Electrochemical Transport Simulation of 3D Lithium-ion Battery Electrode Microstructures

Electrochemical Transport Simulation of 3D Lithium-ion Battery Electrode Microstructures
Author: Bradley Louis Trembacki
Publisher:
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

Download Electrochemical Transport Simulation of 3D Lithium-ion Battery Electrode Microstructures Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Lithium-ion batteries are commonly modeled using a volume-averaged formulation (porous electrode theory) in order to simulate battery behavior on a large scale. These methods utilize effective material properties and assume a simplified spherical geometry of the electrode particles. In contrast, a particle-scale (non-porous electrode) simulation applied to resolved electrode geometries predicts localized phenomena. Complete simulations of batteries require a coupling of the two scales to resolve the relevant physics. A central focus of this thesis is to develop a fully-coupled finite volume methodology for the simulation of the electrochemical equations in a lithium-ion battery cell at both the particle scale and using volume-averaged formulations. Due to highly complex electrode geometries at the particle scale, the formulation employs an unstructured computational mesh and is implemented within the MEMOSA software framework of Purdue’s PRISM (Prediction of Reliability, Integrity and Survivability of Microsystems) center. Stable and efficient algorithms are developed for full coupling of the nonlinear species transport equations, electrostatics, and Butler-Volmer kinetics. The model is applied to synthetic electrode particle beds for comparison with porous electrode theory simulations and to evaluate numerical performance capabilities. The model is also applied to a half-cell mesh created from a real cathode particle bed reconstruction to demonstrate the feasibility of such simulations. The second focus of the thesis is to investigate 3D battery electrode architectures that offer potential energy density and power density improvements over traditional particle bed battery geometries. A singular feature of these geometries is their interpenetrating nature, which significantly reduces diffusion distance. Advancement of micro-scale additive manufacturing techniques has made it possible to fabricate these electrode microarchitectures. A fully-coupled finite volume methodology for the transport equations coupled to the relevant electrochemistry is implemented in the PETSc (Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation) software framework which allows for a straightforward scalable simulation on orthogonal hexahedral meshes. Such scalability becomes important when performing simulations on fully resolved microstructures with many parameter sweeps across multiple variables. Using the computational model, a variety of 3D battery electrode geometries are simulated and compared across various battery discharge rates and length scales in order to quantify performance trends and investigate geometrical factors that improve battery performance. The energy density and power density of the 3D battery microstructures are compared in several ways, including a uniform surface area to volume ratio comparison as well as a comparison requiring a minimum manufacturable feature size. Significant performance improvements over traditional particle bed electrode designs are observed, and electrode microarchitectures derived from minimal surfaces are shown to be superior under a minimum feature size constraint. An average Thiele modulus formulation is presented to predict the performance trends of 3D microbattery electrode geometries. As a natural extension of the 3D battery particle-scale modeling, the third and final focus of the thesis is the development and evaluation of a volume-averaged porous electrode theory formulation for these unique 3D interpenetrating geometries. It is necessary to average all three material domains (anode, cathode, and electrolyte) together, in contrast to traditional two material volume-averaging formulations for particle bed geometries. This model is discretized and implemented in the PETSc software framework in a manner similar to the particle-scale implementation and enables battery-level simulations of interpenetrating 3D battery electrode architectures. Electrode concentration gradients are modeled using a characteristic diffusion length, and results for plate and cylinder electrode geometries are compared to particle-scale simulation results. Additionally, effective diffusion lengths that minimize error with respect to particle-scale results for gyroid and Schwarz P electrode microstructures are determined, since a theoretical single diffusion length is not easily calculated. Using these models, the porous electrode formulation for these 3D interpenetrating geometries is shown to match the results of particle-scale models very well.

