ThermVac Keeps Developing Technologies of Ultra-high Temperature Furnaces for Graphitization and Carbon Purification

HWASEONG, South Korea–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#AdvancedMaterial—ThermVac Inc., a developer of vacuum furnaces based in Korea, continues to develop a variety of ultra-high temperature furnaces that can be optimally applied to diverse types of materials, which are to be fired in the range of 2,500°C or higher ultra-high temperature. This is particularly relevant for high-quality graphite materials of which global demand is rapidly increasing in secondary battery, electric vehicle and photovoltaic industries.

With regard to graphitization treatment, as the competition to advance material properties becomes intense and the firing process requires a higher temperature than the current operation of 2,700~2,800°C, ThermVac has recently developed a resistance heating type of ultra-high temperature vacuum furnace which can stably operate under 3,000°C mass production process. They supplied it to company T, a carbon catalyst manufacturer. In case of over 2,800°C, the furnaces have conventionally been manufactured using the induction-heating method because resistance-heating type carbon heater is extremely consumed. In this case, however, the cost of the induction power device is excessive and the temperature in the hot zone is not uniform. This time, ThermVac has succeeded in lowering the temperature of the carbon heater as much as possible, securing the standard for a 3,000°C resistance-heating furnace that can stably maintain the life of the heater.

Meanwhile, ThermVac developed a two-chamber type graphitization furnace where the heating and cooling chambers are separated, and has tested the graphitization process for more than two years, securing the durability and stability of the equipment through complementary work. The commercialization model of the two-chamber graphitization furnace will be launched in the first half of 2022. This two-chamber furnace heats a product while maintaining the hot zone at 800°C to 2,400°C at all times, and then transfers it to the cooling chamber for rapid cooling. Thereby, the process cycle, which previously took 2 to 3 days, can be shortened to less than one day, and electricity consumption can be reduced to 60% or less.

In addition, with respect to carbon purification treatment, ThermVac is diversifying the types of furnaces into horizontal and vertical types. It is also developing related purification processes along with equipment types to be suitable for various graphite products such as graphite fibers and felts as well as bulk materials.

Contacts

ThermVac

Inseok Choi

+82-10-2735-4944

thermvac@thermvac.co.kr