Battery, Fuel Cell, Electrolyzer – PEM Researches New Drying Process
The Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) of RWTH Aachen University is working on a new type of hybrid drying process for the production of lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, and electrolyzers in the two-year “HyDry” research project. The drying method for removing solvents from the liquid electrode or catalyst coating is considered a crucial production step and at the same time a technological bottleneck in battery, fuel cell, and electrolyzer production.
Currently low drying rates and high energy losses
The current state of the art is convection drying systems, in which hot air is obtained from fossil fuels or in the form of infrared radiation using a burner system.
PEM Director Professor Achim Kampker, says :
One major disadvantage, however, is the low drying rates and high energy losses,
Current systems require drying sections with a length of 40 to 80 meters, which are associated with high investment and operating costs due to these dimensions.
Kampker, says :
We are therefore working on a promising process that enables much more efficient drying and a reduction in energy consumption,
Aiming for 70 percent less drying energy
The innovative approach of the Bavarian research partner “Lambda Technology” consists of developing a hybrid drying process that combines convection and “near infrared” (NIR) and should be able to recycle the thermal energy of the exhaust air and the NIR radiation. For example, the energy requirement can be reduced by 30 percent compared to pure infrared boosters and energy consumption can be reduced by 70 percent compared to previous convection drying systems.
Automatic process for quality assurance
As part of the joint project, the RWTH Chair of PEM is researching an automatic quality assurance process for the new drying method. In addition, the PEM team is to develop a test rig for trials with which the researchers can test suitable operating conditions during the two-year project period.
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