November 14, 2024 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. EST

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COMSOL Day: Vehicle Electrification

See what is possible with multiphysics modeling

By enabling researchers and engineers to understand, design, and optimize devices and processes, modeling and simulation can make design and R&D more efficient. In the field of vehicle electrification, multiphysics simulation can be used to study batteries, fuel cells, power electronics devices, motors, and drivetrains.

At COMSOL Day: Vehicle Electrification, scientists and engineers in the industry will present how they have incorporated modeling and simulation into their work. In addition, COMSOL engineers will demonstrate important concepts in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software that are essential for studying the devices and processes used for vehicle electrification. They will also explain how built-in tools for centrally organizing model files and data and building simulation apps enable COMSOL Multiphysics users to collaborate on modeling projects with an extended community of scientists and engineers.

Schedule

11:00 a.m.

The COMSOL Multiphysics® software has become widely used for modeling and simulation in the field of vehicle electrification due to its multiphysics modeling capabilities.

The software is used for the research and design of electric motors, generators, battery systems, cables, power electronics, and hydrogen fuel cells. In addition, it is widely used for understanding and optimizing heat transfer and thermal management processes and designs. Its unique features for creating standalone simulation apps based on multiphysics models and surrogate models have enabled larger groups of engineers and scientists within an organization to benefit from modeling and simulation.

Attend this session to get an overview of the use of multiphysics models, simulation apps, digital twins, and surrogate models in the field of vehicle electrification. This session will also provide an overview of the topics that will be covered during this COMSOL Day.

11:20 a.m.
Keynote Talk
Electrochemical Modeling for Optimized Operating Strategies and Development of Automotive Cells

Nikolaos Papadopoulos, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

The increasing demand for sustainable mobility challenges the industry to develop high-energy lithium-ion batteries that meet long-range vehicle requirements and support fast charging times. Beyond efforts to enhance battery capacity and performance through cell chemistry and design, optimized operating strategies are essential for achieving fast charging. Electrochemical modeling enables the monitoring of internal cell variables, facilitating the development of fast-charging concepts that maximize cell performance without causing damage. Additionally, electrochemical modeling aids in conceptualizing cell design and enhancing understanding of ongoing processes in the battery's active materials.

11:40 a.m.
Q&A/Break
11:50 a.m.

Designing electric motors with high efficiency and power density is important for extending range and reducing battery capacity requirements. The COMSOL Multiphysics® software, along with its AC/DC Module, enables detailed modeling and simulation of electric motors as well as drivetrain technology, leading to improved designs.

For example, synchronous permanent magnet and asynchronous motors — as well as more recently researched alternatives such as synchronous reluctance or axial flux motors — can be modeled and optimized in COMSOL Multiphysics®. The software's capability to effectively capture multiphysics effects and apply powerful optimization techniques has empowered designers to improve efficiency and decrease costs, making it indispensable to many R&D departments in the industry.

In this session, we will discuss the functionality of COMSOL Multiphysics® and the AC/DC Module and demonstrate how they can be used in the R&D of electric motors.

12:20 p.m.
Q&A/Break
12:35 p.m.

Tech Lunches are informal sessions where you can interact with COMSOL staff and other attendees. You will be able to discuss any modeling-related topic that you like and have the opportunity to ask COMSOL technology product managers and applications engineers your questions. Join us!

1:05 p.m.
Keynote Talk
IAV's Multipurpose Coupling Solution for Electrophysicochemical Battery Models via the COMSOL API

Dr. Reik Laubenstein, IAV Automotive Engineering Inc.

In automotive battery development, electrophysicochemical models (EPCMs) address the need for independence from assembled cell prototypes by providing high-fidelity simulated cell data. EPCMs can be used to benchmark different cell chemistries, designs, or performances, supporting development and optimization of functions, cooling concepts, and layouts, as well as safety evaluation. To fully leverage EPCMs, the data must be seamlessly accessible across other existing tool chains to foster acceptance and applicability within model-based development.

This presentation will focus on coupling pseudo-2D (P2D) cell models created in COMSOL Multiphysics® with modeling in other vehicle simulation environments such as GT-SUITE or Simulink®. Such coupling makes it feasible to investigate system-level impacts on the electrochemical behavior of these cells (i.e., performance and aging) while considering interactions over dynamic boundaries (e.g., temperature, coolant flow, and balancing).

Dr. Laubenstein will demonstrate the coupling solution's utility with two specific application examples. The first focuses on early detection of cell anomalies in a module by modeling different internal short-circuit resistances to mimic a faulty cell. The second focuses on thermal management of a battery and cooling system containing two substantially different next-gen cell chemistries: sodium-ion and solid-state lithium-ion cells in a "twin battery" concept.

Attend this session to learn how IAV uses the Application Builder and COMSOL Compiler™ to customize and compile multiscale battery simulation apps and then couple them with other vehicle simulation environments using the COMSOL Java® API in an integrated, model-based approach that enhances engineering effectiveness across all phases of development.

1:25 p.m.
Q&A/Break
1:35 p.m.

