Flow Modeling for Vacuum Pressure-Based Handling of Porous Electrodes of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

AbstractIn lithium-ion battery (LIB) production, limp electrodes are handled gently by vacuum-pressure based handling and transport systems, which generate a fluid flow that propagates through the porous electrode coating during handling. To investigate the limits and material-damaging behavior of vacuum pressure-based handling, it is required to understand how process parameters and electrode qualities affect fluid flow. Questions on how fluid flow reduces electrode quality are insufficiently addressed or modeled. Modeling the electrode and handling system interaction requires knowledge of the effective surface geometry and the volumetric flow rate caused by the pressure difference. In this article, flow through porous electrode coatings during handling is modeled. Experiments demonstrate a flow behavior according to the generalized Darcy’s law. Thus, using Darcy’s law, modeling fluid flow through the electrode improves the exploration of the limits and design of vacuum pressure-based handling and transport of electrodes in LIB production.