Alternatively, only the gas extraction port 101a is provided on the left furnace wall in the width direction of the kiln body, only the gas extraction port 101a is provided on the right furnace wall in the width direction of the kiln body, and at the same time, the partition wall 173 in the kiln body is only provided with a gas injection port 32a. It should be noted that "only provide" is for the gas injection port 32a and the gas extraction port 101a. It should be understood that various other devices, such as gas sensors, temperature sensors, dampers, etc., can be installed on the partition wall 173 and the furnace wall, which are not limited herein.

[0063] In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the gas injection ports 32a of the gas injection mechanism 33 and the gas extraction ports 101a of the gas extraction mechanism 101 can be alternately arranged along the length direction of the kiln body. For example, the furnace wall has both the gas injection port 32a and the gas extraction port 101a; or the partition wall has both the gas injection port 32a and the gas extraction port 101a; or a combination of both. More specifically, in the length direction of the kiln body, gas injection groups and gas extraction groups can be arranged alternately, as shown in Fig. 7-b. The alternate arrangement of the gas injection group and the gas extraction group helps to improve the balance of the heat field and the gas flow field in the kiln chamber of the kiln body, consequently improving the consistency of the overall temperature and atmosphere.

[0064] During the calcination process, process gas is injected into the kiln chamber 901 of the kiln body. The type of process gas mainly depends on the material to be calcined and is not limited herein.

[0065] Outside the tunnel kiln, the saggars 2 are filled with cathode materials and are stacked on a carrier. The carrier is then moved closely to the entrance of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24. The entry gastight gate 5 of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 is opened, the first moving mechanism 12a therein moves toward the entrance of the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24, and the towline 13 drags the carrier on the first moving mechanism 12a in the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24. Then the entry gastight gate 5 is closed, the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 is closed, the atmosphere therein is replaced with the same atmosphere as that in the kiln body, and then the first gastight gate 7 between the first atmosphere regulating chamber and the kiln body is opened. The first moving mechanism 12a moves toward the kiln body, thereby docking with the track 15 in the kiln body. Then, the carrier and the saggar 2 are pushed onto the track 15 in the kiln body by the hydraulic propeller 14, the first moving mechanism 12a returns to the designated position, and the airtight first gastight gate 7 is closed. The following carriers that subsequently enter the kiln body through the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 can push the anterior carriers that previously entered the kiln body to move forward (toward the kiln tail). As the carriers enter the kiln body from the first atmosphere regulating chamber 24 one after another, the carrier that first enters the kiln body is pushed to the kiln tail. At this time, the gas in the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 can be replaced with the same atmosphere as that in the kiln body. Then, the airtight second gastight gate 9 between the kiln body and the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 is opened, the second moving mechanism 12b moves to the kiln tail and docks with the track 15 at the kiln tail, and then the carrier at the kiln tail is dragged onto the second moving mechanism 12b that is in the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 by using the towline 13. Then, the second moving mechanism 12b moves to the exit position of the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25, and the second gastight gate 9 is closed. The exit gastight gate 10 of the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 is opened, and the carrier is dragged out by another towline 13, finally the exit gastight gate 10 is closed, and the second atmosphere regulating chamber 25 performs gas replacement to ready for receiving the next carrier.

[0066] In summary, the tunnel kiln proposed by the present disclosure at least includes the main advantages as follow.

[0067] Firstly, in the tunnel kiln proposed by the present disclosure, the atmosphere regulating chambers are respectively connected to the kiln head and the kiln tail of the kiln body through gastight gates. Therefore, when conveying materials, the two atmosphere regulating chambers can adjust the atmosphere, then the materials is moved in or out of the kiln body, so that unnecessary gases (such as impurity gases) will not be introduced into the kiln body during the material conveying process. At the same time, the kiln body can be sealed by the outer housing of kiln, and the outside world interfering with the atmosphere in the kiln body is also isolated.

[0068] The combination of the structural design isolating the influence of interfering gases and the structural design efficiently conveying materials can make the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln have a greater output. Moreover, since multiple channels are provided, when an accident occurs in one channel and production needs to be stopped for maintenance, the normal production of the other channels will not be affected, thus less production capacity losses. Moreover, multiple channels can be adapted for performing simultaneous calcination treatment on the different materials, then subsequent steps for processing these different materials such as mixing can be directly carried out. That is, the problem of low efficiency of serial calcination treatment can be effectively overcome by parallel calcination treatment.

