GEL FELT PRODUCTION SYSTEM

Abstract

A gel felt production system includes a conveying device including a plurality of first rotating rollers that are rotatably. The plurality of first rotating rollers are disposed at intervals along a conveying direction of the conveying device. An input end of the conveying device is configured to input a wet felt, and an output end of the conveying device is configured to output a gel felt. A method for producing the gel felt using the gel felt production system is further provided.

Claims

1. A gel felt production system, comprising: a conveying device, comprising a plurality of first rotating rollers that are rotatably disposed, wherein the plurality of first rotating rollers are disposed at intervals along a conveying direction of the conveying device, an input end of the conveying device is configured to input a wet felt, and an output end of the conveying device is configured to output a gel felt.

2. The gel felt production system according to claim 1, wherein tops of the plurality of first rotating rollers are located on the same horizontal plane; and the plurality of first rotating rollers have the same diameter, and rotating shafts of the plurality of first rotating rollers are disposed in parallel.

3. The gel felt production system according to claim 1, wherein along the conveying direction, a distance between two adjacent first rotating rollers ranges from 10 mm to 500 mm.

4. The gel felt production system according to claim 1, wherein a cross-section of each of the plurality of first rotating roller has a non-circular shape, and the non-circular shape comprises a regular polygon or an ellipse.

5. The gel felt production system according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of scraper blades, wherein an end of each of the plurality of scraper blades is in direct contact with a surface of a corresponding one of the plurality of first rotating roller that is configured for indirect contact with the wet felt; a recycling container, disposed on a bottom of one of the plurality of scraper blades; and a deflector, disposed on bottoms of the plurality of scraper blades, wherein an end of the deflector extends to a top of the recycling container.

6. The gel felt production system according to claim 1, further comprising: an accommodation chamber with an inlet and an outlet, wherein the conveying device is disposed inside the accommodation chamber; and an inflation-evacuation device, communicated with the accommodation chamber.

7. The gel felt production system according to claim 6, wherein the accommodation chamber comprises a plurality of accommodation sub-chambers along the conveying direction of the conveying device, and each of the plurality of accommodation sub-chambers is connected to one inflation-evacuation device.

8. The gel felt production system according to claim 1, further comprising: a raw material supply device, disposed close to the input end of the conveying device, wherein the raw material supply device is configured to provide a fiber felt; and a sol loading device, configured to provide a sol to the fiber felt, so that the fiber felt is converted into the wet felt.

9. The gel felt production system according to claim 8, wherein the sol loading device comprises: a reaction container, disposed on a path from the raw material supply device to the input end of the conveying device, wherein the reaction container is configured to accommodate the sol, so that the fiber felt is combined with the sol to form the wet felt; a pressing roller, rotatably disposed inside the reaction container and configured for pressing the fiber felt, so that the fiber felt is combined with the sol; and a traction device, disposed on the input end of the conveying device; wherein the raw material supply device is an unwinding device, and an end of the reaction container close to the conveying device is lower than the input end of the conveying device; and a plurality of second rotating rollers, which are arranged at intervals in sequence from low to high, are rotatably disposed between the end of the reaction container close to the conveying device and the input end of the conveying device.

10. The gel felt production system according to claim 8, further comprising: a spraying device, disposed on a path from the raw material supply device to the input end of the conveying device or on the input end of the conveying device, wherein the spraying device is configured to spray the sol onto the fiber felt, so that the sol is combined with the fiber felt to form the wet felt; and a recycling container, configured for recycling the sol.

11. The gel felt production system according to claim 1, further comprising: a winding device, disposed close to the output end of the conveying device, wherein the winding device is configured for collecting the gel felt; or a cutting device, configured to cut the gel felt into gel felt sheets.

12. The gel felt production system according to claim 1, further comprising: a catalytic gelation device, configured to catalyze the wet felt conveyed by the conveying device, so as to form the gel felt; and/or a reagent supply device, configured for supplying a sol and a gel catalyst.

