the future of high capacity carbon fiber...

The Future of High Capacity Carbon Fiber Production

Presenter: James Fry Applications Engineer, Harper International

Introduction

1

Challenge: Carbon fiber applications for ground transportation exert market pressure towards

increased capacity and lower cost.

How can our industry meet the demand?

Agenda

• About Harper

• Automotive Materials Usage

• Current Carbon Fiber Production Lines

• 10,000 Tons Per Year Carbon Fiber Lines

• Space Requirements

• Energy Consumption

• Technical Challenges

2

Headquartered outside of Buffalo, NY

An Employee-Owned Company

Onsite Technology Center

Multi-disciplined engineering talent

– Chemical

– Ceramic

– Mechanical

– Electrical

– Industrial

– Process & Integration

3

About Harper

-> Established Leader in Thermal Processing Systems

-> Key Partner in Advanced Materials Scale Up

Primary Technical Focus:

New / Challenging / Advanced Material Processing

– 200°C 3000°C

– Batch and Continuous processing

– Precise atmospheric controls

– High purity requirements

– Complex gas-solid interactions

4

About Harper

Harper Pilot Line at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Technology Focus

5

Applications: •Sintering •Drying •Calcination •Reduction •Controlled oxidation •Carbonization •Carburization

Materials: •Fibers & Filaments •Metal Oxides & Powders •Technical Ceramics •Energy Materials •Nano Materials •Rare Earths •Graphene

•Solid-solid reaction •Gas-solid reaction •Purification •Metalizing •Debinding •Parts processing •Phase transformation

Thermal Processing Systems Custom Advanced Systems for High Temperature Processing

6

Design Expertise: •Rotary Tube •Pusher Tunnel •Belt Conveyor •Vertical •Slot •Elevator

Range of Sizes: •Research Scale •Piloting Systems •Full Scale Production

Comprehensive Solutions: •Material Handling •Waste Gas Treatment •Control Systems

Agenda

7

• About Harper







-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

ton

ne

s

Worldwide Nominal PAN CF Capacity

96,300

Historical PAN-based Carbon Fiber Supply

8

Source: Growth Opportunities in the Global Carbon Fiber Market 2011-2016, Lucintel, 2011

Global Carbon Fiber Capacity vs Automotive Material Demand

9

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Carbon Fiber - Global CF Capacity

Tho

usa

nd

s o

f To

nn

es

Material Comparisons


10

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Carbon Fiber - Global CF Capacity Aluminum - Global Automotive IndustryConsumption

Tho

usa

nd

s o

f To

nn

es


Source: http://www.aluminiumleader.com/economics/world_market/


11

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

Carbon Fiber - Global CF Capacity Aluminum - Global Automotive IndustryConsumption

Steel - Global Automotive IndustryConsumption

Tho

usa

nd

s o

f To

nn

es


Source: https://www.worldsteel.org/Steel-markets/Automotive.html/

The Drive For Efficiency

12

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

Man

dat

ed

Fu

el E

con

om

y (m

pg)

USA Corporate Average Fuel Economy Mandates

1975-2025

All Cars 1978-2011

Small Cars 2011-2025

Big Cars 2012-2025

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy


13

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

Man

dat

ed

Fu

el E

con

om

y (m

pg)


1975-2025

All Cars 1978-2011


Big Cars 2012-2025

Actuals

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy


14

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

Alu

min

um

(kg

/ve

hic

le)

Man

dat

ed

Fu

el E

con

om

y (m

pg)


1975-2025

All Cars 1978-2011


Big Cars 2012-2025

Actuals

Aluminum Per Vehicle

Source: 2015 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content Study, Ducker Worldwide, 2014

Example C7 (2014+) Corvette Stingray

Every roof and hood CFRP

8.2kg CF per Coupe

37,288 Vehicles (71% Coupes)

~261 tons CF

15

Image © General Motors

2014 General Motors

• 6.03 Million Vehicles

49,000 Tons CF

2014 Ford


51,000 Tons CF

2014 Volkswagen AG


82,000 Tons CF

2014 Global Industry


718,000 Tons CF

What If

Carbon Fiber

Sources: plasancarbon.com; corvetteblogger.com; GM, Ford, and VW Annual Reports

Agenda

16

• About Harper







Carbon Fiber Current Production Lines

17

1500 to 2500 Tons Per Year

3 Meter Processing Width

3 Meter Wide Harper Oxidation Oven Section

Current Production Lines Floor Space Requirements

Up to 300 meters long

18

DRIVES 4&5PRECURSOR

MOISTENING

DRIVE 1

VENT TO RTO (VE)

MAKE-UP AIR (MA)

THERMAL OXIDIZER

CREEL STATION OXIDATION OVEN STACK 1 DRIVE 7DRIVE 6DRIVES 2&3OXIDATION OVEN STACK 2 OXIDATION OVEN STACK 3

DRIVE 9DRIVE 8 ONLINE WINDING SURFACE TREATMENT SYSTEMHT FURNACE SYSTEMLT FURNACE SYSTEM

Harper Estimated Cost Structure

19

Cost of Manufacturing (CF) Based on 1500 TPY 12k (90min, 90s, 90s RT)

Equipment Depriciation

12%Facility

Depreciation12%

Electricity5%

Natural Gas6%Nitrogen

2%

Labor12%

Precursor51%

Cost of Manufacturing (CF)Based on 1500 TPY 12k (90min, 90s, 90s RT)

