The Future of High Capacity

Carbon Fiber Production

Presenter: James Fry
Applications Engineer, Harper International
 Introduction

Challenge: Carbon fiber applications for ground

transportation exert market pressure towards
increased capacity and lower cost.

How can our industry meet the demand?

1
 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
 About Harper
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
Harper Pilot Line at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

4
Technology Focus

Materials: Applications:
•Fibers & Filaments •Sintering •Solid-solid reaction
•Metal Oxides & Powders •Drying •Gas-solid reaction
•Technical Ceramics •Calcination •Purification
•Energy Materials •Reduction •Metalizing
•Nano Materials •Controlled oxidation •Debinding
•Rare Earths •Carbonization •Parts processing
•Graphene •Carburization •Phase transformation

5
Thermal Processing Systems
Custom Advanced Systems for High Temperature Processing
Range of Sizes: Design Expertise: Comprehensive Solutions:
•Research Scale •Rotary Tube •Material Handling
•Piloting Systems •Pusher Tunnel •Waste Gas Treatment
•Full Scale Production •Belt Conveyor •Control Systems
•Vertical
•Slot
•Elevator

6
 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

7
 Historical PAN-based Carbon Fiber Supply
Worldwide Nominal PAN CF Capacity
120,000
96,300
100,000

80,000
tonnes

60,000

40,000

20,000

-
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Source: Growth Opportunities in the Global Carbon Fiber Market 2011-2016, Lucintel, 2011

8
 Global Carbon Fiber Capacity vs
Automotive Material Demand
Material Comparisons
100

90

80

70
Thousands of Tonnes

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Carbon Fiber - Global CF Capacity

9
 Global Carbon Fiber Capacity vs
Automotive Material Demand
Material Comparisons
25000

20000
Thousands of Tonnes

15000

10000

5000

0
Carbon Fiber - Global CF Capacity Aluminum - Global Automotive Industry
Consumption

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

10
 Global Carbon Fiber Capacity vs
Automotive Material Demand
Material Comparisons
90000

80000

70000

60000
Thousands of Tonnes

50000

40000

30000

20000

10000

0
Carbon Fiber - Global CF Capacity Aluminum - Global Automotive Industry Steel - Global Automotive Industry
Consumption Consumption

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

11
 The Drive For Efficiency
USA Corporate Average Fuel Economy Mandates
1975-2025
70

60
Mandated Fuel Economy (mpg)

50

40
All Cars 1978-2011
Small Cars 2011-2025
30
Big Cars 2012-2025

20

10

0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

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

12
 The Drive For Efficiency
USA Corporate Average Fuel Economy Mandates
1975-2025
70

60
Mandated Fuel Economy (mpg)

50

40 All Cars 1978-2011

Small Cars 2011-2025
30 Big Cars 2012-2025
Actuals
20

10

0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

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

13
 The Drive For Efficiency
USA Corporate Average Fuel Economy Mandates
1975-2025
70 200

180
60
160
Mandated Fuel Economy (mpg)

50 140

Aluminum (kg/vehicle)
120 All Cars 1978-2011
40
Small Cars 2011-2025
100
Big Cars 2012-2025
30
80 Actuals
Aluminum Per Vehicle
20 60

40
10
20

0 0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

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

14
 Example C7 (2014+) Corvette Stingray
Every roof and hood CFRP 2014 General Motors
 8.2kg CF per Coupe What If • 6.03 Million Vehicles
37,288 Vehicles (71% Coupes) 49,000 Tons CF
~261 tons CF 2014 Ford
• 6.3 Million Vehicles
51,000 Tons CF
Carbon Fiber 2014 Volkswagen AG
• 10.1 Million Vehicles
82,000 Tons CF
2014 Global Industry
• 87.9 Million Vehicles
Image © General Motors 718,000 Tons CF

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

15
 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

16
Carbon Fiber Current Production Lines
1500 to 2500 Tons Per Year
3 Meter Processing Width

3 Meter Wide Harper Oxidation Oven Section

17
 Current Production Lines
Floor Space Requirements

Up to 300 meters long

VENT TO RTO (VE)

MAKE-UP AIR (MA)

THERMAL OXIDIZER

CREEL STATION PRECURSOR DRIVE 1 OXIDATION OVEN STACK 1 DRIVES 2&3 DRIVE 6 LT FURNACE SYSTEM DRIVE 7 HT FURNACE SYSTEM DRIVE 8 SURFACE TREATMENT SYSTEM DRIVE 9 ONLINE WINDING
MOISTENING OXIDATION OVEN STACK 2 DRIVES 4&5 OXIDATION OVEN STACK 3

18
 Harper Estimated Cost Structure
Cost of Manufacturing (CF) Based on
Cost of Manufacturing (CF)
1500 TPY 12k (90min, 90s, 90s RT)
Based on 1500 TPY 12k (90min, 90s, 90s RT)

Equipment • Energy ~10% of total

Depriciation
Depreciation
Precursor
51% 12% • Oxidation = 30-40%
Facility
Depreciation
12% • ~6 MW total consumption