13. A method for producing a gel felt, comprising: providing a gel felt production system, comprising: a conveying device, comprising a plurality of first rotating rollers that are rotatably disposed, wherein the plurality of first rotating rollers are disposed at intervals along a conveying direction of the conveying device, an input end of the conveying device is configured to input a wet felt, and an output end of the conveying device is configured to output a gel felt; and conveying the wet felt from the input end of the conveying device to the output end of the conveying device, so that the sol of the wet felt undergoes gelation during a conveying process.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the gel felt production system further comprises: an accommodation chamber with an inlet and an outlet, wherein the conveying device is disposed inside the accommodation chamber; and an inflation-evacuation device, communicated with the accommodation chamber; and during conveying the wet felt from the input end of the conveying device to the output end of the conveying device, an air pressure inside the accommodation chamber is able to be changed with time by using the inflation-evacuation device during the conveying process; or an air pressure at a bottom of the conveying device is able to be greater than an air pressure at a top of the conveying device by using the inflation-evacuation device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the accommodation chamber comprises a plurality of accommodation sub-chambers along the conveying direction of the conveying device, and each of the plurality of accommodation sub-chambers is connected to one inflation-evacuation device; and during conveying the wet felt from the input end of the conveying device to the output end of the conveying device, the plurality of accommodation sub-chambers have different air pressures by using the inflation-evacuation device.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein tops of the plurality of first rotating rollers are located on the same horizontal plane; and the plurality of first rotating rollers have the same diameter, and rotating shafts of the plurality of first rotating rollers are disposed in parallel.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein along the conveying direction, a distance between two adjacent first rotating rollers ranges from 10 mm to 500 mm.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the conveying the wet felt from the input end of the conveying device to the output end of the conveying device, comprises: allowing the wet felt to move up and down in a vertical direction during conveying the wet felt by the plurality of first rotating rollers having non-circular cross-sections.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the gel felt production system further comprises: a plurality of scraper blades, wherein an end of each of the plurality of scraper blades is in direct contact with a surface of a corresponding one of the plurality of first rotating roller that is configured for indirect contact with the wet felt; a recycling container, disposed on a bottom of one of the plurality of scraper blades; and a deflector, disposed on bottoms of the plurality of scraper blades, wherein an end of the deflector extends to a top of the recycling container.

20. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: providing a fiber felt by a raw material supply device disposed close to the input end of the conveying device; and providing a sol to the fiber felt by a sol loading device, so that the fiber felt is converted into the wet felt.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment and are not to be considered as limiting the present disclosure. And in all the accompanying drawings, the same reference signs refer to the same components.

[0026] FIG. 1 is an overall structural schematic view of a gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a first partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a second partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a first structural schematic view of a conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a second structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a third structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 7 is a fourth structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 8 is a fifth structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 9 is a sixth structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 10 is a third partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 11 is a fourth partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 12 is a fifth partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 13 is a three-dimensional structural schematic view of an unrolling platform in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 14 is a first partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 15 is a second partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 16 is a third partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] FIG. 17 is an operation schematic view of a method for producing a gel felt by using the gel felt production system of FIG. 1 in the present disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 18 is an operation schematic view of a method for producing a gel felt by using the gel felt production system of FIG. 14 in the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The embodiments of the technical solutions in the present disclosure will be described in detail below. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following embodiments are provided as examples only. The following embodiments cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the present disclosure have the same meanings as commonly understood by those skilled in the art belonging to the present disclosure. The terms used in the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, the terms including, comprising, and having as well as any variations thereof in specification, claims, and the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0046] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms first, second or the like, are only used to distinguish different objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating quantity, specific order, or primary secondary relationship of technical features indicated. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly and specifically qualified, the term multiple refers to two or more (including two). Similarly, the term multiple groups refers to two or more groups (including two groups), and multiple pieces refers to two or more pieces (including two pieces).

[0047] The reference to embodiment in the present disclosure means that, specific features, structures, or characteristics described in conjunction with some embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The phrase appearing in various positions in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those of ordinary skill in the art explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described in the present disclosure can be combined with other embodiments.

[0048] It should be understood that the term and/or used in the present disclosure is only used to describe a relationship between related objects, indicating that there may be three types of relationships. For example, A and/or B, which may represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone. In addition, the character / in the present disclosure generally indicates that the object before the character / and the object after the character / are in an or relationship.

[0049] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term and/or is only a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three types of relationships, such as A and/or B, which can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character / in the present disclosure generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an or relationship.

[0050] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms center, longitudinal, transverse, length, width, thickness, upper, lower, front, back, left, right, vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, inner, outer, clockwise direction, counterclockwise direction, axial direction, radial direction, circumference or the like are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. It is only intended to facilitate the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure and simplify the description, but does not indicate or imply that the device or the element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it cannot be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms installation, connecting, connection, fixation should be broadly understood. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it may be internal communication of two components or an interaction relationship between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be understood according to specific situations.

[0052] When a gel composite roll material production system in related art is in use, a fiber felt is placed on a conveying belt, the conveying belt itself serves as a base plate, and a catalyzed sol is applied to the fiber felt, and gelation occurs on the conveying belt. The fiber felt with gel is wound up at the other end of the conveying belt, to obtain the gel felt. However, after the gel felt leaves the conveying belt, residual sol often remains on the conveying belt. The excess sol may gel on the conveying belt to form gel lumps. These gel lumps may cause a surface of the subsequent transferred wet felt and a surface of the formed gel felt to be uneven, thus affecting quality of the gel felt.

[0053] Based on the above consideration, in order to solve the technical problem that excess sol may remain on the conveying belt in the related art, the present disclosure provides a gel felt production system. The gel felt production system can reduce excess sol residue on the conveying belt, avoiding formation of the gel lumps that affect surface morphology of the gel felt, thus improving quality stability of the gel felt.

