Flow Measurement Application in New Energy Material Manufacturing

Guangdong DOSS Technology Co., Ltd. (Stock Code: 300409) is a national high-tech enterprise and an A-share listed company on the ChiNext Board, deeply involved in the field of new energy lithium battery materials. Its subsidiary, Jiangxi Jiana Energy Technology Co., Ltd., is implementing the "50,000-ton annual cobalt-nickel and 100,000-ton precursor green manufacturing project (Phase I: 50,000-ton precursor)", aiming to establish a globally leading production line for ternary precursors (NCM/NCA) to meet the core demands of high energy density and high stability cathode materials for new energy vehicle batteries.

Project Challenges

The project uses cobalt sulfate, nickel sulfate, and manganese sulfate as raw materials to produce ternary precursors through complex processes such as co-precipitation, aging, centrifugation, and washing. These processes pose stringent requirements:

1. Precise Metering of Highly Corrosive Media: Accurate proportioning and conveying of sulfuric acid solutions (pH < 2) and highly alkaline precipitants (pH > 12).

2. High-Temperature and High-Pressure Process Control: Maintaining a constant temperature of 60-80°C and pressure of 0.5-1.5 MPa in the co-precipitation reactor.

3. Resource Recycling and Utilization: Efficient recovery of by-product sodium sulfate and stability of the wastewater treatment system.

4. Traceability of Data: Compliance with ISO 9001/IATF 16949 quality management systems to achieve full-process data traceability.

Solution and Product Configuration

Sure Instrument provided a customized flow measurement and process control solution for the entire process, covering raw material handling, reaction synthesis, solid-liquid separation, and resource recycling:

1. Raw Material Blending and Reaction Control

• LDG-Electromagnetic Flow Meters: For quantitative dosing of cobalt/nickel/manganese sulfate solutions.

• Technical Advantages: PTFE lining + Hastelloy electrodes, resistant to strong acid corrosion (pH 0.5-14), with ±0.5% accuracy.

• Application Scenario: Linked with PLC to dynamically adjust the proportion of multiple raw materials, ensuring the atomic ratio deviation of the precursor (Ni:Co:Mn) is less than 0.3%.

  

• LUGB-Vortex Flow Meters: For monitoring the flow of alkaline precipitants such as ammonia water and NaOH.

• Technical Advantages: Built-in temperature and pressure compensation to eliminate flow fluctuations caused by gas entrainment, with ±0.2% repeatability.

• Application Scenario: Using PID algorithms to control the injection rate of precipitants, maintaining the pH value of the reaction system within ±0.1.

2. Co-Precipitation Reaction and Temperature Management

• Temperature Transmitters :

• Technical Advantages: Class A platinum resistance (IEC 60751), 316L stainless steel sheath, pressure-resistant up to 10 MPa.

• Application Scenario: Multi-point embedding in the reactor wall to provide real-time temperature gradient feedback, linking with steam valves to control the reaction temperature within ±0.5°C.

• Pressure Transmitters:

• Technical Advantages: Fully welded diaphragm structure, overload protection up to 200% FS.

• Application Scenario: Monitoring pressure fluctuations in the reactor to trigger safety relief valves and prevent overpressure risks.

3. Centrifugal Filtration and Washing System

• LWGY-Liquid Turbine Flow Meters:

• Technical Advantages: Tungsten carbide bearings + PTFE impeller, resistant to slurry wear, with a range ratio of 15:1.

• Application Scenario: Metering the flow of pure water/ethanol washing liquids to ensure impurity content (Na⁺, SO₄²⁻) in the precursor is less than 50 ppm.

• Radar Level Meters:

• Technical Advantages: 80GHz high-frequency radar, penetrating foam and steam interference, with ±1mm accuracy.

• Application Scenario: Monitoring the liquid level of centrifugal mother liquor storage tanks to link with pumps and valves for automatic waste liquid recovery.

4. Resource Recycling and Environmental Protection System

• Single Flange Level Transmitters:

• Technical Advantages: Silicone oil-filled isolation diaphragm, resistant to crystallization and corrosion.

• Application Scenario: Measuring the liquid level of sodium sulfate crystallization tanks to optimize evaporation crystallization efficiency, achieving a by-product recovery rate of over 95%.

Implementation Results

• Increased Production Efficiency: Optimized flow meter accuracy shortened batch production cycles by 18%, achieving a 100% annual production compliance rate.

• Cost Control: Precise metering reduced raw material waste, saving over 12 million yuan annually on cobalt and nickel sulfates.

• Environmental Compliance: Wastewater reuse rate increased to 85%, passing the Clean Production Review by the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment.

• Data Integrity: All instrument data integrated into the MES system, meeting IATF 16949 process audit requirements.

Industry Demonstration Value

This case validates the three core values of high-precision flow measurement technology in new energy material manufacturing:

1. Process Reproducibility: Reduced control errors of key parameters (concentration, temperature, pH) by 40%, ensuring batch consistency of precursors.

2. Resource Intensification: Multi-parameter coordinated control of flow, level, and pressure reduced energy consumption by 22%.

3. Intelligent Upgrade: HART/Modbus communication protocols enabled remote diagnostics, reducing equipment failure rates by 65%.