Thermo-electrochemical FEM and circuit simulations of Li-ion batteries

In this article, strategies to model thermo-electrochemical mechanisms occurring in Li-ion batteries are introduced. Two models are presented. The first consists in a numerical model suitable for finite-element method (FEM) simulations. The numerical model was validated by comparing simulation results with experimental data. The second model concerns fast and accurate simulations in a SPICE-compatible software package; such a model is denoted by macrocircuit and accounts for the main thermo-electrochemical effects of batteries. The macrocircuit was (i) validated with FEM simulation results and (ii) proven to be effective in simulations of practical circuits based on batteries. Although both the above modeling strategies were applied to a commercial product, they are suitable for batteries in any technology.