Electrochemical | Posted on
April 18th, 2013 by
Phil Kinnane
It’s always been hard to place the field of electrochemistry into a more traditional engineering field. Departments and institutions that focus on electrochemical applications can be found within the faculties of Chemical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, Physical Chemistry, and even Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering. I believe this is because electrochemistry is heavily involved in applications that are quite varied — and in some ways quite new. Electrochemical applications need to be studied before they can be understood and optimized, but doing this experimentally doesn’t give all the answers.
Read more on: Why Model Electrochemical Applications?
Chemical | Posted on
March 15th, 2013 by
Fanny Littmarck
The beauty of COMSOL is that it provides a unified modeling platform no matter what type of simulations you are performing. This is almost unique to the CAE market. Recently we showed you how to model chemical reactions using a monolith reactor as our example. First we walked you through solving the reaction kinetics and then involving plug flow, next we created a full-scale 3D model of the reactor. A chemical engineer may feel comfortable using a software optimized for this type of simulation, but what if he or she has to contemplate other properties in the device or process as well? For example, a catalytic converter is an exothermic reactor that sits near the exhaust of a car or truck, and there may be requirements for how long it must survive and function adequately before being replaced. In this final part of our “Modeling Chemical Reactions” blog series we will perform a thermal stress analysis of our converter.
Read more on: Modeling Chemical Reactions: Thermal Stress Analysis
Chemical | Posted on
March 5th, 2013 by
Fanny Littmarck
In a previous blog post we dealt with the reaction kinetics and modeled plug flow of a monolithic reactor in the exhaust system of a car. The goal was to determine the ideal dosage of ammonia to reduce the nitrogen oxide levels emitted into the air. After understanding the chemistry of our problem, it is now time for the second part in our “Modeling Chemical Reactions” blog series. Here, we will go through the steps of generating a 3D model of our monolith reactor to determine the ideal size and design of our system.
Read more on: Modeling Chemical Reactions: 3D Model of a Monolith Reactor
Chemical | Posted on
March 1st, 2013 by
Fanny Littmarck
In chemical reaction engineering, simulations are useful for investigating and optimizing a particular reaction process or system. Modeling chemical reactions helps engineers virtually understand the chemistry, optimal size and design of the system, and how it interacts with other physics that may come into play. This is the first of a series of blog posts on chemical reaction engineering, and here we will have a look at the initial stages of modeling the application: the chemical reaction kinetics.
Read more on: Modeling Chemical Reactions: Kinetics
Chemical | Posted on
February 4th, 2013 by
Fanny Littmarck
Electrodeposition is the process of making a substance adhere to an object through electrochemical reactions. Sometimes the substance is available in the solution form and other times it is a solid object too, and needs to undergo electrochemical reactions in order to dissolve into solution; often as part of the electrodeposition process. Electrodeposition can be an important part of the refining process of certain metals, such as copper, silver, and gold and is often referred to as electrorefining or electrowinning. Another form of electrodeposition is known as “electroplating”.
Read more on: Electroplating Simulations Cut Down on Wasted Metal
Chemical | Posted on
February 1st, 2013 by
Fanny Littmarck
Microbubbles filled with oxygen can be injected into contaminated lakes to restore the water quality. Typically, water is purified via water-treatment plants, but this microbubble technique is both inexpensive and more environmentally-friendly in comparison. As seen in a COMSOL News 2011 article, oxygen microbubbles are a researcher’s way of copying nature’s own self-restoration mechanism for cleaning contaminated lakes.
Read more on: Injectable Microbubbles in Hydrology and Healthcare
Chemical | Posted on
January 21st, 2013 by
Fanny Littmarck
On Friday I wrote about designing safer lithium-ion batteries, and showed you a few resources for helping people do just that. Now I’d like to show you a lithium-ion battery model and briefly run through how it can be created in COMSOL Multiphysics in three sequential studies.
Read more on: Lithium-Ion Battery Model
Chemical | Posted on
January 18th, 2013 by
Fanny Littmarck
Unless you live under a rock, you’ll have heard lithium-ion batteries mentioned a lot lately. Last week in Boston, a lithium-ion battery caught fire in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, forcing them to ground all Dreamliner planes until further notice. This type of battery makes it possible to pack lots of power into a small package. What can be done to make it operate safely?
Read more on: Designing a Safer Lithium-Ion Battery
Chemical | Posted on
August 22nd, 2012 by
Phil Kinnane
COMSOL has had a great relationship with Emeritus Professor Bruce Finlayson of the University of Washington. I first saw him back in 2002 at an American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE) meeting where he gave a presentation on the use of modeling in chemical engineering education. As a former President of AIChE and with a resumé covering some of the leading research and industrial advances within chemical engineering, I was quite intrigued by him taking the time and effort to hold a presentation on the importance of modeling for chemical engineering students.
Read more on: New Book from One of the Greats in Chemical Engineering Education
Chemical | Posted on
August 15th, 2012 by
Phil Kinnane
It has always been the flexibility of COMSOL Multiphysics that attracted people from the fuel cell and battery industries. The other software back in the day did not adequately support the ability to model the electrochemical equations that were required to properly describe the behavior of their appliances. As we noticed that more and more of these vendors were interested in COMSOL Multiphysics, this led to a great increase in COMSOL’s knowledge and ability to model these applications. For example, a Batteries and Fuel Cells Module was recently released. Now I would like to provide a page here where a number of these resources can be accessed — your one-stop source for batteries and fuel cells.
Read more on: Your One-Stop Source for Batteries and Fuel Cells