[0069] Optionally, the gastightness of the tunnel kiln can be further improved (to avoid being affected by interfering gases) by wrapping the two atmosphere regulating chambers with a gastight housing. The gastightness of the tunnel kiln can also be improved by connecting the outer housing of kiln wrapping the kiln body with the outer housing of the regulating chambers. For example, possible gas leakage happening at the joint between the atmosphere regulating chamber and the gastight gate of the kiln body is avoided.

[0070] Optionally, the internal channels of the atmosphere regulating chamber are correspondingly set as multiple independent sub-channels based on the structure manner of the kiln chamber of the kiln body, so as to facilitate the implementation of the calcination operations in different channels according to different calcination requirements as needed. For example, different atmospheres are injected into different kiln chambers to calcinate different materials.

[0071] Optionally, by sharing a partition wall with two adjacent kiln chambers, the number of partition walls can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the kiln and improving the space utilization rate in the furnace chamber in the kiln body, which is beneficial to the calcination of more materials; at the same time, this design is also conducive to centrally arranging various pipelines and so on.

[0072] Optionally, the gas injection groups and the gas extraction groups can be arranged alternately in the length direction of the kiln body, as shown in Fig. 7-b. The alternate arrangement of the gas injection group and the gas extraction group helps to improve the balance of the heat field and the air flow field in the kiln chamber of the kiln body, accordingly improving the consistency of the overall temperature and atmosphere.

[0073] Optionally, the furnace wall is provided with a curved sealing groove, and the configuration of the curved sealing groove cooperates with the refractory and thermal insulation materials laid on the carrier platform to prevent the high temperature in the furnace chamber above the carrier platform from being transferred to the space below the carrier platform, thereby preventing thermal damage to other components beneath the carrier platform.

[0074] In the above description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "up", "low", "left", "right", "inner", "outer" and so on are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, or the generally placed orientations or positional relationships of the product of the present disclosure in use, which is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred devices or elements must be in certain orientations or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, thus should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. In addition, the terms "first", "second" and so on are only used for distinguishing descriptions, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0075] In the description of the present disclosure, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly stipulated and limited, the terms "provide", "install", "link" and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, it can also be a detachable connection or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediary, and it can be the internal communication of two components. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure in specific situations.

[0076] In the present disclosure, all the examples, embodiments and features of the present disclosure can be combined with each other in the absence of contradiction or conflict. In the present disclosure, conventional equipment, devices, components, etc., can be purchased commercially, or can be self-made according to the content disclosed in the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, in order to highlight the key points of the present disclosure, some conventional operations, equipment, devices, and components are omitted or only simply described.

[0077] The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and changes can be made in the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure shall be included within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Industrial Applicability

[0078] The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln of the present disclosure does not introduce unnecessary gas (such as impurity gas) into the kiln body during the transportation of materials, and at the same time isolates the outside world from interfering with the atmosphere in the kiln body. Therefore, combining the structural design isolating the influence of interfering gases and the structural design efficiently conveying materials, the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln can have a greater yield.

Claims

1. A multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln, characterized in that the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln comprises:

a kiln body, equipped with furnace walls, partition walls and tracks, wherein the furnace walls define a furnace chamber and are divided into at least two kiln chambers in one-to-one correspondence to the tracks by the partition walls, and the tracks are located inside the kiln chambers;

a first atmosphere regulating chamber provided with a first internal channel, which is connected to the furnace walls at a kiln head through a first gastight gate, wherein the first internal channel is communicated with or isolated from the at least two kiln chambers through the first gastight gate;

a second atmosphere regulating chamber provided with a second internal channel, which is connected to the furnace walls at a kiln tail through a second gastight gate, wherein the second internal channel is communicated with or isolated from the at least two kiln chambers through the second gastight gate;

an outer housing of kiln, hermetically wrapping the kiln body; and

an atmosphere control device, provided with a gas injection mechanism and a gas extraction mechanism for linkage control of an atmosphere in the at least two kiln chambers, wherein the gas injection mechanism and the gas extraction mechanism are independently arranged on the furnace walls and/or the partition walls, respectively.

2. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 1, wherein the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln comprises an outer housing of first regulating chamber hermetically wrapping the first atmosphere regulating chamber, and an outer housing of second regulating chamber hermetically wrapping the second atmosphere regulating chamber.

3. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 2, wherein two ends of the outer housing of kiln are hermetically connected to the outer housing of first regulating chamber and the outer housing of second regulating chamber, respectively.

4. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a first moving mechanism that is capable of mating with the tracks in a manner of abutting joint and is movable is arranged in the first internal channel; and/or
a second moving mechanism that is capable of mating with the tracks in a manner of abutting joint and is movable is arranged in the second internal channel.

5. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first internal channel is provided with a plurality of first sub-channels that are consistent with the number of the at least two kiln chambers and independent of each other; and/or
the second internal channel is provided with a plurality of second sub-channels that are consistent with the number of the at least two kiln chambers and independent of each other.

6. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 5, wherein a first moving mechanism that is capable of mating with the tracks in a manner of abutting joint and is movable is arranged in the first internal channel, and the first moving mechanism comprises a plurality of first sub-moving mechanisms respectively located in the plurality of first sub-channels; and/or
a second moving mechanism that is capable of mating with the tracks in a manner of abutting joint and is movable is arranged in the second internal channel, and the second moving mechanism comprises a plurality of second sub-moving mechanisms respectively located in the plurality of second sub-channels.

7. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein gas injection ports of the gas injection mechanism are arranged on the partition walls, and gas extraction ports of the gas extraction mechanism are arranged on the furnace walls; or

the gas injection ports of the gas injection mechanism are arranged on the furnace walls, and the gas extraction ports of the gas extraction mechanism are arranged on the partition walls; or

the gas injection ports of the gas injection mechanism are respectively arranged on the furnace walls and the partition walls, and the gas extraction ports of the gas extraction mechanism are respectively arranged on the furnace walls and the partition walls.

8. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 7, wherein when the gas extraction ports of the gas extraction mechanism are located at the partition walls, a gas outlet port is led out from a bottom of the kiln body through the gas extraction ports.

9. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 7, wherein the gas injection mechanism comprises a plurality of gas injection groups arranged from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body, and each of the gas injection group comprises the plurality of gas injection ports, wherein the plurality of gas injection ports are distributed in a section of the kiln body and arranged from a bottom of the kiln to a kiln roof along the kiln body; and/or
the gas extraction mechanism comprises a plurality of gas extraction groups arranged from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body, and each of the gas extraction groups comprises the plurality of gas extraction ports, wherein the plurality of gas extraction ports are distributed in the section of the kiln body and arranged from the bottom of the kiln to the kiln roof along the kiln body.

10. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 9, wherein the gas injection groups are arranged oppositely to the gas extraction groups on the section of the kiln body; and/or
in a direction from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body, on a partition wall or a furnace wall of the same side, the gas injection groups in the gas injection mechanism and the gas extraction groups in the gas extraction mechanism are arranged alternately.

11. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein at a bottom of the kiln body, the furnace walls are provided with a curved sealing groove, wherein the curved sealing groove is configured to be embedded by a carrier traveling in the multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln; and/or
two adjacent kiln chambers share one partition wall.

12. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 11, wherein the carrier has a convex structure, and the convex structure can be embedded in the curved sealing groove.

13. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 12, wherein a section of the curved sealing groove is U-shaped, and the curved sealing groove extends from the kiln head to the kiln tail along the kiln body.

14. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein small holes are evenly distributed on the curved sealing groove.

15. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein gas distribution chambers and injectors are arranged on the partition walls, and the gas distribution chambers are configured to make a gas dispersedly go through the gas injection ports and ejected through the injectors.

16. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the first atmosphere regulating chamber and the second atmosphere regulating chamber are respectively equipped with a carrier driving device.

17. The multi-channel wheel-rail tunnel kiln according to claim 16, wherein the carrier driving device comprises a towline and a hydraulic propeller.

Drawing