Tunnel kiln delamination of PV modules
A tunnel kiln does continuously what a batch oven does slowly: it carries frameless laminates through a controlled temperature profile and drives the
01
What the kiln does
Laminates travel on carriages through zones held at different temperatures: preheat, delamination, a hold to complete the removal across the full area, controlled cooling, and discharge. The encapsulant and backsheet are driven off as vapour, which is extracted and treated; the glass leaves able to be graded rather than carrying polymer residue.
02
The kiln in section
03
What is in the scope
- Kiln body with zoned heating and temperature control
- Carriage system and fixtures for the module format
- Vapour extraction and ducting to the abatement train
- Abatement equipment as configured to your permit
- Controlled cooling section
- Discharge transfer to grading or screening
- Instrumentation for zone temperature and airflow
04
The fixture is the specification nobody asks about
Support the pane, do not just carry it
As the laminate softens, a pane supported only at its edges sags and cracks. A pane resting on a solid tray does not see even airflow. A fixture that holds the module too rigidly cannot accommodate the differential expansion between the glass and its surroundings.
We treat the carriage fixture as a designed part of the project, sized to your module format and confirmed against your feedstock. Plants that get the kiln right and the fixture wrong get inconsistent glass and blame the temperature profile.
Consistent feed, or a mix?
A tunnel kiln performs best on consistent laminates. Tell us your module formats and how uniform your feed is, and we will tell you whether continuous delamination suits it.
FAQ
Questions
What is the difference between a tunnel kiln and a pyrolysis plant?
A tunnel kiln is continuous and optimised for flat frameless laminates, with the polymer driven off as off-gas. A pyrolysis plant runs batch or continuous on more varied dismantled material and recovers the polymer as oil and gas. The choice follows from your feed and from whether the oil has a use.
Does the frame have to come off first?
Yes. The frame is removed on the deframing machine so the aluminium is recovered as a clean metal stream. Sending framed modules to a kiln wastes that value and contaminates the residue.
What determines the glass quality that comes out?
The temperature profile and the carriage fixture. Fixture design is the more frequently underestimated of the two — edge-only support will crack panes as they soften.
Is the abatement included?
It is configured to your permit and included in the scope as a line item. Continuous thermal operation produces a continuous off-gas, so extraction and treatment are part of the project rather than an accessory.
Send us the module mix and the through-put
Tell us what arrives at your gate and what has to leave. The engineering team replies with the station configuration, the scope boundary and the information still missing before drawings start.
- Modules — framed single-glass, double-glass, frameless, thin film, mixed
- Condition — intact, or a meaningful share damaged or bent
- Through-put — modules per hour or t/h, and your shift pattern
- Output — which fractions you sell or store, and to what specification
Prefer to talk first? WhatsApp +86 182 0399 3035 or email [email protected].