Modeling transport properties and electrochemical performance of hierarchically structured lithium-ion battery cathodes using resistor networks and mathematical half-cell models

Modeling transport properties and electrochemical performance of hierarchically structured lithium-ion battery cathodes using resistor networks and mathematical half-cell models
Author: Birkholz, Oleg
Publisher: KIT Scientific Publishing
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2022-10-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 373151172X

Download Modeling transport properties and electrochemical performance of hierarchically structured lithium-ion battery cathodes using resistor networks and mathematical half-cell models Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Hierarchically structured active materials in electrodes of lithium-ion cells are promising candidates for increasing gravimetric energy density and improving rate capability of the system. To investigate the influence of cathode structures on the performance of the whole cell, efficient tools for calculating effective transport properties of granular systems are developed and their influence on the electrochemical performance is investigated in specially adapted cell models.

Nanoscale X-ray Computed Tomography Based Modeling of Lithium-ion Battery Electrodes

Nanoscale X-ray Computed Tomography Based Modeling of Lithium-ion Battery Electrodes
Author: Ali Ghorbani Kashkooli
Publisher:
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2018
Genre: Lithium ion batteries
ISBN:

Download Nanoscale X-ray Computed Tomography Based Modeling of Lithium-ion Battery Electrodes Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Because of their high energy/power density, long cycle life, and extremely low rate of self-discharge, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated portable electronics, smart grid, and electric vehicles (EVs). Although they are the most developed and widely applied energy storage technology, there is still a strong desire to further enhance their energy/power density, cycle life, and safety. While all of these battery requirements are macroscopic and stated at cell/pack scale, they have to be addressed at particle or network of particles scale (mesoscale). At mesoscale, active material particles having different shape and morphologies are bound together with a carbon-doped polymer binder layer. This percolated network of particles serves as the electron conductive path from the reaction sites to the current collector. Even though significant research has been conducted to understand the physical and electrochemical behavior of material at the nanoscale, there have not been comprehensive studies to understand what is happening at the mesoscale. Mathematical models have emerged as a promising way to shed light on complex physical and electrochemical phenomena happening at this scale. The idea of using mathematical model to study multiphysics behavior of LIBs is not new. Traditional models involved homogeneous spherical particles or computer generated electrode structures as the model geometry to simulate electrode/cell performance. While these models are successful to predict the cell performance, heterogeneous electrode's structure at mesoscale questions the accuracy of their findings related to battery internal behavior and property distribution. The new advances in the field of 3D imaging including X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and Focused-ion beam/Scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), have enabled the 3D visualization of the electrode's active particles and structures. In particular, XCT has offered nondestructive imaging and matter penetration capability in short period of time. Although it was commercialized in 70's, with the recent development of high resolution (down to 20 nm) laboratory and synchrotron radiation tomography has been revolutionized. 3D reconstructed electrodes based on XCT data can provide quantitative structural information such as particle and pore size distribution, porosity, solid/electrolyte interfacial surface area, and transport properties. In addition, XCT reconstructed geometry can be easily adopted as the model geometry for simulation purposes. For this, similar to traditional models, a modeling framework based on conservation of mass/charge and electrochemistry needs to be developed. The model links the electrode performance to the real electrode's structure geometry and allows for the detailed investigation of multiphysics phenomena. When combined with mechanical stress, such models can also be used for electrode's failure and degradation studies. The work presented in this dissertation aims to adopt 3D reconstructed structures from nano-XCT as the geometry to study multiphysics behaviour of the LIBs electrodes. In addition, 3D reconstructed structure provides more realistic electrode's morphological and transport properties. Such properties can benefit the homogeneous models by providing highly accurate input parameters. In the first study, a multiscale platform has been developed to model LIB electrodes based on the reconstructed morphology. This multiscale framework consists of a microscale level where the electrode microstructure architecture is modeled and a macroscale level where discharge/charge is simulated. The coupling between two scales is performed in real time unlike using common surrogate based models for microscale. For microscale geometry 3D microstructure is reconstructed based on the nano-XCT data replacing typical computer generated microstructure. It is shown that this model can predict the experimental performance of LiFePO4 (LFP) cathodes at different discharge rates more accurately than the traditional/homogenous models. The approach employed in this study provides valuable insight into the spatial distribution of lithium within the microstructure of LIB electrodes. In the second study, a new model that keeps all major advantages of the single-particle model of LIB and includes three-dimensional structure of the electrode was developed. Unlike the single spherical particle, this model considers a small volume element of an electrode, called the Representative Volume Element (RVE), which represent the real electrode structure. The advantages of using RVE as the model geometry was demonstrated for a typical LIB electrode consisting of nano-particle LFP active material. The model was employed to predict the voltage curve in a half-cell during galvanostatic operations and validated against experimental data. The simulation results showed that the distribution of lithium inside the electrode microstructure is very different from the results obtained based on the single-particle model. In the third study, synchrotron X-ray computed tomography has been utilized using two different imaging modes, absorption and Zernike phase contrast, to reconstruct the real 3D morphology of nanostructured Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) electrodes. The morphology of the high atomic number active material has been obtained using the absorption contrast mode, whereas the percolated solid network composed of active material and carbon-doped polymer binder domain (CBD) has been obtained using the Zernike phase contrast mode. The 3D absorption contrast image revealed that some LTO nano-particles tend to agglomerate and form secondary micro-sized particles with varying degrees of sphericity. The tortuosity of the pore and solid phases were found to have directional dependence, different from Bruggeman's tortuosity commonly used in homogeneous models. The electrode's heterogeneous structure behaviour was also investigated by developing a numerical model to simulate a galvanostatic discharge process using the Zernike phase contrast mode. In the last study, synchrotron X-ray nano-computed tomography has been employed to reconstruct real 3D active particle morphology of a LiMn2O4 (LMO) electrode. For the first time, CBD has been included in the electrode structure as a 108 nm thick uniform layer using image processing technique. With this unique model, stress generated inside four LMO particles with a uniform layer of CBD has been simulated, demonstrating its strong dependence on local morphology (surface concavity and convexity), and the mechanical properties of CBD such as Young's modulus. Specifically, high levels of stress have been found in vicinity of particle's center or near surface concave regions, however much lower than the material failure limits even after discharging rate as high as 5C. On the other hand, the stress inside CBD has reached its mechanical limits when discharged at 5C, suggesting that it can potentially lead to failure by plastic deformation. The findings in this study highlight the importance of modeling LIB active particles with CBD and its appropriate compositional design and development to prevent the loss of electrical connectivity of the active particles from the percolated solid network and power losses due to CBD failure. There are still plenty of opportunities to further develop the methods and models applied in this thesis work to better understand the multiscale multiphysics phenomena happening in the electrode of LIBs. For example, in the multiscale model, microscale solid phase charge transfer and electrolyte mass/charge transfer can be included. In this way, heterogeneous distribution of current density in microscale would be achieved. Also, in both multiscale and RVE models, the exact location of CBD can be incorporated in the electrode structure to specify lithium diffusional path inside the group of particles in the solid matrix. Finally, in the fourth study, the vehicle battery driving cycle can be applied instead of galvanostatic operating condition, to mimic the stress generated inside the electrodes in real practical condition. .

