Insight 15: The Value of Modelling for Battery Development and Use
Summary
Batteries are important enablers of clean energy and mobility, but improvements in performance, longevity, safety and sustainability are needed. Battery models used to design a product on a computer save time and reduce the number of expensive physical prototypes needed. Computer models at multiple scales consider not only the properties of materials, components and cells, but also the impacts on pack functionality and across the lifecycle. Model simulations are often the only practical way to predict battery performance or battery failure, ensuring their safe and efficient operation.
Focus of the Insight
This Insight outlines the role modelling plays in the development of batteries, including battery chemistries that are currently commercialised, as well as future developments in battery technology (short and long-term).
Conclusion
Battery modelling is increasingly important to battery and EV developers because it facilitates faster and cheaper development of lithium-ion battery packs and improves battery management systems leading to cheaper battery warranties. Decreasing battery development costs is particularly important for SMEs targeting niche markets where extensive and costly development cycles are untenable. However, many companies lack access to high quality, computationally cheap and non-proprietary modelling software with reliable standards.
Developing models to meet these needs is challenging because batteries are highly complex systems requiring different types of modelling at various levels of analysis, including: atomistic models, higher scale models, whole cell models, pack level digital twins and whole systems techno-economic models. The Faraday Institution’s research programmes are making significant progress on developing modelling skills, capability and capacity both for the UK and globally.
With the benefits of physics-based modelling comes the challenge of creating complex models of the cells themselves. To meet this challenge, the Faraday Institution is working with industry to explore an open, standards-based approach to drive seamless interoperability of physics-based battery models; initially for PyBaMM and DandeLiion, but with the intention that the standard should be straightforward to adopt for other physics-based simulators. The aim here is to reduce fragmentation and costs to industry, facilitate agile development and maintain a world-class and evolving standard for the future.
A further challenge to the reliability of battery models is the accuracy of their input parameters, which is a complex issue because battery performance has many interdependencies. A spin out of Imperial College London and the University of Birmingham, About:Energy, has expertise in extracting the experimental data required to construct battery models – an activity known as parameterisation. An increasing number of UK-based companies are exploiting About:Energy’s extensive knowledge in this area, which is the first parameterisation company to support the new standardised approach proposed by the Faraday Institution.
Battery modelling opportunities in the UK could be further boosted by:
- The adoption of standardised approaches to support the wider use of physics-based models to provide accurate prediction of battery system performance.
- High speed computing facilities that run battery models. This will allow the properties of many more materials to be determined and assessed for suitability.
- Robust data collection from batteries. This will enhance the understanding of battery behaviour and improve the accuracy of battery modelling, by providing much-needed validation.
- Support for atomistic research and development. This modelling is key to understanding why batteries degrade and which conditions accelerate the process.
- Standardisation of experimental techniques. This includes the use of standardised testing and data processing procedures across academia and industry, for parameterisation and diagnostics.
Battery modelling is making substantial practical contributions to predicting battery performance and the chance of battery failure. This will help to improve the performance, longevity, safety and sustainability of batteries and enable a smooth transition of the UK to a green economy.