S&L's Advanced Mixing and Reactor Solutions for Lithium-ion Battery Anode Materials

Background

In the face of the ever-tightening traditional energy supply and mounting environmental protection pressures, new energy has emerged as a pivotal strategy in China. This encompasses various forms such as wind energy, solar energy, biomass energy, nuclear energy, and automotive new energy. Since 2017, S&L has been playing a crucial role by supplying highly efficient mixing equipment. This equipment has been utilized in the production of cathode active materials (CAM), cathode material precursors (PCAM), anode materials, lithium iron phosphate, and ternary lithium batteries for leading electric vehicle battery raw materials companies. Some of these notable companies include Ronbay Technology, Shanshan Technology, Umicore Group, and Beijing Easpring Material Technology.

The New Energy Vehicle Power Battery Industry Chain

The power battery for new energy vehicles is essentially a lithium-ion battery, which can be broken down into several components: cathode materials, anode materials, battery separators, electrolytes, and auxiliary materials. Below is an overview of the new energy power battery industry chain, presenting a comprehensive picture of its structure and components.

Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

The upstream of lithium battery anode materials consists of chemical products like petroleum coke, needle coke, and pitch. The middle reaches involve the manufacturing process, while the downstream encompasses the applications in power batteries, consumer batteries, and industrial energy storage batteries. The following schematic diagram illustrates the industrial chain structure of lithium battery anode materials, highlighting the flow and connections between different stages.

Production Process of Lithium Battery Anode Materials

Within this production process, S&L offers essential equipment. This includes pre-mixing mixers, reaction kettles (which consist of both heating and cooling kettles), and equipment for the mixing of graphitized products. These offerings are tailored to meet the specific requirements of anode material production.

S&L's Equipment Offerings

A. GBF High Temperature Cladding Kettle System

The Horizontal High Temperature Reactor is a vital piece of equipment for the coating and granulation of anode lithium battery materials. It features a horizontal structure, with a cylindrical body that is circular in shape and welded together with its end heads. The material is heated through thermal radiation from external heating wires, with a maximum design temperature of up to 650℃. The temperature can be adjusted in multiple stages within the range of 350-650℃, effectively meeting the production conditions that demand temperature variations. Internally, it is equipped with a ribbon agitator, which is driven by a coupling connected to a motor and reducer.

Advantages:

High Efficiency: The wider inner and outer ribbon elements enable stronger mixing, resulting in a faster mixing time and excellent mixing homogeneity.

Stable Working: The coupling between the main shaft and the driving system helps to avoid vibrations and shocks caused by high temperatures. It also serves as a safeguard against overloading of the driving system.

Low Residues: Adjustable scrapers are installed at both ends and the bottom of the main shaft, minimizing the gaps and reducing residues to a minimum.

B. WLDH Ribbon Mixer

The Horizontal Ribbon Mixer is widely applied in the mixing process of conventional lithium battery raw materials, as well as for the finished products after graphitization. It is composed of a special U-shaped body, ribbon mixing elements, a driving system, and a discharge valve. The outer ribbon pushes materials from the two ends towards the middle, while the inner ribbon moves the materials from the middle to the two ends. This creates a convection movement, ensuring a perfect mixing homogeneity of the materials.

Advantages:

Soft Mixing: It ensures gentle mixing to prevent any damage to the physical properties of the materials.

Multiple Structure Options: There are various choices for the mixer body structure, including U-shaped, droplet, and cylindrical shapes.

Coated Ribbons: The double ribbons are coated with tungsten carbide, effectively isolating the lithium battery materials from metal ions.

Special Seal Design: A special main shaft seal is designed to prevent material leakage.

Successful Cases

Shanshan (Inner Mongolia) has an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons of anode materials. Currently, the production line of its integrated project has been successfully completed. The second phase plans to construct a project with an annual capacity of 60,000 tons of anode materials and 60,000 tons of cathode materials, accompanied by a supporting graphitization capacity of 52,000 tons. This phase is set to be completed and put into production by the end of 2021. S&L Group has supplied all the key mixing equipment for this project and has received high praise from its partners, demonstrating the reliability and quality of its products.

Looking Ahead

The global policies focused on energy conservation and carbon neutrality are expected to drive a significant increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles. In the long run, intelligent upgrades will trigger a revolutionary transformation in the automotive industry, opening up greater growth opportunities for new energy vehicles. It is projected that global sales of new energy vehicles will reach 15 million units by 2025 and 23 million units by 2030. This will lead to an exponential growth in the global market demand for lithium batteries. S&L Group already possesses rich experience in providing stable and reliable mixing equipment to lithium battery manufacturers in both China and South Korea. With the growing market potential, S&L is confident that it will have more opportunities to serve the global market with its high-quality products and services.