Mathematical Analysis of the Lithium Ion Transport in Lithium Ion Batteries Using Three Dimensional Reconstructed Electrodes

Mathematical Analysis of the Lithium Ion Transport in Lithium Ion Batteries Using Three Dimensional Reconstructed Electrodes
Author: Cheol Woong Lim
Publisher:
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2012
Genre: Computer simulation
ISBN:

Download Mathematical Analysis of the Lithium Ion Transport in Lithium Ion Batteries Using Three Dimensional Reconstructed Electrodes Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Computational analysis of lithium ion batteries has been improved since Newman and et al. suggested the porous electrode theory. It assumed the electrode as a simple structure of homogeneous spherical particles. Bruggeman relationship which characterizes porous material by a simple equation was adopted in the homogeneous electrode model instead of the electrode morphology. To improve the prediction of a cell performance, the numerical analysis requires the realistic microstructure of the cell. Based on the experimentally determined microstructure of the positive and negative electrodes of a lithium ion battery (LIB) using x-ray micro/nano-CT technology, three dimensional (3D) simulations have been presented in this research. Tortuosity of the microstructures has been calculated by a linear diffusion equation to characterize the 3D morphology. The obtained tortuosity and porosity results pointed out that the Bruggeman relationship is not sufficiently estimate the tortuosity by the porosity of electrodes. We studied the diffusion-induced stress numerically based on realistic morphology of reconstructed particles during the lithium ion intercalation process. Diffusion-induced stresses were simulated at different C rates under galvonostatic conditions and compared with spherical particles. The simulation results showed that the intercalation stresses of particles depend on their geometric characteristics. The highest von Mises stress and tresca stress in a real particle are several times higher than the stresses in a spherical particle with the same volume. With the reconstructed positive electrode structure, local effects in the LIB cathode electrode during galvanostatic discharge process have been studied. The simulation results reported that large current density usually occurs at the joints between cathode active material particles and in the small channels in electrolyte, which will generate high electric joule power. By using the 3D real image of a LIB cathode electrode, numerical simulation results revealed that the spatial distribution of variable fields such as concentration, voltage, reaction rate, overpotential, and etc. in the cathode electrode are complicated and non-uniform, especially at high discharge rates.