[0054] The gel felt production system in the present disclosure may be described in detail below in combination with the embodiments.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 14, FIG. 1 is an overall structural schematic view of a gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 14 is a first partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in another embodiment of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a gel felt production system 100 including a conveying device 13. The conveying device 13 includes a plurality of first rotating rollers 131 that are rotatably disposed. The plurality of first rotating rollers 131 are arranged at intervals along a conveying direction of the conveying device 13. An input end of the conveying device 13 is configured to input or receive a wet felt 202, and an output end of the conveying device 13 is configured to output or discharge a gel felt 203. Each first rotating roller 131 may have a smooth surface or a certain degree of roughness.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wet felt 202 enters the conveying device 13 from the input end of the conveying device 13. During the conveying process by the conveying device 13, the wet felt 202 undergoes gelation to form the gel felt 203, and the gel felt 203 is output from the output end of the conveying device 13. After drying, the gel felt 203 forms an aerogel composite. Compared with the wet felt 202 conveyed by a conveying belt in related art, in the present disclosure, the excess sol 204 of the wet felt 202 can flow away through a gap between two adjacent first rotating rollers 131. This reduces the occurrence of the excess sol 204 undergoing gelation on the conveying device 13 to form gel lumps, which would otherwise affect surface morphology of the gel felt 203. As a result, the quality stability is improved.

[0057] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, FIG. 3 is a second partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 4 is a first structural schematic view of a conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 5 is a second structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure. A distance between the two adjacent first rotating rollers 131 may range from 10 mm to 500 mm, so as to adapt to production rhythm of the gel felt production system 100 and improve the production efficiency. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance between two adjacent first rotating rollers 131 may range from 10 mm to 200 mm, which can improve the conveying efficiency of the first rotating roller 131. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance between two adjacent first rotating rollers 131 may range from 200 mm to 500 mm, which reduces the number of the first rotating roller 131 and reduces the production line construction cost of the gel felt production system 100. When the first rotating roller 131 is configured to convey the wet felt 202, the sol 204 of the wet felt 202 can flow out through the gap between the two adjacent first rotating rollers 131, thereby reducing the situation where the sol 204 undergoes gelation during conveying to form the gel lumps affecting the surface morphology of the gel felt 203. In some embodiments, as long as it does not affect the conveying of the wet felt 202 and the gel felt 203, the distance between two adjacent first rotating rollers 131 may also be greater than 500 mm. When the distance between two adjacent first rotating rollers 131 is too small, the production line construction cost may increase. A length of the first rotating roller 131 may be designed according to a width of the produced gel felt 203, so as to ensure a smooth conveying process.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, tops of the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 are located on the same horizontal plane. In some embodiments, the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 may have different sizes. The plurality of first rotating rollers 131 with different sizes may be configured to convey the wet felt 202 or the gel felt 203 as needed. However, the tops of the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 need to be located in the same horizontal plane. The purpose is to keep the wet felt 202 horizontal, so that the sol 204 in the wet felt 202 is evenly distributed, thereby improving product quality. In some embodiments, the conveying device 13 may consist of large rotating rollers 1311 with larger diameters and small rotating rollers 1312 with smaller diameters, and their tops are parallel to each other. The wet felt 202 or the gel felt 203 moves smoothly on the conveying device 13 composed of the plurality of first rotating rollers 131, which can reduce scratch on a felt body and improve the surface flatness of the felt body.

[0059] In some embodiments, the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 may also have the same diameter, and rotating shafts of the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 may be parallel, so as to improve the integrity of the conveying device 13. On one hand, it can allow the wet felt 202 or the gel felt 203 to move smoothly on the conveying device 13 composed of the plurality of first rotating rollers 131, reducing the scratch on the felt body and improving the surface flatness of the felt body. On the other hand, it also facilitates design and installation of the first rotating rollers 131. After the first rotating roller 131 is produced, the subsequent first rotating rollers 131 can be mass-produced using the first produced first rotating roller 131 as a template. The rotating shafts of the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 may be disposed in parallel, so that the tops of the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 are located on the same horizontal plane, thereby reducing costs.

[0060] Referring to FIGS. 6-9, FIG. 6 is a third structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 7 is a fourth structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 8 is a fifth structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 9 is a sixth structural schematic view of the conveying device in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a cross-section of the first rotating roller 131 has a non-circular shape. In some embodiments, the first rotating roller 131 may be non-cylindrical, as long as a conveying passage that is formed by the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 can allows the wet felt 202 to run smoothly and the wet felt 202 can be smoothly conveyed from the input end to the output end of the conveying device 13. In some embodiments, the conveying passage that is formed by the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 may have a height change in a vertical direction during the conveying process, allowing the wet felt 202 to move up and down in the vertical direction during the conveying process. For continuous wet felt 202, both ends of the wet felt 202 are respectively fixed by an unwinding device and a winding device, and the first rotating roller 131 is a non-cylinder. Therefore, the wet felt 202 can be periodically tensioned and relaxed. This makes it easier to generate tiny cracks in a gel structure during gelation, improving bending resistance or flexibility of the gel structure, thereby improving flexibility of an aerogel that is formed after the gel felt 203 is dried.

