Does Digimat provide dedicated functionalities for battery cell modeling?

Battery Cell Modeling in Digimat 2024.2

Since the release of Digimat 2024.2, the software includes dedicated features for modeling battery cells. These capabilities are integrated into Digimat-FE, the virtual material engineering tool within the Digimat suite.

Digimat-FE enables users to construct the microstructure of a battery cell—either using synthetic geometries or data derived from CT scans—and to apply mechanical, thermal, or electrical loading conditions.

Mechanical and Thermal Loading

For mechanical and thermal simulations, Digimat-FE leverages its standard multi-phase material modeling capabilities. The typical workflow includes:

1. Material Definition: Specify the materials present in the cell along with their mechanical and thermal properties.
2. Microstructure Description: Define the cell’s microstructure using synthetic inclusions or CT-scan data. This includes:
   • Volume fraction of each inclusion
   • Inclusion shapes
   • Orientation and distribution of inclusions
3. Loading Conditions: Apply mechanical or thermal loads to the cell.
4. Meshing and Solving: Generate the mesh and solve the finite element (FE) problem. Depending on the material properties, an FFT-based solver can be used, offering significantly faster computation times while maintaining accuracy comparable to standard FE solvers.
5. Results postprocessing

Electrical Loading

Digimat-FE introduces a new electrochemical solver for advanced electrical simulations of battery cells. This feature enables users to apply electrical loads under various thermal conditions, allowing for a detailed assessment of battery cell efficiency based on its microstructure and material composition.

Additionally, Digimat-FE includes a built-in database of materials commonly used in battery cells, streamlining the setup process.

The workflow for setting up an electrical simulation is similar to that used for mechanical and thermal analyses:

1. Material Definition
   Define the materials present in the cell, including their mechanical, thermal, and electrochemical properties.

2. Microstructure Description
   Model the cell as a multilayer structure, including:

   • Cathode
   • Anode
   • Separator
   • Anode Collector
   • Cathode Collector

   Within the electrodes, a specialized approach is used to represent the Carbon Binder Domain (CBD). Unlike other components, the CBD is not explicitly modeled in the geometry but is defined directly at the mesh level, enhancing simulation efficiency and accuracy.

3. Loading Conditions
   Apply electrical loads and define the relevant thermal conditions.

4. Meshing and Solving
   Generate the mesh and solve the electrochemical problem using the integrated solver.

5. Postprocessing
   Analyze the results to evaluate the performance and efficiency of the battery cell under the specified conditions.