Computational Electrochemistry

Computational Electrochemistry
Author: S. Paddison
Publisher: The Electrochemical Society
Total Pages: 49
Release: 2015-12-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1607686511

Download Computational Electrochemistry Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Physical Multiscale Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Electrochemical Devices for Energy Conversion and Storage

Physical Multiscale Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Electrochemical Devices for Energy Conversion and Storage
Author: Alejandro A. Franco
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2015-11-12
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1447156773

Download Physical Multiscale Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Electrochemical Devices for Energy Conversion and Storage Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The aim of this book is to review innovative physical multiscale modeling methods which numerically simulate the structure and properties of electrochemical devices for energy storage and conversion. Written by world-class experts in the field, it revisits concepts, methodologies and approaches connecting ab initio with micro-, meso- and macro-scale modeling of components and cells. It also discusses the major scientific challenges of this field, such as that of lithium-ion batteries. This book demonstrates how fuel cells and batteries can be brought together to take advantage of well-established multi-scale physical modeling methodologies to advance research in this area. This book also highlights promising capabilities of such approaches for inexpensive virtual experimentation. In recent years, electrochemical systems such as polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells, water electrolyzers, lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors have attracted much attention due to their potential for clean energy conversion and as storage devices. This has resulted in tremendous technological progress, such as the development of new electrolytes and new engineering designs of electrode structures. However, these technologies do not yet possess all the necessary characteristics, especially in terms of cost and durability, to compete within the most attractive markets. Physical multiscale modeling approaches bridge the gap between materials’ atomistic and structural properties and the macroscopic behavior of a device. They play a crucial role in optimizing the materials and operation in real-life conditions, thereby enabling enhanced cell performance and durability at a reduced cost. This book provides a valuable resource for researchers, engineers and students interested in physical modelling, numerical simulation, electrochemistry and theoretical chemistry.

Modeling of Transport in Lithium Ion Battery Electrodes

Modeling of Transport in Lithium Ion Battery Electrodes
Author: Michael Martin
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2012
Genre:
ISBN:

Download Modeling of Transport in Lithium Ion Battery Electrodes Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Lithium ion battery systems are promising solutions to current energy storage needs due to their high operating voltage and capacity. Numerous efforts have been conducted to model these systems in order to aid the design process and avoid expensive and time consuming prototypical experiments. Of the numerous processes occurring in these systems, solid state transport in particular has drawn a large amount of attention from the research community, as it tends to be one of the rate limiting steps in lithium ion battery performance. Recent studies have additionally indicated that purposeful design of battery electrodes using 3D microstructures offers new freedoms in design, better use of available cell area, and increased battery performance. The following study is meant to serve as a first principles investigation into the behaviors of 3D electrode architectures by monitoring concentration and cycle behaviors under realistic operating conditions. This was accomplished using computational tools to model the solid state diffusion behavior in several generated electrode morphologies. Developed computational codes were used to generate targeted structures under prescribed conditions of particle shape, size, and overall morphology. The diffusion processes in these morphologies were simulated under conditions prescribed from literature. Primary results indicate that parameters usually employed to describe electrode geometry, such as volume to surface area ratio, cannot be solely relied upon to predict or characterize performance. Additionally, the interaction between particle shapes implies some design aspects that may be exploited to improve morphology behavior. Of major importance is the degree of particle isolation and overlap in 3D architectures, as these govern gradient development and lithium depletion within the electrode structures. The results of this study indicate that there are optimum levels of these parameters, and so purposeful design must make use of these behaviors.

