KR-102961494-B1 - Discharge Opening/Closing Device Including a Fluid-Pressurized Elastic Actuator, and Drying System Including the Same

KR102961494B1KR 102961494 B1KR102961494 B1KR 102961494B1KR-102961494-B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a discharge opening and closing device equipped with a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit, and more specifically, to a discharge opening and closing device comprising an opening and closing unit that selectively opens and closes a discharge port provided at the bottom of a housing, and a drive unit coupled to the opening and closing unit to drive the opening and closing unit up and down to open and close the discharge port, wherein the drive unit comprises an air spring. Furthermore, the present invention provides a drying device comprising a discharge opening and closing device equipped with a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit, and a drying system comprising said drying device and an air compression system. The discharge opening and closing device equipped with a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit according to the present invention includes a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit that expands and contracts by air pressure, and thus has a simpler structure compared to conventional discharge opening and closing devices having a complex mechanical drive structure. Accordingly, installation, maintenance, and repair are easy, and excellent durability can be secured even during long-term use. In addition, since the present invention can apply a high pressurized force to the discharge port by means of the fluid pressurized elastic drive unit, it can provide superior sealing performance compared to conventional discharge opening and closing devices. As a result, it can exhibit high load-bearing capacity even against loads generated from a large amount of dry material loaded on top and maintain stable opening and closing operations, as well as stably maintain the sealed state of the discharge port even under conditions where a high vacuum is applied.

Inventors

장순민
김재국
이상호
황재영
유도영
심재용
김백겸

Assignees

주식회사 미라클솔루션

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20260120

Claims (9)

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A discharge opening/closing device comprising an opening/closing part for selectively opening/closing a discharge port provided at the bottom of a housing and a driving part coupled to the opening/closing part to drive the opening/closing part up and down to open/close the discharge port, The above opening/closing part includes a sealing plug that contacts the outer surface of the discharge port to form a seal, and a shaft member provided at the lower part of the sealing plug and transmitting driving force by the driving part to the sealing plug. The above driving unit comprises an air spring equipped with a metal support member, an upper plate connected to the upper metal support member of the air spring, a lower plate connected to the lower metal support member of the air spring, an air pipe supplying air to the air spring through the lower plate, a support member providing a space for the air pipe that injects air into the air spring while supporting the lower part of the lower plate, a plurality of linear bushings provided at the lower part of the upper plate, and a guide member penetrating the interior of the plurality of linear bushings and guiding the linear motion of the linear bushings. A discharge opening/closing device having a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit, characterized in that the above-mentioned shaft member is connected and fastened to the above-mentioned linear bushing.
In claim 2, The above opening/closing part further includes an outer cover provided at the lower part of the sealing plug, and The above outer cover is arranged in a manner that surrounds the outside of the drive unit, and The above driving unit further includes an inner cover that surrounds the exterior of the upper plate, the support member, and the guide member, and The upper part of the inner cover is provided with an opening through which the shaft member of the opening/closing part is disposed, and the shaft member is connected and fastened to the linear bushing through the opening. A discharge opening/closing device having a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit, characterized in that the outer cover and the inner cover are arranged at a spaced interval.
In claim 2, A discharge opening/closing device having a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit, characterized by further including a ring-shaped air cleaning part positioned at a height corresponding to the upper surface of the sealing plug and capable of spraying high-pressure air onto the upper surface of the sealing plug when the discharge opening/closing device is in an open state.
In claim 4, The air cleaning unit comprises an upper ring member; a lower ring member; an upper air injection member and a lower air injection member provided between the upper ring member and the lower ring member and fastened together with the upper ring member and the lower ring member to form an air passage and an air injection port; and A discharge opening/closing device having a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit, characterized in that the upper air injection member and/or the lower air injection member have an air inlet formed therein for supplying air to the air passage.
In claim 5, The above air inlets are provided in four places on the outer surface of the upper air injection member and/or the lower air injection member, and Sixteen air nozzles are arranged on the inner circumference of the upper air injection member and the lower air injection member at intervals of 22.5 degrees, and A discharge opening/closing device having a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit, characterized in that the air nozzle has a tapered shape that narrows toward the center of the upper and lower air injection members, and the tapered angle is configured to be 52 to 60 degrees.
A drying device comprising a discharge opening and closing device having a fluid pressurized elastic driving unit according to any one of claims 2 to 6
In claim 7, The above drying device includes a discharge passage that blocks an outlet, which is opened and closed by a discharge opening/closing device, from the outside, wherein the discharge opening/closing device is disposed inside the discharge passage, and the discharge opening/closing device is fixed and supported by a hollow tubular member disposed across the inside from the outside of the discharge passage.
A drying device comprising a discharge opening/closing device having a fluid pressurized elastic driving unit according to any one of claims 4 to 6, and a drying system comprising an air compression system, The above air compression system comprises a compressor for compressing air to high pressure, a receiver tank for storing compressed air, stabilizing pressure, and discharging condensate, an aftercooler for cooling the compressed air to condense and discharge moisture in the air, an air dryer for further removing moisture in the air, an adsorption drying tower for removing remaining trace amounts of moisture, a carbon dioxide removal tower for removing carbon dioxide from the moisture-removed air to produce ultra-high purity air, and a heating receiver tank for heating the ultra-high purity air, storing the heated ultra-high purity air, and stabilizing pressure. A drying system characterized by the above air compression system supplying heated high-pressure air to the air cleaning unit.

