Supervisor: Dr Rohit Bhagat (WMG) and Chris Lyness (JLR)

Project Overview: 

Accelerated testing is a process of testing a product by subjecting it to conditions (stress, strain, temperature, cycle rate, pressure etc.) in excess of its normal service parameters in an effort to uncover faults and potential modes of failure in a short time. For lithium batteries this is not a trivial matter. Take cycle rate for example; increasing cycle rate can be used to simulate the charge-discharge behaviour over the life of the battery. However increasing cycle rate will also lead to more heat generation increasing the ambient temperature of the battery, which would not occur in the real situation. Increasing temperature can activate previously dormant ageing mechanisms invalidating the accelerated ageing test. In practice most of the external conditions affect more then one ageing mechanism. Furthermore the ageing mechanism can also be interdependent.  

The main aim of this project is to investigate these interdependencies and develop a methodology to perform these tests.

Objectives:

• Investigate the interdependencies of the ageing mechanisms
• Understand the impact of stress, strain, temperature, cycle rate, pressure etc. on the ageing mechanisms
• Develop accelerated test procedures for a range of lithium chemistries
• Provide strategies to mitigate ageing
• Apply this knowledge to industrial battery modules and packs

Awards available: 1 award available

Funding: Fees and maintenance at RCUK level

Length of Award: 3 years (PhD)

Eligibility: Due to funding restrictions the applicant should be eligible as a UK/EU student.

Application Details: Ideally applicants should have a First Class UK honour degree or equivalent, in a relevant discipline such as Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science or Engineering.

Experience of thermodynamics electrochemistry, batteries or a MSc in a relevant subject is highly desirable.

Any enquiries relating to the application process should be directed to Jennifer Kirkwood at engd@warwick.ac.uk. 

For further information, please visit: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/researchdegrees

Deadline:  30 June 2013