Apparatus of manufacturing aerogel sheet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10723629-B2
Application number	US-201715738511-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 16, 2016
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus of manufacturing an aerogel sheet. The apparatus of manufacturing the aerogel sheet includes: a fixing vessel into which a blanket is inserted; and an impregnation device putting a silica sol precursor into the blanket inserted into the fixing vessel to impregnate and gelate the silica sol precursor, wherein the impregnation device includes a rotation roller moving from one end to the other end of a top surface of the blanket while rotating to put the stored silica sol precursor into the blanket and thereby to impregnate and gelate the silica sol precursor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus of manufacturing an aerogel sheet, the apparatus comprising:
a fixing vessel into which a blanket is inserted; and
an impregnation device putting a silica sol precursor into the blanket inserted into the fixing vessel to impregnate and gelate the silica sol precursor, wherein the impregnation device comprises a rotation roller moving from one end to the other end of a top surface of the blanket while rotating to put the silica sol precursor into the blanket and thereby to impregnate and gelate the silica sol precursor;
wherein the rotation roller has a smooth outer peripheral surface defining the body of the rotation roller, and comprises on the outer peripheral surface a series of discrete cylindrical injection nozzles that protrude outwardly from and extend above the outer peripheral surface of the rotation roller, and the cylindrical injection nozzles discharge the silica sol precursor through an opening in a distal end of each of the cylindrical injection nozzles.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rotation roller moves from one end to the other end of the top surface of the blanket at the same height.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the impregnation device comprises a rotation member rotating the rotation roller.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the impregnation device comprises a moving member moving the rotation roller from one end to the other end of the top surface of the blanket.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the impregnation device comprises an elevation member allowing the rotation roller to descend to the top surface of the blanket or ascend from the top surface of the blanket.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the elevation member primarily adjusts a height of the rotation roller so that an injection nozzle disposed at a lower portion of the injection roller is inserted up to a bottom surface of the blanket and secondarily adjusts a height of the rotation roller so that the injection nozzle is inserted at an inner center of the blanket.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the primary height adjustment of the rotation roller by the elevation member is performed when the rotation roller moves forward from the one end to the other end of the top surface of the blanket.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the secondary height adjustment of the rotation roller by the elevation member is performed when the rotation roller moves backward from the one end to the other end of the top surface of the blanket.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a supply device supplying the silica sol precursor to the rotation roller.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the supply device comprises a silica sol vessel in which silica sol is accommodated, a catalyst vessel in which a gelling catalyst is accommodated, a mixing vessel in which the silica sol of the silica sol vessel and the gelling catalyst of the catalyst vessel are introduced and mixed to prepare the silica sol precursor, and a connection tube connecting the mixing vessel to the rotation roller.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the silica sol is prepared by mixing tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with ethanol.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) comprises hydrolyzed TEOS.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the gelling catalyst is prepared by mixing ethanol with ammonia water (NH 4 OH).

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the connection tube is connected to a rotation shaft of the rotation roller so as to be freely rotatable and sealed.

15. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the moving member comprises:
a movable piece on which a rotation shaft of the rotation roller and a rotation member configured to rotate the rotation roller are installed;
a screw piece configured for moving the movable piece from one end to the other end of the fixing vessel; and
a rotation motor coupled to one end of the screw piece and configured to rotate the screw piece.

16. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein rotation member comprises a driving motor configured to rotate the rotation roller.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the driving motor comprises a driving shaft coupled to a driving gear connected to a driven gear disposed on a rotation shaft of the rotation roller, and the driving gear and the driven gear are connected to each other through a chain or belt.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the opening in the distal end of each of the cylindrical injection nozzles is less than an inner diameter of the cylindrical injection nozzle.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the cylindrical injection nozzles comprises a truncated conical section terminating in the opening at the distal end of each of the cylindrical injection nozzles.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Ye Hon
• Lee Je Kyun

Classifications

• B05C1/08

  using a roller {or other rotating member which contacts the work along a generating line} · CPC title

• B01J37/04

  Mixing {(B01J37/0009, B01J37/0018 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B01J13/0091

  Preparation of aerogels, e.g. xerogels · CPC title

• B29B15/122

  with a matrix in liquid form, e.g. as melt, solution or latex · CPC title

• C01B33/158

  Purification; Drying; Dehydrating · CPC title