Digitalization Platform for Sustainable Battery Cell Production: Coupling of Process, Production, and Product Models

Abstract

Lithium‐ion batteries are used in a wide range of applications, with the electromobility sector being the main contributor to the increasing demand predicted for the next decade. Although batteries play an important role in decarbonizing the transportation sector, their production includes energy‐intensive processes that hinder a more sustainable production. Moreover, the production processes are characterized by a manifold of parameters leading to complex cause–effect relations along the process chain which influences the battery cell quality. Therefore, a sustainable future for battery production and the electromobility sector depends on the environmentally and economically efficient production of high‐performance batteries. Against this background, this work presents a digitalization platform based on the coupling of mechanistic models to digitally reproduce the battery cell production and provide a deeper understanding of the interdependencies on the process, production, and product levels. In addition to a description of the individual models contained in the platform, this work demonstrates their coupling on a use case to study the effects of different solids contents of the coating suspension. Besides providing a multilevel assessment of the parameter interdependencies, considering quality, environmental and economic aspects, the presented framework contributes to knowledge‐based decision support and improvement of production and battery cell performance.

Integration of an Electrode‐Sheet‐Based Traceability System into the Manufacturing Process of Lithium‐Ion Battery Cells

“…[15][16][17][18][19][20] This recourse aims to uncover unknown connections or interdependencies in the manufacturing process chain based on collected production and product data. [21][22][23][24] All methods require a high level of data quality as well as a product-specific allocation of consistent data to exploit their full potential. Different manufacturing processes in lithium-ion battery production often lead to inconsistent production data sets.…”

Optimizing the Microstructure and Processing Parameters for Lithium‐Ion Battery Cathodes: A Use Case Scenario with a Digital Manufacturing Platform

“…An extensive description can be found in our other publications. [1,20] The framework consists of three modules: 1) the process chain model, 2) the battery cell model, and 3) analysis. The process chain model (1) combines mechanistic process models, whose interfaces are defined by intermediate structure and material parameters and receive PPs as input.…”

Continuous Anode Slurry Production in Twin-Screw Extruders: Effects of the Process Setup on the Dispersion

“…The mixing process in battery cell production has a major impact on the performance of the battery as it affects the microstructure in the cells by changing the particle size distribution and dispersion of the electrode components. It also has a major impact on the rheological properties of the electrode pastes, thus affecting the processability of the materials in downstream production steps [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. The mixing step can be performed in either batch or continuous operation depending on the production scale.…”