AirSweep Reduces Battery Component Manufacturer’s Downtime to Nearly Zero

They have worked flawlessly to prevent bridging and improve material flow.

A global battery component manufacturer produces anode and cathode components from recycled batteries. One of its key materials – lithium carbonate powder – was notoriously difficult to handle.

Lithium carbonate powder is fine-grained and has a low moisture content. While it doesn’t clump, it has a high angle of repose that tends to create bridging and ratholing scenarios.

Problem

The lithium carbonate powder tends to bridge and accumulate in hoppers, cyclones and at various parts of the powder handling system. Operators have resorted to hammering of the vessels, but this creates occupational hazards, as lithium carbonate is classified as a skin irritant and is known to cause respiratory problems if inhaled or touched.

Solution

The manufacturer knew from common industry knowledge that fluidizers and vibrators wouldn’t work with the material. AirSweep, which is widely used by lithium carbonate producers, stood out as an obvious solution to save time and capital expenditure. 

The AirSweep team responded swiftly. They provided a customized solution within three working days and finalized the system the same week. The items arrived at the plant just two weeks after the company first reached out. 

The manufacturer installed AirSweep VA-06 and AirSweep VA-51 units on their pneumatic conveying systems – hoppers, cyclones and at the bottom of their dust collectors. They immediately saw the difference.

Results

“We are quite pleased with our AirSweeps! They have worked flawlessly to prevent bridging and promote material flow,” said the company representative. “We have had zero failures, and they just work great!  They reduced our production downtime due to material clogs to nearly zero.”