Modeling and Simulation of an Alkaline Ni/Zn Cell

Abstract

Nickel/zinc (Ni/Zn) batteries are a promising post-lithium technology for stationary energy storage applications offering advantages in safety, environmental compatibility, and resource availability. Although this battery chemistry has been known for decades, the theoretical knowledge about its electrochemical processes remains limited. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the general cycling behavior and the underlying processes, but also specific phenomena intrinsic to zinc-based cells such as zinc shape change, simulations based on a thermodynamically consistent, volume-averaged continuum model are performed. A Ni/Zn prototype cell is used as a reference framework to provide a basis for modeling, parameter estimation, and systematic comparison between simulated and experimental cell behavior to enhance cyclability and performance.