[0061] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the non-circular shape may include a regular polygon, such as a regular hexagon. In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the non-circular shape may also include an ellipse.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a third partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes a plurality of scraper blades 21, an end of each scraper blade 21 is in direct contact with a surface of the corresponding first rotating roller 131 that is not configured to directly contacts with the wet felt 202, so as to scrape off the sol 204 on the surface of the first rotating roller 131 and avoid formation of the gel lumps on the surface of the first rotating roller 131.

[0063] In some embodiments, the scraper blade 21 may be located on a bottom of the first rotating roller 131, and a top of the scraper blade 21 is in direct contact with the bottom of the first rotating roller 131, so as to scrape off the sol 204 on the surface of the first rotating roller 131. A bottom end of the scraper blade 21 is tilted towards the conveying direction, so as to reduce interference with the rotation of the first rotating roller 131. The scraper blade 21 may be made of silicone or rubber, so as to avoid scratching the first rotating roller 131.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes a recycling container 22 and a deflector 23. The recycling container 22 is disposed on the bottom of the scraper blade 21, so as to collect the excess sol 204 that seeps through the gap between the two adjacent first rotating rollers 131 and the sol 204 that is scraped from the surface of the first rotating roller 131. The deflector 23 is disposed on the bottom of the scraper blade 21, and an end of the deflector 23 extends to a top of the recycling container 22, so as to guide the sol 204 into the recycling container 22.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a fourth partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes an accommodation chamber 31 and an inflation-evacuation device 32. The accommodation chamber 31 defines an inlet and an outlet. The wet felt 202 enters the accommodation chamber 31 through the inlet, the wet felt 202 undergoes gelation to form the gel felt 203, and then the gel felt 203 is output from the outlet. The conveying device 13 is disposed inside the accommodation chamber 31 to convey the wet felt 202. The inflation-evacuation device 32 is communicated with the accommodation chamber 31 and configured for perform inflation and evacuation of the accommodation chamber 31, thereby adjusting an air pressure inside the accommodation chamber 31.

[0066] In some embodiments, the inflation-evacuation device 32 may perform inflation and evacuation towards the first rotating roller 131. The inflation-evacuation device 32 can change the internal air pressure of the accommodation chamber 31, so that the gel structure of the wet felt 202 is more likely to generate crack, thereby improving mechanical flexibility of the gel felt 203 and the aerogel that is formed after drying the gel felt 203.

[0067] In some embodiments, the accommodation chamber 31 includes a plurality of accommodation sub-chambers 311 along the conveying direction of the conveying device 13, and each accommodation sub-chamber 311 is connected to one inflation-evacuation device 32. In some embodiments, the wet felt 202 is divided into a plurality of parts along the conveying direction using the plurality of accommodation sub-chambers 311, so that the air pressure of each part of the wet felt 202 can be individually adjusted. This increases the probability of the crack formation and the number of the cracks in the gel structure, increase the bending resistance of the gel structure, and improve the mechanical flexibility of the gel felt 203 and the aerogel that is formed after drying the gel felt 203.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 12, and FIG. 14, FIG. 12 is a fifth partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes a raw material supply device 11 and a sol loading device 12. The raw material supply device 11 is disposed close to the input end of the conveying device 13, and the raw material supply device 11 is configured to supply a fiber felt 201. The sol loading device 12 is configured to provide the sol 204 to the fiber felt 201, so as to convert the fiber felt 201 into the wet felt 202.

[0069] In some embodiments, the sol loading device 12 may be disposed between the raw material supply device 11 and the conveying device 13. The fiber felt 201 provided by the raw material supply device 11 forms the wet felt 202 under the action of the sol 204 provided by the sol loading device 12, and then the wet felt 202 enters the conveying device 13 for conveying. Therefore, the time for the fiber felt 201 to be converted into the gel felt 203 in the production process can be reduced, and the production efficiency of the gel felt production system 100 can be improved. Further, the sol 204 in some embodiments of the present disclosure may include silica sol. The fiber felt 201 is converted into the wet felt 202 by impregnating the fiber felt 201 with the silica sol, which accelerates the gelation process of the wet felt 202 into the gel felt 203 during the conveying of the wet felt 202, thereby improving the conveying efficiency.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a first partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The sol loading device 12 includes a reaction container 121 and a pressing roller 122. The reaction container 121 is disposed on a path from the raw material supply device 11 to the input end of the conveying device 13. The reaction container 121 is configured to accommodate the sol 204, so that the fiber felt 201 is combined with the sol 204 to form the wet felt 202. The pressing roller 122 is rotatably disposed inside the reaction container 121 and configured to press the fiber felt 201, so that the fiber felt 201 is combined with the sol 204.

