Chemical | Posted on
June 12th, 2013 by
Phil Kinnane
My colleague, Edmund Dickinson, recently blogged about cyclic voltammetry, and how this can be modeled. It was a fantastic blog entry, as it really described the application, and how to implement such models in COMSOL Multiphysics. While Edmund has a background in electroanalysis, where cyclic voltammetry, potentiometry, and electrochemical impedance are important tools, I had a different but similar life before COMSOL, working within industrial electrolysis. For both of us, the new Electrochemistry Module would have been the perfect tool had it been around then, as it would have catered to each of our needs.
Read more on: Electrochemistry, from Electroanalysis to Industrial Electrolysis
Electrochemical | Posted on
June 3rd, 2013 by
Fanny Littmarck
Did your chemistry teacher use an orange or lemon to demonstrate the concept of a battery, back in the day? You might remember how she magically produced electricity by sticking a couple of metal nails into the citrus fruit, as the whole class watched in awe. What if we now used simulation tools to demonstrate how an orange battery works, and then use that as an intro to electrochemistry modeling?
Read more on: Learn How to Model Electrochemistry with an Orange Battery Tutorial
Electrochemical | Posted on
May 27th, 2013 by
Edmund Dickinson
If you’re not an electrochemist, chances are you’ve never come across cyclic voltammetry. But look at any electrochemical journal, conference proceedings, or company website for manufacturers of electrochemical sensors. Somewhere near the front, you’ll see a distinctive “double-peaked” graph.
Read more on: Modeling Electroanalysis: Cyclic Voltammetry
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
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
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 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
COMSOL News 2012 | Posted on
June 15th, 2012 by
Phil Kinnane
Previously, I wrote a blog post about Fiat using modeling to simulate the cooling of their lithium-ion battery packs. This got me wondering how lithium-ion batteries actually get hot in the first place.
Read more on: Why do Lithium-ion Batteries Need to be Cooled?
Acoustics | Posted on
June 12th, 2012 by
Phil Kinnane
It’s long been known that a danger with corrosion is that it compromises the structures that it affects. This is particularly relevant for the naval industry where material failure leads to leaks and the like. Now, another danger is becoming apparent.
Read more on: Another Danger with Corrosion
