A transport trough, in particular for a continuous furnace for transporting and heating of chemical substances, includes a flat bottom, and a circumferential frame which, together with the bottom, forms a trough-shaped cavity for holding the chemical substances, wherein the frame is connected to the bottom in a non-destructively detachable manner.

A sagger for firing an object to be fired includes an active material for a secondary battery. Carbon dioxide that is a reaction by-product produced during a positive electrode active material firing process can be smoothly discharged from the sagger, and such a smooth discharge of carbon dioxide can lower a residual lithium concentration of a positive electrode active material and thus can improve dispersibility of a positive electrode active material slurry and also improve capacity of a battery.

Systems and methods are provided for direct coating of electrodes using pyrolysis of flat sheets in silicon-dominant anode cells. A plurality of flat electrode sheets may be formed, and at least a portion of the plurality of flat electrode sheets may be arranged into one or more stacks of flat electrode sheets. Each stack of flat electrode sheets may be placed onto a flat pyrolysis boat, and heat treatment (e.g., pyrolysis) may be applied to each flat pyrolysis boat. Forming of the flat electrode sheets may include use of cutting, punching, and/or notching, such as doing so based on predetermined electrode shapes and/or dimensions. The forming and/or arranging of the flat electrode sheets may be based on one or more predetermined criteria or considerations, such as shrinkage or expansion during the heat treatment.

The present invention relates to a saggar for firing an active material of a secondary battery, a method for manufacturing the saggar, and a method for firing the active material. The saggar for firing an active material of a secondary battery according to the present invention has a coating layer formed on a bottom surface or a wall surface thereof so as to collect carbon dioxide. By means of the coating layer, the concentration of the carbon dioxide in the saggar can be lowered by collecting the carbon dioxide that is a by-product resulting from a firing reaction, thereby enabling a reduction in the amount of remaining lithium in the active material. The saggar of the present invention provides the saggar for firing an active material of a secondary battery, wherein the saggar has at least one through hole in the bottom surface, or the bottom surface and wall surfaces thereof so as to communicate a gas.

A container for storing a powder mixture during heat treatment in a furnace, a furnace and a method for heat treatment of a powder mixture. The aim of the invention is to specify a container by means of which in particular the throughput per unit of time can be increased and an automatic removal of the container is simplified. This aim is achieved by a plurality of receptacles for releasable fastening of spacers which in the installed state allow contactless stacking of a plurality of containers one above the other.

The present invention describes an improved process for the commercial scale production of high-quality catalyst materials. These improved processes allow for production of catalysts that have very consistent batch to batch property and performance variations. In addition these improved processes allow for minimal production losses (by dramatically reducing the production of fines or small materials as part of the production process). The improved process involves multiple steps and uses calcining ovens that allow for precisely control temperature increases where the catalyst is homogenously heated. The calcining gas is released into a separate heating chamber, which contains the recirculation fan and the heat source. Catalysts that may be produced using this improved process include but are not limited to catlaysts that promote CO hydrogenation, reforming catalysts, Fischer Tropsch Catalysts, Greyrock GreyCat™ catalysts, catalysts that homologate methanol, catalysts that promote hydrogenation of carbon compounds, and other catalysts used in industry.

A heating chamber (1) for a heating furnace is proposed, with which electrothermal vaporization of impurities from samples can be effected in order to be able to then analyze them spectrometrically. The heating chamber has a wall (3), a sample reception area (5), a nozzle area (7) and two electrical connection areas (9, 11). The heating chamber (1) is specially configured such that an electric current flows through the wall (3) in such a way that a heating capacity caused by it is higher in the nozzle area (7) than in the sample reception area (5). For example, the electrical connection areas (9, 11) may be arranged in a radial direction remoter from the longitudinal axis (8) than a part of the wall (3) surrounding the nozzle area (7), and the heating chamber (1) may be configured, for example by means of a locally constricted area (13), in such a way that the current between the two electrical connection areas (9, 11) is predominantly conducted radially inwards towards the part of the wall (3) surrounding the nozzle area (7). Advantageous heat distribution in the heating chamber (1) achievable thereby may have a positive effect on the analysis of sample impurities.

A heat treatment vessel coupler for coupling together heat treatment vessels adjacent in a horizontal direction, of a plurality of rectangular box-shaped heat treatment vessels each loaded with a material to be treated, conveyed in a conveying direction on a plurality of rotationally driven conveyor rollers arranged in parallel inside a heat treatment furnace, the coupler comprises a plate body smaller than each of the heat treatment vessels, at least a pair of engagement protrusions each projecting from the plate body and engaging with a corresponding one of side walls of the heat treatment vessels, and a spacer protrusion projecting from the plate body between the at least a pair of engagement protrusions so as to be sandwiched between the heat treatment vessels with which the at least a pair of engagement protrusions engage respectively.

An atomization unit has a tube-shaped furnace, and heats and atomizes a sample injected into the furnace. A light source unit emits light having a wavelength to be measured toward the atomization unit such that light passes through the furnace. An optical system transmits the light having the wavelength to be measured, of light passing through the furnace. A detection unit detects the light transmitted by the optical system. A light transmission plate is provided at a position in an optical path of the light passing through the furnace toward the detection unit, to obliquely cross an optical axis of the light. An image capturing unit is arranged outside the optical path, and captures an image inside the furnace by receiving light reflected by the light transmission plate, of the light passing through the furnace.

A sagger for firing an object to be fired includes an active material for a secondary battery. Carbon dioxide that is a reaction by-product produced during a positive electrode active material firing process can be smoothly discharged from the sagger, and such a smooth discharge of carbon dioxide can lower a residual lithium concentration of a positive electrode active material and thus can improve dispersibility of a positive electrode active material slurry and also improve capacity of a battery.