A method for opening up electrochemical energy storage devices in connection with a subsequent recovery of valuable materials contained therein as secondary raw materials, in which method the energy storage devices are opened up by a thermal treatment system to remove the electrolytes and reactive substances, before the thermally treated material is subjected to processing, whereby secondary raw materials in the thermally treated material are separated from one another. The thermal treatment is performed in an indirectly heated furnace under atmospheric pressure conditions or a slight overpressure relative to the ambient pressure of up to 20 mbar in a reducing atmosphere, and influence is exerted on the course of the thermal treatment process via the reducing atmosphere, as a control variable. Furthermore, a thermal treatment system is described for removing electrolytes and reactive substances in electrochemical energy storage devices and consequently for pyrolytic opening.

A sintering furnace can have a housing, one or more heating elements, and a conveying assembly. Each heating element can be disposed within the housing and can subject a heating zone to a thermal shock temperature profile. A substrate with one or more precursors thereon can be moved by the conveying assembly through an inlet of the housing to the heating zone, where it is subjected to a first temperature of at least 500? C. for a first time period. The conveying assembly can then move the substrate with one or more sintered materials thereon from the heating zone and through an outlet of the housing.

A transfer apparatus includes a base body, a limiting assembly, a limiting driving assembly, a clamp plate assembly, and a clamp plate driving assembly. The limiting assembly is movably arranged on the base body, and configured to be connected to a movable end plate of a cell transfer carrying tool. The limiting driving assembly is configured to move the movable end plate along with the limiting assembly, to adjust spacing between carrying assemblies, such that s cell carried by the carrying assemblies is adaptive to a preheating fixture and an oven. The clamp plate assembly is movably arranged on the base body, configured to support the carrying assemblies of the cell transfer carrying tool, and positioned at a fixed end plate of the cell transfer carrying tool. The clamp plate driving assembly is configured to enable the clamp plate assembly to be disengaged from or support the carrying assembly.

A transfer apparatus includes a base body, a limiting assembly, a limiting driving assembly, a clamp plate assembly, and a clamp plate driving assembly. The limiting assembly is movably arranged on the base body, and configured to be connected to a movable end plate of a cell transfer carrying tool. The limiting driving assembly is configured to move the movable end plate along with the limiting assembly, to adjust spacing between carrying assemblies, such that s cell carried by the carrying assemblies is adaptive to a preheating fixture and an oven. The clamp plate assembly is movably arranged on the base body, configured to support the carrying assemblies of the cell transfer carrying tool, and positioned at a fixed end plate of the cell transfer carrying tool. The clamp plate driving assembly is configured to enable the clamp plate assembly to be disengaged from or support the carrying assembly.

Methods and apparatus to provide closed loop control in a solar cell production system are disclosed. An example solar cell production system includes: a firing furnace comprising a plurality of zones and a belt configured to transport photovoltaic cells through a sequence of the plurality of zones, the zones comprising firing elements configured to fire a metallization layer of photovoltaic cells by heating ambient air in the zones to respective temperatures; a cooling chamber configured to cool the photovoltaic cells; a photovoltaic cell tester configured to measure a property of the photovoltaic cells after cooling of the photovoltaic cells in the cooling chamber; and control circuitry configured to control firing elements based on the property of the photovoltaic cells measured by the photovoltaic cell tester.

Industrial furnace (1) which can be used for example for treating semi-finished and siderurgical products, metal and inorganic materials, comprising a) a hot chamber (3) in which a combustion takes place and the hot gases generated by the combustion come in direct contact with the materials to be treated (p) in the furnace itself; B) a combustion stabilizing system in turn comprising b1) an injection system in turn comprising at least a mixer (11) arranged to mix a fuel and a diluent before injecting them into the hot chamber (3). The diluent has the effect of reducing the amount of nitrogen oxides in the combustion products. It considerably reduces the consumption of required diluent and the Nox emissions in the fumes.

Industrial furnace (1) which can be used for example for treating semi-finished and siderurgical products, metal and inorganic materials, comprising a) a hot chamber (3) in which a combustion takes place and the hot gases generated by the combustion come in direct contact with the materials to be treated (p) in the furnace itself; B) a combustion stabilizing system in turn comprising b1) an injection system in turn comprising at least a mixer (11) arranged to mix a fuel and a diluent before injecting them into the hot chamber (3). The diluent has the effect of reducing the amount of nitrogen oxides in the combustion products. It considerably reduces the consumption of required diluent and the Nox emissions in the fumes.

Disclosed is a thermal reduction apparatus. The thermal reduction apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment includes: a preheating unit which preheats a to-be-reduced material and loads the to-be-reduced material into a reducing unit; the reducing unit which is connected to the preheating unit and in which a thermal reduction reaction of the to-be-reduced material occurs; a cooling unit which is connected to the reducing unit and from which the to-be-reduced material flowing into the cooling unit is unloaded to the outside; a gate device which is installed between the preheating unit and the reducing unit; a gate device which is installed between the reducing unit and the cooling unit; a condensing device which is connected to the reducing unit and condenses a metal vapor; a first blocking unit which is installed in the reducing unit; and a second blocking unit which is installed in the reducing unit so as to be spaced apart from the first blocking unit.

Disclosed is a thermal reduction apparatus. The thermal reduction apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment includes: a preheating unit which preheats a to-be-reduced material and loads the to-be-reduced material into a reducing unit; the reducing unit which is connected to the preheating unit and in which a thermal reduction reaction of the to-be-reduced material occurs; a cooling unit which is connected to the reducing unit and from which the to-be-reduced material flowing into the cooling unit is unloaded to the outside; a gate device which is installed between the preheating unit and the reducing unit; a gate device which is installed between the reducing unit and the cooling unit; a condensing device which is connected to the reducing unit and condenses a metal vapor; a first blocking unit which is installed in the reducing unit; and a second blocking unit which is installed in the reducing unit so as to be spaced apart from the first blocking unit.

A process and apparatus for controlling the strip run (4) of a metal strip (10) through a floating furnace (3). The strip run (4) is controlled contact-free with the aid of an electromagnetic device (1) that generates a Lorentz force acting transversely to the strip run.