The application of electromagnetic flow sensors in the lithium battery industry

The initial process of lithium batteries mainly involves the synthesis and preparation of electrode materials. During this stage, there is a large amount of acid, base, and salt solution transportation and proportioning, making it the most densely applied section for electromagnetic flowmeters.

In the production of ternary precursors (NCM/NCA), salt solutions such as nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate, and manganese sulfate need to be continuously introduced into the reaction vessel in strict proportions for co-precipitation reactions with liquid caustic soda and ammonia water.

The production of lithium iron phosphate involves the mixing and reaction of raw materials such as lithium carbonate, phosphoric acid, and iron salts.

Raw material feed flow measurement: The electromagnetic flowmeter precisely measures the feed flow of various raw materials and feeds the data back to the automatic control system to achieve closed-loop adjustment of the ratio.

Reaction liquid flow monitoring: In the sintering and ball milling processes, the reactants need to be fully mixed. The electromagnetic flowmeter monitors the flow of the reaction liquid to ensure the uniformity of the mixing of oxidants, reducers, and main materials, thereby improving the consistency and process efficiency of the product.

Solvent measurement: In the preparation of positive and negative electrode materials, NMP, deionized water, and other solvents are often used. The electromagnetic flowmeter can be used to monitor the usage of solvents in the production process to achieve cost accounting and process monitoring.

Metal dissolution and tank transportation: For material liquid transportation in sections such as metal dissolution tanks, cobalt liquid tanks, metal solution tanks, ammonia water tanks, and caustic soda tanks, the electromagnetic flowmeter is responsible for flow monitoring and process control.

The electrolyte is the "blood" of lithium batteries, and its preparation process requires extremely high corrosion resistance and precision for flow measurement.

Electrolyte batching: In the extraction of lithium metal or lithium salts, the electromagnetic flowmeter is used to measure the flow of solvents and reaction liquids in the pipeline to ensure precise process control.

Solvent and additive measurement: The electrolyte is composed of lithium salts, organic solvents, and additives. The precise measurement of various components directly affects the electrochemical window and ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. The electromagnetic flowmeter, due to its corrosion resistance, is widely used for flow measurement of various electrolytes and solvents.

Cooling water monitoring: Battery material production lines and cell assembly workshops require a large amount of cooling water to maintain process temperatures. The electromagnetic flowmeter is used to monitor the flow of cooling circulating water, combined with variable frequency pumps to achieve on-demand energy supply, reducing energy consumption.

Pure water transportation: Process pure water is an important auxiliary material for lithium battery production, used for cleaning and batching. The electromagnetic flowmeter is suitable for flow measurement of pure water transportation pipelines due to its non-polluting and high-precision characteristics.

The lithium battery production process generates complex wastewater containing metal ions, acidic and alkaline substances, and organic solvents.

Wastewater discharge monitoring: In the wastewater treatment workshop, the wastewater contains a large amount of metal ions and solid particles, and is highly corrosive. The electromagnetic flowmeter has no components that hinder fluid flow inside, and is highly adaptable to media containing solid particles, capable of accurately measuring the wastewater flow and providing accurate data for subsequent treatment processes, ensuring compliance with discharge standards.

Wastewater treatment process control: In each process section of the wastewater treatment system (such as neutralization, flocculation, and sedimentation), the electromagnetic flowmeter is used to monitor the flow of materials between each tank and the dosage of treatment chemicals, achieving automatic control of the treatment process.

Technical principle: Adopting dynamic power regulation technology, the chip-level sleep mechanism activates only during data collection, combined with an adaptive sampling frequency algorithm, the current consumption in a stationary state drops to the microampere level -1. The built-in composite power supply module (a high-performance lithium bisulfate-chloride battery and a supercapacitor forming a hybrid power unit) can support continuous operation for several years.

Application scenarios: Suitable for pipeline monitoring in remote factory areas, temporary pipeline flow calibration, and renovation projects of old factories.

Intelligent IoT: Integrating GSM/GPRS/NB-IoT/LoRa wireless transmission functions, it can achieve remote data collection, abnormal alarm, and battery level warning.

Technical advantages: Adopting non-intrusive installation technology, it can achieve pressure-bearing opening and non-shutdown installation, significantly improving construction efficiency.

Applicable scenarios: Mainly used in large-diameter, low-demand monitoring points such as large circulating water pipelines and wastewater total discharge outlets.

FM260 Electromagnetic Flow Sensor