Labor
• $4MM USD per year (energy)
12%
Electricity
5%
Natural Gas
Nitrogen 6%
2%

19
 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

20
 Step Change From 2,500 to 10,000
Carbonization Line Productivity
10000

9000
2000 f/mm 10m/min
8000 2500 f/mm 10 m/min
3000 f/mm 10 m/min
7000
2000 f/mm 15 m/min
Annual Capacity (mton/year)

2500 f/mm 15 m/min

6000
3000 f/mm 15 m/min

5000 2000 f/mm 20 m/min

2500 f/mm 20 m/min
4000 3000 f/mm 20 m/min

3000

2000

1000

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Line Width (meters)

21
 Today vs Tomorrow
Production 2,500 TPY 10,000 TPY
Filament
2500 f/mm 3000 f/mm
Density
Line Width 3 Meters 5 Meters

Line Speed 10 m/min 20 m/min

Tow Spacing Number of Tow Spacing Number of

Tow Type
(mm) Tows (mm) Tows

12k 4.6 650 3.8

3.8 1300
1300

24k 9.2 325 7.6 650

48k 18.4 162 15.2 325

**Dual Tow Bands May Be Necessary

22
 Dual Tow Bands

Parallel Oxidation Shared

Carbonization

Single Plant
• Shared Controls
• Common Utilities
• Common Creels / Winders
• Etc

23
 Floor Space as a Function of Line Configuration
400

380
Creel-to-Winders Inclusive Length (m)

360

340

3 m, 12K, 1500 f/mm

320
3 m, 12K, 2500 f/mm
3m, 24K, 3500 f/mm
300
4 m, 12K, 1500 f/mm

280 4 m, 12K, 2500 f/mm

4 m, 24K, 3500 f/mm
260 5 m, 12K, 2500 f/mm
5 m, 24K, 3500 f/mm
240

220

200
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
Line Capacity (mton/year)

24
 10,000 Tons Per Year Line 48k Tow
5 Meters Wide
~310 meters long
Residence Times 60/60/60
(Minutes Oxidation / Seconds LT, Seconds HT)
VENT TO RTO (VE)
MAKE-UP AIR (MA)

THERMAL OXIDIZER

325 Tows Pitched 15.2mm Apart, Single Band

20 m/min Line Speed
CREEL STATION PRECURSOR DRIVE 1 OXIDATION OVEN STACK 1 DRIVES 2&3 DRIVE 6 LT FURNACE SYSTEM DRIVE 7 HT FURNACE SYSTEM DRIVE 8 SURFACE TREATMENT SYSTEM DRIVE 9 ONLINE WINDING
MOISTENING OXIDATION OVEN STACK 2 DRIVES 4&5 OXIDATION OVEN STACK 3

Oxidation Carbonization, Each Furnace

3 Stacks, 15 Passes per Stack 10 Zones
26m Pass Length 20m Heated Length
1170m Total Heated Length

25
10,000 Tons Per Year Line Energy Consumption
Power Consumption
10,000 Tons Per Year Single CF Line

1483

1933
Ovens
LT
HT
2244
9735 Abatement
Auxiliary
1320

16.7 Megawatts!
1500 TPY, 6MW = 30 kw/kg
10,000 TPY, 16.7MW = 12.5 kw/kg

26
 Technical Challenges
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%

For Faster Speed & Greater Precision…

Better Process Stability
Oxidation Oven Stability
“Focus on the Bottleneck”

27
 PAN Oxidation

“Like toasting a
marshmallow on a
camp fire.”
-Dr. Renee Bagwell

• Achieve uniform thermal processing

• Prevent runaway exotherm
• Key: airflow uniformity
 Straight
 Smooth
 Even

28
 Harper Oxidation Oven Flow Pattern
Inlet Nozzle
Collector Plenum

TowTow
Processing Volume
Processing Volume

Fan Inlet

Flow Just
Downstream
of Heater

29
 Oxidation Unstable Airflow
Inlet Nozzle
Collector Plenum

TowTow
Processing Volume
Processing Volume

Fan Inlet

Flow Just
Downstream
of Heater

30
 Harper Oxidation Oven Stable Airflow
Inlet Nozzle
Collector Plenum

Tow Processing Volume

Fan Inlet

Flow Just
Downstream
of Heater

31
Harper Oxidation Oven - Stable Data

32
 Harper Oxidation Oven Safety Features
448kg PAN in Each Zone
=878,000 kJ Energy
=25 Liters Gasoline

Water Injection Deflagration Management

33
 Furnaces
Length OK
• Harper Has Furnaces >18m in Operation

Width is Challenging
• Multiple Vent Ports?
• Dual Muffles?

Harper LT : ~5.2 meter wide tow system in final assembly,

Two (2) muffles 2.6 meter each

34
 Conclusions
Material Comparisons
Adoption of CFRP as an 100000

Tousands of Tonnes
80000
automotive material will force 60000
rethinking of plant 40000
20000
configuration. 0
Carbon Fiber - Aluminum - Global Steel - Global
Global CF Capacity Automotive Automotive
Industry Industry
Consumption Consumption

16.7 Megawatts!
Significant cost savings will be
1500 TPY, 6MW = 30 kw/kg realized.
10,000 PTY, 19.2MW = 12.5 kw/kg

Precision equipment
will be paramount to
success.

35
 Thank You!

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

36