Description

Discharge Opening/Closing Device Including a Fluid-Pressurized Elastic Actuator, and Drying System Including the Same The present invention relates to a discharge opening/closing device equipped with a fluid pressurized elastic drive unit and a drying system including said discharge opening/closing device. More specifically, the invention relates to a discharge opening/closing device and a drying system including said device that can be used in a drying device requiring a high vacuum during the drying process of powder materials to provide excellent sealing performance and durability. Drying devices for drying, heating, or dehydrating powdered, granular, or crystalline materials are widely used in various fields, including the chemical, pharmaceutical, battery, food, and environmental industries. Such drying devices are typically configured to include a drying section that accommodates the material and applies heat and/or vacuum, and a discharge section for discharging the dried material to the outside. Rotary dryers, vacuum dryers, tray dryers, and fluidized bed dryers are used as drying devices. Depending on the process characteristics, these drying devices often adopt a bottom discharge structure. This is because a bottom discharge structure allows materials to be discharged by gravity, offering the advantages of a simple structure and the ability to handle large volumes. A drying device having such a lower discharge structure is essentially equipped with a discharge opening and closing device to seal the interior during drying and selectively discharge the dried material when necessary. Conventional discharge opening and closing devices primarily include gate valves, slide gates, chute gates, or rotary valves. Gate valves and slide gates have a structure that opens and closes the discharge port by moving a plate-shaped member in a straight line, while chute gates operate by blocking or opening the opening of a chute formed in the direction of gravity. Additionally, rotary valves are structured to discharge powder while conveying a fixed amount by means of a rotating rotor, characterized by the ability to perform continuous discharge. Meanwhile, lithium-ion secondary batteries are widely used in various fields such as electric vehicles, ESS, and portable electronic devices based on their high energy density and safety, and the performance of secondary batteries is significantly affected by the type and purity of the lithium raw material used in the cathode material. In particular, lithium hydroxide is a key raw material for high-nickel secondary battery cathode materials (NCM, NCA) and is widely used in the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries requiring high energy density; it is classified into lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH·H₂O) and anhydrous lithium hydroxide (LiOH) depending on its moisture content. Lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH·H₂O) is produced through the conversion reaction of lithium carbonate and calcium hydroxide, the NaOH reaction based on brine raw materials, and the leaching and neutralization process based on spodumene ore, and contains approximately 43% moisture in the form of crystal water. To manufacture cathode materials with high energy density, anhydrous lithium hydroxide (LiOH) is required by removing crystal water, and for this purpose, a heating and drying process in a high vacuum and/or inert atmosphere is essential; however, if lithium hydroxide comes into contact with moisture in the air or carbon dioxide during the drying process, a problem arises in which it is re-converted into monohydrate or lithium carbonate. Therefore, since the airtightness of the drying device acts as a critical factor for drying materials sensitive to air and/or moisture, such as lithium hydroxide, not only is high airtightness required for the discharge opening and closing devices used in the drying device, but, particularly when the capacity of the drying device increases to dry a large volume of material at once, a discharge opening and closing device capable of withstanding the load of moisture-containing materials while possessing high airtightness is required. However, conventional discharge opening and closing devices, such as gate valves, slide gates, and chute gates, have difficulty providing sufficient sealing performance and durability when applied to vertical drying devices subjected to high vacuum or high loads. Furthermore, conventional rotary valves have the problem that the repeated shearing of powder between the rotating rotor and the housing can cause particle fragmentation and the generation of fine powder, and structurally, their airtightness performance is insufficient. Published Patent Application No. 10-2025-0049626 discloses an electrode powder supply device for supplying powder containing an electrode material, comprising: a hopper; and a rotary valve coupled to the lower part of the hopper to quantitatively discharge powder discharged from the hopper; wherein th