US 12,288,867 B2
Furnace atmosphere control for lithium-ion battery cathode material production
Jingjing Cai, Shanghai (CN); Paulina Weronika Kus, Milton Keynes (GB); Liang He, Allentown, PA (US); Guido Plicht, Dortmund (DE); and David Millington, Staffordshire (GB)
Assigned to Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA (US)
Filed by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA (US)
Filed on Aug. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/230,845.
Application 18/230,845 is a division of application No. 17/314,505, filed on May 7, 2021, granted, now 11,777,073.
Prior Publication US 2023/0378427 A1, Nov. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. H01M 4/04 (2006.01); F27D 7/06 (2006.01); H01M 4/1391 (2010.01); H01M 4/525 (2010.01); H01M 10/0525 (2010.01); F27D 19/00 (2006.01)
CPC H01M 4/0471 (2013.01) [F27D 7/06 (2013.01); H01M 4/1391 (2013.01); H01M 4/525 (2013.01); H01M 10/0525 (2013.01); F27D 2007/063 (2013.01); F27D 2019/0006 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for controlling the atmosphere inside a calcination furnace for the production of lithium ion or solid state battery cathode material comprising:
a first sensor group, installed in a first furnace temperature zone, the first sensor group comprising a first oxygen sensor, a first moisture sensor and a first carbon dioxide sensor;
a second sensor group, installed in a second furnace temperature zone, the second sensor group comprising a second oxygen sensor, a second moisture sensor and a second carbon dioxide sensor;
an oxygen delivery system operationally configured be placed in fluid flow communication with a source of oxygen to deliver independently regulated streams of oxygen to the first and second furnace temperature zones;
a process controller operationally configured to communicate with the sensors and oxygen delivery system to control the delivery rate of oxygen to the first and second temperature zones in response to signals from the first and second sensor groups.