[0071] In some embodiments, the pressing roller 122 is disposed inside the reaction container 121 and configured to press the fiber felt 201, so that the fiber felt 201 is combined with the sol 204. After the fiber felt 201 enters the reaction container 121, the fiber felt 201 passes beneath the pressing roller 122. The pressing roller 122 flattens protruding parts of the fiber felt 201, improving the surface flatness of the fiber felt 201. It also allows the fiber felt 201 to be fully impregnated with the sol 204 and combined with the sol 204 to form the wet felt 202, increasing saturation of the sol 204 in the wet felt 202.

[0072] In some embodiments, the raw material supply device 11 may be the unwinding device that is capable of continuously providing the fiber felt 201 from a whole roll. That is, the fiber felt 201 is rolled into a roll and then progressively unwound through the unwinding device 11 for continuous supply. Therefore, the production efficiency can be improved. In some embodiments, the raw material supply device 11 is provided with at least two supply rollers 111 for alternating unwinding. The two supply rollers 111 have different sizes, and the two supply rollers 111 respectively wind the fiber felt 201 into at least two rolls. During production, when the fiber felt 201 on one supply roller 111 is unwound to an end of the fiber felt 201, the fiber felt 201 on the other supply roller 111 begins to unwind, thereby achieving continuous supply of the fiber felt 201. In some embodiments, the raw material supply device 11 may also directly provide fiber felt sheets, which simplifies the structure of the gel felt production system 100, reduces the production costs, and can effectively reduce the wrinkles and indentation on the fiber felt 201 that are caused by unwinding and winding the fiber felt 201.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, an end of the reaction container 121 close to the conveying device 13 is lower than the input end of the conveying device 13. A plurality of second rotating rollers 14, which are arranged at intervals in sequence from low to high, are rotatably disposed between the end of the reaction container 121 close to the conveying device 13 and the input end of the conveying device 13.

[0074] In some embodiments, the reaction container 121 is connected to the conveying device 13 by the plurality of second rotating rollers 14. The reaction container 121 is located at a low position, the conveying device 13 is located at a high position, and the plurality of second rotating rollers 14 form an inclined surface for conveying the wet felt 202. Each second rotating roller 14 is disposed to rotate passively. A front end of the wet felt 202 is pulled from the reaction container 121 to the input end of the conveying device 13, and then from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the output end of the conveying device 13. By utilizing the height difference, the excess sol 204 of the wet felt 202 is drawn off the wet felt 202 under the action of gravity. The sol 204 flows away through a gap between two adjacent second rotating rollers 14, reducing the excess sol 204 undergoing gelation on the wet felt 202 to form the gel lumps, avoiding the impact on the gelation of the wet felt 202 into the gel felt 203, thereby improving the surface flatness of the gel felt 203 and improving the quality stability of the gel felt production system 100.

[0075] In some embodiments, the reaction container 121 is located at a high position, the conveying device 13 is located at a low position, and the plurality of second rotating rollers 14 are disposed to rotate passively. In some embodiments, the second rotating roller 14 may also be disposed to rotate actively, so that the wet felt 202 can be conveyed smoothly when the wet felt 202 is conveyed from the reaction container 121 to the conveying device 13 while the reaction container 121 and the conveying device 13 are located at different heights.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 12, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes a winding device 18 and a cutting device 19. The winding device 18 is disposed close to the output end of the conveying device 13 for collecting and winding the gel felt 203. In some embodiments, the winding device 18 is disposed close to the output end of the conveying device 13. The winding device 18 includes a winding roller 181, and the winding roller 181 is configured to wind and collect the gel felt 203 that is conveyed from the output end of the conveying device 13. Furthermore, the winding roller 181 can also provide traction to the first rotating roller 131 of the conveying device 13, reducing energy consumption required for conveying, so that the gel felt production system 100 saves energy and the production costs is reduced.

[0077] The specific structure of the cutting device 19 is known in the related art and may not be described in detail in the present disclosure. The cutting device 19 may be configured to cut the gel felt 203 into gel felt sheets for direct collection. In some embodiments, the cutting device 19 cuts the gel felt 203 into small pieces, which makes the gel felt 203 easier to dry, so as to prepare an aerogel felt. In some embodiments, the cutting device 19 may also be disposed after the drying process, that is, after the gel felt 203 is dried to obtain the aerogel felt, the aerogel felt is cut to obtain the aerogel sheets.

[0078] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes a traction device 17. The traction device 17 is disposed on the input end of the conveying device 13 and configured to pull the wet felt 202 to the winding device 18. The winding device 18 is configured to collect and wind the gel felt 203. The traction device 17 may include two clamping rollers.

