Electrochemical Energy Storage: from materials research to battery modelling

Peter H.L. Notten (Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands)

Portable energy plays a crucial role in our modern society. The use of wireless electronic equipment, such as, mobile phones, laptop computers and other consumer electronics has been rapidly growing during the last two decades and this growth becomes even more pronounced in the near future. In addition, there is a strong tendency that "portability" will, on the one hand, broaden towards very small applications like wireless Autonomous Devices and medical implants and, on the other hand, to very large applications like (Hybrid) Electrical Vehicles. Some people therefore declared the 21st century already as "The Portable Age".

Our research deals with energy conversion processes in general and more particularly with: (i) Hydrogen storage, enabling the future hydrogen economy; (ii) Electricity storage in rechargeable batteries serving applications, such as small autonomous sensing devices enabling Ambient Intelligence and medical implants; consumer electronics and large scale applications in, for example, back-up power in future Smart Grids and electrical (hybrid) vehicles (EV's and HEV's) and (iii) Spectral conversion materials facilitating more efficient photovoltaic solar cells.

Electrochemistry is the carrying scientific discipline as it forms an essential part for the conversion processes of chemical species into electricity and vice versa. The program of the Energy Materials and Devices group is aiming to contribute to more energy dense and efficient systems. This includes (i) Fundamental materials research in the field of Hydrogen and electricity conversion/storage and spectral conversion; (ii) Introduction of new energy conversion/storage technologies, such as integrated all-solid-state batteries and (bio-inspired) fuel cells; (iii) Mathematical modeling of these conversion/storage devices. These models describe the macroscopic behavior of the electrochemical and physical processes taking place on device level, also in relation to other (electronic) components; (iv) Based on the insight generated by these models, new algorithms will be designed, such as safe fast charging algorithms and advanced Battery Management Systems (BMS), enabling accurate and adaptive State-of-Charge and State-of-Health determination, which will be applied in e.g. future automotive (H)EV's. The underlying principles of the various energy storage concepts will be outlined together with an overview of our research contributions.

Knowing the gas in place is vital from an economic and reservoir engineering point of view. Hence, we are utilizing high resolution micro- and nano-CT as well as NMR and dielectric measurements to characterize the Organic Rich Shales. From the detailed pore level description, and point-by point wettability we need to estimate the gas in place, water saturation and matrix permeability. These data measured on the nano and micron scales need to be up-scaled to estimate the initial flow rates, production versus time and the ultimate recovery.

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