FEM multi-physics analysis of Li-Ion batteries

In the last years, thanks to the growing concern for the environmental conditions, new emerging technologies have been directed towards a “greener” concept, in optic of a future complete sustainability in the way humans conduct their lives within the world. In the well-known field of the automotive mobility, the role of the so far used internal combustion engine is becoming outdated because of the new applications which involve a full rather than partial electric propulsion powertrain. At the basis of the functioning of these new generation of systems, in both electric and hybrid electric vehicles, one ends up finding the energetic storage to take place in the electrochemical cells, i.e. the batteries. Many recent studies have focused on batteries and first of all on their chemistry: among the various available setups, Li-Ion batteries have received particular attention since they are able to store and deliver great amounts of powers with respect to other competitive solutions, are cleaner in their production chain, and present a long lifespan. From an engineering point of view, however, the attention is totally dedicated to find out the optimal way to of simulating the behaviour of the cells, so that their status could eventually be totally predictable in online applications. In the development of this work, starting from a broad introduction aimed at defining the Li-Ion batteries as the best energy storage systems in their field, particular attention will be carried on an innovative simulating process which is totally able to mimic the functioning of these elements, validated from the experimental testing campaign conducted in parallel. Thanks then to effective simulating solutions, safer, newer, and more efficient designs of battery packs could be achieved, and the time-to-market from the research and development phase gets eventually reduced.