[0079] In some embodiments, the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 are disposed to rotate passively. First, the front end of the wet felt 202 is pulled from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the winding device 18 using the traction device 17. Then, the winding device 18 provides the traction for the wet felt 202 when the winding device 18 winds, driving the first rotating roller 131 to rotate, so that the conveying device 13 can operate. Furthermore, the energy consumption required by the conveying device 13 is reduced, so that the gel felt production system 100 saves energy and is environmentally friendly. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first rotating roller 131 may also be disposed to rotate actively, so as to improve the smoothness of the conveying of the wet felt 202 on the conveying device 13. The conveying device 13 in some embodiments of the present disclosure can effectively reduce the energy consumption required for conveying by using the plurality of passively rotating first rotating rollers 131, so that the gel felt production system 100 can play the role of energy saving and environmental protection while improving quality and stability.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 13, FIG. 13 is a three-dimensional structural schematic view of an unrolling platform in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, an unrolling platform 15 is further disposed between the raw material supply device 11 and the reaction container 121, and the unrolling platform 15 is configured to flatten the fiber felt 201. The unrolling platform 15 includes a platform frame 153, a winding rod 151, and an edge shield 152. In some embodiments, the platform frame 153 is configured to support the winding rod 151 and the edge shield 152. When the fiber felt 201 passes over the unrolling platform 15, the winding rod 151 is configured to flatten the fiber felt 201, preventing accumulation and wrinkling of the fiber felt 201, thereby improving the surface flatness of the felt body.

[0081] Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, FIG. 14 is a first partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in another embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 15 is a second partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in another embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 16 is a third partial structural schematic view of the gel felt production system in another embodiment of the present disclosure. Different from the above embodiments, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes a spraying device 123 and a recycling container 22. The spraying device 123 may be disposed on the path from the raw material supply device 11 to the input end of the conveying device 13, or on the input end of the conveying device 13. The spraying device 123 is configured to spray the sol 204 onto the fiber felt 201, so that the sol 204 is combined with the fiber felt 201 to form the wet felt 202. The recycling container 22 may be disposed below the spraying device 123 or below the conveying device 13 for recycling the sol 204.

[0082] In some embodiments, the cutting device 19 may be disposed close to the input end of the conveying device 13. In some embodiments, the cutting device 19 may be disposed on the path from the raw material supply device 11 to the input end of the conveying device 13, and configured for cutting the fiber felt 201 into sheets. In some embodiments, the raw material supply device 11 may directly supply the sheet fiber felt 201. It can be understood that the supply of sheet-shaped fiber felt 201 in the present disclosure is relative to the process of supplying continuous fiber felt 201 through the unwinding device (such as the unwinding roller), where the plurality of sheet-shaped fiber felt 201 are sequentially supplied to the conveying device 13. In some embodiments, rectangular or square sheet-shaped fiber felt 201 is cut from the continuous fiber felt 201 released from the unwinding device. The spraying device 123 may be configured to spray onto the cut sheet-shaped fiber felt 201. Due to the fact that the plurality of sheet-shaped fiber felts 201 are not a continuous whole, requirements for the amount and uniform distribution of the sol 204 for a single sheet-shaped fiber felt 201 are lower. The cost can be reduced and the production efficiency can be improved by using the spraying device 123. In some embodiments, the deflector 23 may be disposed above the recycling container 22, so as to guide the excess sol 204 into the recycling container 22, thereby facilitating the recycling of the sol 204.

[0083] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes a catalytic gelation device 33 and a reagent supply device 34. The catalytic gelation device 33 is a heating system, an acoustic wave system, or a radiation system in the related art. The catalytic gelation device 33 may be disposed above the conveying device 13. Heat, acoustic wave, or radiation is supplied to the wet felt 202 to catalytic the sol 204 of the wet felt 202, so that the sol 204 undergoes gelation. It is conductive to controlling the gelation time and performance of the aerogel after gelation and drying. In some embodiments, the catalytic gelation device 33 is disposed as a hydrothermal heating system below the conveying device 13, which heats the wet felt 202 on the conveying device 13 to a temperature from 20 C. to 60 C., so as to catalyze the gelation of the sol 204 of the wet felt 202. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the catalytic gelation device 33 may also be disposed above the conveying device 13. The reagent supply device 34 is configured to supply the sol 204 and gel catalyst. During the production process, the reagent supply device 34 may supply the sol 204 to the reaction container 121, so that the fiber felt 201 is combined with the sol 204 to form the wet felt 202. At the same time, the reagent supply device 34 can supply the gel catalyst to the reaction container 121, so that the wet felt 202 can undergo gelation to form the gel felt 203 during conveying, reducing the time required for gelation of the wet felt 202 into the gel felt 203, thereby improving the production efficiency and reducing the production costs.

