Thermal-Electrochemical Modeling of Battery Systems

A general form of the thermal energy equation for a battery system is derived based on first principles using the volume‐averaging technique. A thermal‐electrochemical coupled modeling approach is presented to simultaneously predict battery electrochemical and thermal behaviors. This approach couples the thermal energy equation with the previous multiphase micro‐macroscopic electrochemical model via the heat generation and temperature‐dependent physicochemical properties. The thermal‐electrochemical model is multidimensional and capable of predicting the average cell temperature as well as the temperature distribution inside a cell. Numerical simulations are performed on a Ni‐MH battery to demonstrate the significance of thermal‐electrochemical coupling and to investigate the effects of thermal environment on battery electrochemical and thermal behaviors under various charging conditions. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.