Numerical simulation of coupled electrochemical and transport processes in battery systems

Advanced numerical modeling to simulate dynamic battery performance characteristics for several types of advanced batteries is being conducted using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The CFD techniques provide efficient algorithms to solve a large set of highly nonlinear partial differential equations that represent the complex battery behavior governed by coupled electrochemical reactions and transport processes. We have successfully applied such techniques to model advanced lead-acid, Ni-Cd and Ni-MH cells. In this paper, we briefly discuss how the governing equations were numerically implemented, show some preliminary modeling results, and compare them with other modeling or experimental data reported in the literature. More importantly, we describe the advantages and implications using the CFD techniques and their capabilities in future battery applications.