[0084] In some embodiments, the gel felt production system 100 may simultaneously include the catalytic gelation device 33 and the reagent supply device 34, so as to improve production efficiency. In some embodiments, the gel felt production system 100 may only include the catalytic gelation device 33, so as to reduce costs. In some embodiments, the gel felt production system 100 may only include the reagent supply device 34.

[0085] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 further includes a protective cover 16. The protective cover 16 covers or envelops periphery of the conveying device 13, so as to reduce volatilization of solvents during the conveying process of the wet felt 202 and the gel felt 203 on the conveying device 13, which may improve the performance of the aerogel after the gel is dried.

[0086] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the gel felt production system 100 may further include a mixing container 35. The mixing container 35 is communicated with the reagent supply device 34. The mixing container 35 is configured to accommodate the sol 204 and the gel catalyst, and mix the sol 204 and the gel catalyst. The sol 204 and the gel catalyst may be mixed in advance and then sprayed onto the fiber felt 201, so that the gel felt 203 may be formed by catalyzing.

[0087] In some embodiments, the gel felt production system 100 may include any one of the cutting device 19, the catalytic gelation device 33, the protective cover 16, and the reagent supply device 34. In some embodiments, the gel felt production system 100 may include at least some of the cutting device 19, the catalytic gelation device 33, the protective cover 16, and the reagent supply device 34. In some embodiments, the gel felt production system may simultaneously include the cutting device 19, the catalytic gelation device 33, the protective cover 16, and the reagent supply device 34.

[0088] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for producing the gel felt 203 by using the above gel felt production system 100 is provided. The method includes conveying the wet felt 202 from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the output end of the conveying device 13, and allowing the sol 204 of the wet felt 202 to undergo gelation during the conveying process.

[0089] In some embodiments, by pre-combining the fiber felt 201 with the sol 204 to form the wet felt 202, the process flow during the conveying process can be simplified, thereby improving the production efficiency. The conveying device 13 may include the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 that are rotatably disposed, and the plurality of first rotating rollers 131 are arranged at intervals along the conveying direction of the conveying device 13. Compared with the wet felt 202 conveyed by the conveying belt in related art, in the present disclosure, the excess sol 204 of the wet felt 202 can flow away through the gap between two adjacent first rotating rollers 131. This reduces the occurrence of the excess sol 204 undergoing gelation on the conveying device 13 to form the gel lumps, which would otherwise affect the surface morphology of the gel felt 203. As a result, the quality stability is improved.

[0090] Further, during the conveying process of the wet felt 202 from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the output end of the conveying device 13, the air pressure in the accommodation chamber 31 can be changed with time by using the inflation-evacuation device 32. Therefore, the wet felt 202 is more likely to generate the cracks in the gel structure, so as to increase the bending resistance of the gel structure, thereby improving the flexibility of the gel felt 203 and the aerogel that is formed after drying the gel felt 203. By using the inflation-evacuation device 32, the air pressure at the bottom of the conveying device 13 is greater than the air pressure at the top of the conveying device 13. By increasing the air pressure at the bottom of the wet felt 202, the wet felt 202 can be supported by the air pressure, which reduces the risk of the wet felt 202 separating from the sol 204 due to the gravity, so that the wet felt 202 maintains a higher saturation level, thereby increasing the aerogel content of the aerogel composite.

[0091] Further, during the conveying process of the wet felt 202 from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the output end of the conveying device 13, the plurality of accommodation sub-chambers 311 have different air pressures by using the inflation-evacuation device 32. This makes it easier for the wet felt 202 to generate the cracks in the gel structure during gelation, so as to increase the bending resistance of the gel structure. As a result, the flexibility of the gel felt 203 and the aerogel that is formed after drying the gel felt 203 is improved.

[0092] Due to different shapes and sizes of the fiber felt 201, the saturation requirements for the sol 204 are also different. When producing the gel felt 203, different production methods can be used according to different fiber felt 201.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 17, FIG. 17 is an operation schematic view of a method for producing a gel felt by using the gel felt production system of FIG. 1 in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the method for producing continuous gel felt 203 may include the following operations.

[0094] At block S110, the method may include conveying the fiber felt 201 from the raw material supply device 11 to the reaction container 121, so that the fiber felt 201 is impregnated with the sol 204 and converted into the wet felt 202, and the wet felt 202 is conveyed to the input end of the conveying device 13.

[0095] In some embodiments, the raw material supply device 11 may continuously provide the fiber felt 201 into the reaction container 121, the reaction container 121 accommodates a mixed solution of the silica sol and the catalyst, and the mixed solution may combine with the fiber felt 201 to form the wet felt 202. In order to ensure that the sol 204 is fully saturated in the fiber felt 201, the fiber felt 201 may be pressed by the pressing roller 122, so as to improve the surface flatness of the fiber felt 201, so that the fiber felt 201 can be fully impregnated with the sol 204.