Physics-based Simulations of Electrochemical Impedance Spectra for Lithium-ion Battery Electrodes

Physics-based Simulations of Electrochemical Impedance Spectra for Lithium-ion Battery Electrodes
Author: Danqi Qu
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022
Genre: Electronic dissertations
ISBN:

Download Physics-based Simulations of Electrochemical Impedance Spectra for Lithium-ion Battery Electrodes Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a powerful and non-destructive characterization technique widely used in the electrochemical research field. It can measure many macroscopic properties such as internal resistance, capacitance, and diffusivity by fitting the obtained impedance with equivalent circuits. Each of the acquired quantities reflects an electrochemical mechanism, e.g, charge-transfer reaction, double layer formation, and mass transport, taking place in the electrode. However, the obtained quantity is a total value for the whole electrode. The underlying connections between the macroscopic properties, intrinsic material parameters, and electrode microstructures are not well understood. This dissertation focuses on building a modeling framework to simulate EIS processes with given electrode microstructures and intrinsic material parameters. With this simulation tool, we provide a digital bridge between battery electrode material properties, electrode microstructures, and their corresponding EIS impedance. Capacitance of an electrochemical device originates from double layer formation in the electrolyte. However, there is a huge spatial discrepancy between the dimensions of double layer and electrode particles (or interparticle space). Thus, smoothed boundary method and adaptive mesh refinement are used to handle the scale discrepancy and the complex geometries of electrode particles in solving the Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations in simulating the double layer formation under voltage loading.The obtained double-layer capacitance is incorporated into multiphysics electrochemical simulations. Cathode electrode made of Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC111) oxide, is examined with this simulation tool. As a solid solution material, lithium transport in the NMC111 electrode particles is described by Fick's law. EIS curves for various conditions, including different states of charge, electrolyte salt concentration, electrode microstructures, are extracted from the simulations and analyzed. The simulations properly reflect the relationships between particle exchange current density, reactive surface area, and the total resistance of the electrode.Anodes made of graphite, a phase-transforming material upon lithiation/delithiation, are also examined using the simulation tool. The Cahn-Hilliard equation is employed to model the phase transformation processes in the particles. EIS simulations are conducted on single-phase and multi-phase graphite. For single-phase or core-shell phase-distributed graphite particles, the simulated EIS curves exhibit a typical semicircle with a Warburg part. Interestingly, if phase boundaries intersect particle surfaces, a low frequency inductive loop appears on the EIS curve. Lastly, the simulation tool is applied to simulate EIS processes of a full-cell battery of both cathode and anode microstructures. On each electrode, the total current is comprised of capacitance and reaction currents. It is observed that, depending on the loading frequency, the ratio of capacitance-to-reaction current on the two electrodes can be significantly different. The simulation tool allows us to examine the details of electrochemical processes during EIS measurements.

Simulation Science

Simulation Science
Author: Marcus Baum
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2018-08-07
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 331996271X

Download Simulation Science Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed proceedings of the Clausthal-Göttingen International Workshop on Simulation Science, held in Göttingen, Germany, in April 2017. The 16 full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 40 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on simulation and optimization in networks, simulation of materials, distributed simulations.

Electrochemical Systems

Electrochemical Systems
Author: John Newman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 671
Release: 2012-11-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0471478423

Download Electrochemical Systems Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The new edition of the cornerstone text on electrochemistry Spans all the areas of electrochemistry, from the basicsof thermodynamics and electrode kinetics to transport phenomena inelectrolytes, metals, and semiconductors. Newly updated andexpanded, the Third Edition covers important new treatments, ideas,and technologies while also increasing the book's accessibility forreaders in related fields. Rigorous and complete presentation of the fundamentalconcepts In-depth examples applying the concepts to real-life designproblems Homework problems ranging from the reinforcing to the highlythought-provoking Extensive bibliography giving both the historical developmentof the field and references for the practicing electrochemist.