• Energy ~10% of total • Oxidation = 30-40%

• ~6 MW total consumption • $4MM USD per year (energy)

Depreciation

Agenda

20

• About Harper







0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

An

nu

al C

apac

ity

(mto

n/y

ear

)

Line Width (meters)

Carbonization Line Productivity

2000 f/mm 10m/min

2500 f/mm 10 m/min

3000 f/mm 10 m/min

2000 f/mm 15 m/min

2500 f/mm 15 m/min

3000 f/mm 15 m/min

2000 f/mm 20 m/min

2500 f/mm 20 m/min

3000 f/mm 20 m/min

Step Change From 2,500 to 10,000

21

Today vs Tomorrow

22

Production 2,500 TPY 10,000 TPY

Filament Density

2500 f/mm 3000 f/mm

Line Width 3 Meters 5 Meters

Line Speed 10 m/min 20 m/min

Tow Type Tow Spacing

(mm) Number of

Tows Tow Spacing

(mm) Number of

Tows

12k 4.6 650 3.8 1300

24k 9.2 325 7.6 650

48k 18.4 162 15.2 325

3.8 1300

**Dual Tow Bands May Be Necessary

Dual Tow Bands

23

Parallel Oxidation Shared Carbonization

Single Plant

• Shared Controls

• Common Utilities

• Common Creels / Winders

• Etc

Floor Space as a Function of Line Configuration

24

200

220

240

260

280

300

320

340

360

380

400

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000

Cre

el-

to-W

ind

ers

In

clu

sive

Le

ngt

h (

m)

Line Capacity (mton/year)

3 m, 12K, 1500 f/mm

3 m, 12K, 2500 f/mm

3m, 24K, 3500 f/mm

4 m, 12K, 1500 f/mm

4 m, 12K, 2500 f/mm

4 m, 24K, 3500 f/mm

5 m, 12K, 2500 f/mm

5 m, 24K, 3500 f/mm

5 Meters Wide

Residence Times 60/60/60

(Minutes Oxidation / Seconds LT, Seconds HT)

325 Tows Pitched 15.2mm Apart, Single Band

20 m/min Line Speed

10,000 Tons Per Year Line 48k Tow

25

Oxidation

3 Stacks, 15 Passes per Stack

26m Pass Length

1170m Total Heated Length

Carbonization, Each Furnace

10 Zones

20m Heated Length

DRIVES 4&5PRECURSOR

MOISTENING

DRIVE 1

VENT TO RTO (VE)

MAKE-UP AIR (MA)

THERMAL OXIDIZER

CREEL STATION OXIDATION OVEN STACK 1 DRIVE 7DRIVE 6DRIVES 2&3OXIDATION OVEN STACK 2 OXIDATION OVEN STACK 3

DRIVE 9DRIVE 8 ONLINE WINDING SURFACE TREATMENT SYSTEMHT FURNACE SYSTEMLT FURNACE SYSTEM

~310 meters long

10,000 Tons Per Year Line Energy Consumption

26

16.7 Megawatts!

1500 TPY, 6MW = 30 kw/kg

10,000 TPY, 16.7MW = 12.5 kw/kg

9735

1320

2244

1933

1483

Power Consumption 10,000 Tons Per Year Single CF Line

Ovens

LT

HT

Abatement

Auxiliary

Technical Challenges

27

For Faster Speed & Greater Precision…

Better Process Stability

Oxidation Oven Stability

“Focus on the Bottleneck”

Today Tomorrow Increase

2,500 TPY 10,000 TPY 400%

3 meters wide 5 meters wide 167%

10 m/min 20 m/min 200%

2,500 filaments/mm 3,000 filaments/mm 120%

PAN Oxidation

28

“Like toasting a marshmallow on a camp fire.”

-Dr. Renee Bagwell

• Achieve uniform thermal processing

• Prevent runaway exotherm

• Key: airflow uniformity

Straight

Smooth

Even

29

Tow Processing Volume

Inlet Nozzle Collector Plenum

Flow Just Downstream of Heater

Fan Inlet


Harper Oxidation Oven Flow Pattern

Oxidation Unstable Airflow

30




Fan Inlet


Harper Oxidation Oven Stable Airflow

31




Fan Inlet

Harper Oxidation Oven - Stable Data

32

Harper Oxidation Oven Safety Features

33

448kg PAN in Each Zone

=878,000 kJ Energy

=25 Liters Gasoline

Water Injection Deflagration Management

Furnaces Length OK

• Harper Has Furnaces >18m in Operation

Width is Challenging

• Multiple Vent Ports?

• Dual Muffles?

34

Harper LT : ~5.2 meter wide tow system in final assembly, Two (2) muffles 2.6 meter each

Conclusions

Adoption of CFRP as an automotive material will force rethinking of plant configuration.

35

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

Carbon Fiber -Global CF Capacity

Aluminum - GlobalAutomotive

IndustryConsumption

Steel - GlobalAutomotive

IndustryConsumption

Tou

san

ds

of

Ton

ne

s


Significant cost savings will be realized.

16.7 Megawatts!

1500 TPY, 6MW = 30 kw/kg

10,000 PTY, 19.2MW =

Precision equipment will be paramount to success.

12.5 kw/kg

Thank You!

Visit us at harperintl.com or stop by booth Hall 6, Booth C56

36

the future of high capacity carbon fiber...

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