The use of modeling and simulation (M&S) is highly effective for studying the design and operation of battery systems. The COMSOL Multiphysics® software and its add-on Battery Design Module provide comprehensive and specialized functionality for describing batteries and electrochemical cells. The software also features multiphysics capabilities for coupling the electrochemistry within a battery with structural stress effects due to intercalation, heat generation, heat transfer, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Multiphysics models can be utilized to investigate thermal management and thermal runaway in individual cells as well as in battery modules and packs consisting of hundreds of cells.

In this session, you’ll learn about the capabilities of the COMSOL® software for modeling and simulating battery energy storage systems (BESSs) in stationary applications as well as battery cells and packs for automotive applications.

2:05 p.m.
Q&A/Break
2:20 p.m.

The widespread shift to green energy, including vehicle electrification, has increased the demand for power electronics devices such as power optimizers, converters, rectifiers, amplifiers, and switches.

The AC/DC Module and Semiconductor Module add-ons to COMSOL Multiphysics® provide specialized functionality for modeling these devices. In addition to enabling lumped circuit extraction, the software’s multiphysics capabilities allow users to include thermal and structural effects when designing integrated circuits and discrete devices such as metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs).

Join us in this session to learn more about the capabilities of the COMSOL® software for modeling and simulating components in power electronics. We will give an overview of how the AC/DC Module and Semiconductor Module are used for modeling and simulation of power electronics devices.

2:50 p.m.
Q&A/Break
3:05 p.m.
Keynote Talk
Electromagnetic Simulation of an Axial Flux Motor

Nirmal Paudel, Veryst Engineering

Designing electric vehicle (EV) powertrains and motors is challenging given the competing requirements for energy efficiency, compactness, weight, thermal control, and other concerns. One enabling technology ideally suited to EVs is the axial flux motor (AFM). AFMs are electric motors where magnetic flux flows axially through the rotor, allowing for a more compact and lightweight design than traditional radial flux machines, as well as high-power density and efficient cooling. In this webinar, Nirmal Paudel will explore how to simulate an axial flux motor using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. He will cover the steps required to compute torque, to calculate various losses (such as copper, iron, and stray losses), and to determine efficiency to understand the overall performance of the machine. He will work through an EV AFM example in detail to illustrate how these calculations, including static and transient simulations, can provide practical design and optimization insights.

3:25 p.m.
Q&A/Break
3:35 p.m.

The COMSOL Multiphysics® software provides comprehensive functionality for research, development, and design in the field of electrification. It offers efficient modeling and simulation capabilities for studying a wide range of physics phenomena, as well as features for creating standalone simulation apps.

The Application Builder and COMSOL Compiler™ enable larger groups of scientists and engineers to benefit from simulations through the use of standalone apps. The latest release of COMSOL Multiphysics® contains functionality for creating surrogate models trained on data generated from high-fidelity multiphysics models. Once trained, these surrogate models can be very compact and lightning fast, making them suitable for use in simulation apps and digital twins.

In this session, you’ll learn about the COMSOL® software’s capabilities for creating simulation apps and digital twins.

4:05 p.m.
Q&A/Break
4:20 p.m.
Closing Remarks

Register for COMSOL Day: Vehicle Electrification

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COMSOL Day Details

Local Start Time:
November 14, 2024 | 11:00 a.m. EST (UTC-05:00)
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Invited Speakers

Dr. Reik Laubenstein IAV Automotive Engineering Inc.

Dr. Reik Laubenstein is senior engineer for IAV’s battery group in North America. He graduated from Humbolt-Universität zu Berlin in 2018 with a PhD thesis in inorganic chemistry. Subsequently, Dr. Laubenstein started at IAV’s Material Science Lab in Berlin, Germany, working on module, cell testing, and simulation topics. Additionally, he was involved in developing abusive testing capabilities for thermal propagation studies. Since May 2023, Dr. Laubenstein has been part of the high-voltage battery system team at IAV Automotive Engineering Inc. in Northville, MI, USA.

Lars Hovestadt Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

Lars Hovestadt holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and information technology with a focus on battery model upgrades and power electronics from Leibniz University Hannover. He currently works as a development engineer in the e-mobility division of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Hovestadt has extensive experience in drive systems, lithium-ion cell design & testing, and inverter control, in addition to a strong foundation in e-mobility and power systems engineering.

Nikolaos Papadopoulos Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

Nikolaos Papadopoulos holds a master’s degree in advanced materials and engineering with a focus on all-solid-state batteries, as well as double BE degrees in materials engineering and industrial engineering. He is currently pursuing an industrial PhD in modeling and cell design of high silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG and the Leibniz Institute for New Materials gGmbH.

Nirmal Paudel Veryst Engineering

Dr. Nirmal Paudel is a lead engineer at Veryst Engineering. He has an extensive background in computational electromagnetics, product development, and R&D, as well as more than a decade of experience in modeling and designing electromagnetic devices. Previously, Dr. Paudel worked as a principal R&D engineer at ABB Inc. and was team lead of the electromagnetics applications engineering group at COMSOL, Inc. Dr. Paudel has coauthored many peer-reviewed research articles for international journals and for conferences and has been a reviewer for several journals, including IEEE Transactions on Magnetics (from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and ACES Journal (from the Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society).