Project Overview

As part of a targeted R&D program, our team at TMEC designed and delivered a custom high-temperature laboratory furnace for thermal treatment of carbon-rich materials in an inert atmosphere. The system was developed to support the production of ultra-pure graphite for advanced energy storage applications, including lithium-ion battery anodes.

⚙️ Scope of Work

We carried out a full-cycle engineering and research effort including:

• Feasibility and process evaluation;
• Theoretical modeling of impurity removal based on thermodynamic simulations;
• Design of a laboratory-scale furnace for thermal treatment at temperatures up to 3000°C;
• Engineering of furnace components (chamber, resistive heater, insulation, current supply);
• Prototyping and assembly of the furnace system;
• Development of a complete testing methodology for carbon materials;
• Experimental validation and optimization of thermal regimes.

🧠 Technical Highlights

Our approach integrated both theoretical and practical engineering aspects:

• Simulation of equilibrium chemical states in carbon-nitrogen systems up to 3000°C;
• Prediction of impurity removal thresholds (e.g. oxides, metals, carbides) between 2400–2800°C depending on the raw material origin;
• Custom design of a resistively heated graphite crucible, enabling localized ultra-high temperature treatment in nitrogen atmosphere;
• Cycle productivity: 25–100 g per batch, allowing flexible R&D studies;
• Materials tested: natural graphite, thermoantracite, petroleum coke.

The developed system allows precise control of temperature, residence time, and protective gas flow. It reproduces the thermal environment of full-scale electrothermal fluidized bed furnaces, but in a compact, research-friendly format.

🧪 Results & Applications

The system has been successfully commissioned and validated with multiple raw materials. Our research confirmed:

• Reliable impurity removal at high temperatures;
• Custom heating protocols per material type;
• Clear correlation between heat treatment parameters and the electrical resistivity, carbon content, and crystallinity of the resulting product.

The furnace enables development of tailored treatment regimes for various grades of carbon, supporting future scale-up. It serves as a foundation for the design of a next-generation industrial electrothermal system with improved energy efficiency, reduced material loss, and higher final product quality.