There are multiple mechanisms that cause swelling and deformation of lithium-ion batteries (LIB), including the change in the volume of electrode particles induced by the lithium insertion/extraction, the growth of the particle surface film due to side reactions, and the electrode elastic deformation due to external mechanical load. The swelling and deformation may change both the electrochemical characteristics and the structural mechanical characteristics (such as, geometry dimensions or internal stress) of the battery. To consider the swelling effect, Ansys Fluent provides an empirical swelling model for the NTGK/DCIR and ECM methods and for the Newman's P2D method with the physics-based model.

For more information about using the battery swelling model, see Setting a Battery Swelling Case in the Fluent User's Guide.