Developing Processes For The Low-Cost Manufacturing Of High Purity Silicon Metals For Next-Generation Lithium-ion Batteries

Achieved final critical milestones, completing a successful silicon pour

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Message: Production Yield question

Hello Bernard

In the New Release of Feburary 15th it contained the following statement 

Gen2 test #007 achieved a Production Yield3 of 13.4%, the highest to date: ten times greater than baseline Gen1 test #63 Production Yield of 1.3% and 1.8 times greater than Gen2 test # 003 Production Yield of 7.4%; (3) Production Yield is the conversion efficiency of Quartz into Silicon Metal of the process

I have been reading up on this process and have a question.

Am I mistaken in assuming that to make 1 KG of Silicon at 100% Yield you would require 2.135 KG of pure Quartz and 0.854 KG of Carbon?

If my above calculation is correct and I beleive it can be verified from sources all over the internet, this would mean that at 13% yield, the Gen 2 would require 7.7 times more carbon and Pure Quartx to produce 1 KG of Silicon.

The Specifications for the Gen 2 was it not meant to produce 2.6 KG / day assuming 300 days a year of production? Again correct me if my math is off.

So if the Specs are correct, and the goal is 2.6 KG/day of production, at a current yield of 13% that would mean the Gen 2 would need to be loaded with 42.7 KG of pure carbon, (about 7.4 litres) for every 23.5 litres of Fine ground feed stock.

Is this not alot of material to feed into a bench top unit in a single day? 

Also, I am not sure of this, because I can find no supporting science, but does the power requirments go up to process 7.7 times more feed? Can the current Gen 2 unit's single electrode handle it? 

Finally, if tapping is not an objective of the Gen 2, like Peter indicated, and you yourself confirmed on this forum, how are the benefits of directional Solidification, frequently touted in the past, going to be proven?

Would be interested in the science behind everything, and rest assured it has nothing to do with bashing, pumping or hyping. I just want an idea if the numbers are correct.

 

 

 

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