[0096] At block S120, the method may include conveying the wet felt 202 from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the output end of the conveying device 13, so that the sol 204 of the wet felt 202 undergoes gelation during the conveying process.

[0097] In some embodiments, gelation of the sol 204 of the wet felt 202 may be catalyzed by using the catalytic gelation device 33 during the conveying process of the wet felt 202, so as to improve the production efficiency. Further, during the conveying process of the wet felt 202 from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the output end of the conveying device 13, the air pressure in the accommodation chamber 31 can be changed with time by using the inflation-evacuation device 32. Therefore, the wet felt 202 is more likely to generate the cracks in the gel structure, so as to increase the bending resistance of the gel structure, thereby improving the flexibility of the gel felt 203 and the aerogel that is formed after drying the gel felt 203. By using the inflation-evacuation device 32, the air pressure at the bottom of the conveying device 13 is greater than the air pressure at the top of the conveying device 13. By increasing the air pressure at the bottom of the wet felt 202, the wet felt 202 can be supported by the air pressure, which reduces the risk of the wet felt 202 separating from the sol 204 due to the gravity, so that the wet felt 202 maintains a higher saturation level, thereby increasing the aerogel content of the aerogel composite.

[0098] Further, when the accommodation chamber 31 includes the plurality of accommodation sub-chambers 311, during the conveying process of the wet felt 202 from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the output end of the conveying device 13, the plurality of accommodation sub-chambers 311 have different air pressures by using the inflation-evacuation device 32. This makes it easier for the wet felt 202 to generate the cracks in the gel structure during gelation, so as to increase the bending resistance of the gel structure. As a result, the flexibility of the gel felt 203 and the aerogel that is formed after drying the gel felt 203 is improved.

[0099] At block S130, the method may include collecting the gel felt 203 by using the winding device 18.

[0100] In some embodiments, the winding device 18 may collect and wind the gel felt 203, and may also provide the traction for the wet felt 202 during the conveying process, so as to achieve the effect of energy conservation and environmental protection. In order to produce a sheet-shaped gel felt 203, the cutting device 19 may be disposed on the output end of the conveying device 13, so as to cut the continuous gel felt 203 into the sheet-shaped gel felt 203.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 18, FIG. 18 is an operation schematic view of a method for producing a gel felt by using the gel felt production system of FIG. 14 in the present disclosure. In order to meet other requirements, the method for producing the sheet-shaped gel felt 203 may further include the following operations.

[0102] At block S210, the method may include cutting the fiber felt 201 into the sheet-shaped fiber felts 201 and conveying the sheet-shaped fiber felts 201 to the input end of the conveying device 13.

[0103] In some embodiments, the fiber felt 201 provided by the raw material supply device 11 is cut into the sheet-shaped fiber felts 201 by using the cutting device 19, and saturation of the sol 204 of each sheet-shaped fiber felt 201 is low, which is conducive to the uniform distribution of the sol 204.

[0104] At block S220, the method may include spraying onto the sheet-shaped fiber felt 201 by using the spraying device 123, so that the fiber felt 201 is combined with the sprayed sol 204 to form the wet felt 202, the wet felt 202 is conveyed from the input end of the conveying device 13 to the output end of the conveying device 13, and the sol 204 of the wet felt 202 undergoes gelation during the conveying process.

[0105] In some embodiments, unlike the method for producing continuous gel felt 203, the sheet-shaped fiber felt 201 may be impregnated with the sol 204 only by spraying using the spraying device 123 to form the wet felt 202. In order to accelerate the gelation of wet felt 202, the mixing container 35 and the reagent supply device 34 may be disposed. The mixing container 35 is communicated with the reagent supply device 34. The mixing container 35 is configured to accommodate the sol 204 and the gel catalyst, so that the sol 204 and the gel catalyst are mixed. The sol 204 and the gel catalyst are mixed in advance and then sprayed onto the fiber felt 201, so that the gel felt 203 may be formed by catalyzing.

[0106] Referring to FIG. 4, for the sheet-shaped wet felt 202, due to a small frictional force between the sheet-shaped wet felt 202 and the first rotating roller 131, in order to increase the frictional force and enable the sheet-shaped wet felt 202 to be effectively conveyed by the first rotating roller 131, a pressing plate 205, such as a steel plate, may be disposed on the surface of the sheet-shaped wet felt 202 after the spraying operation.

[0107] At block S230, the method may include collecting the sheet-shaped gel felt 203 by using a collecting device.

[0108] In some embodiments, in addition to the winding roller 181, the collection device may further include other structures to complete the collection of the sheet-shaped gel felt 203.

[0109] Finally, the foregoing embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, not to limit them. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that, they may still modify the technical solutions recited in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacements of some or all of the technical features thereof. Such modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the respective embodiments of the present disclosure, and should all be included in the scope of the claims and specification of the present disclosure. Especially, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in each embodiment can be combined in any way. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.