Gamma Technologies Teams Up with the College of Engineering at the University of Alabama to Enhance Battery Education with Advanced Simulation Software
Gamma Technologies (GT), a global leader and innovator in multi-physics systems simulation software, announced its commitment of software and support to the University of Alabama’s College of Engineering. The two organizations are working together to teach students cutting-edge skills for battery engineering by integrating advanced simulation tools in an academic setting.
The University introduced its first course with GT software this past fall, taught by Dr. Krishna Shah, which focused on battery technology, including pack- and module-level, as well as cell- and electrode-level engineering and design. The course covered the inner workings of Lithium-ion technologies, as well as key principles of battery system design spanning battery pack and module design to cell and electrode design to meet energy and power density requirements.
GT supplied the course students with GT-SUITE, the multi-physics modeling platform ideal for battery thermal management, thermal runaway propagation, and battery mechanical design analysis as well as GT-AutoLion, the leading electrochemical modeling tool for Lithium-ion and beyond Lithium-ion technologies. GT-AutoLion simulations are ideal for battery performance prediction, battery degradation prediction, and cell safety modeling.
To complement the course lectures from Dr. Krishna Shah, students were given free access to GT-University for expert training material.
In the inaugural course offering that included GT software and support, students tapped into their creativity to define and complete impressive projects, including:
- Artificial heart – an analysis of multiple cathode chemistries and cell design on the performance and degradation of a lightweight Lithium-ion battery pack powering an artificial heart
- Automotive benchmarking – a study of how ambient temperature affects a battery pack in automotive applications, for both drive cycle scenarios and charging scenarios
- Electric go-kart racing – a sizing and design project for a Lithium-ion battery pack for an electric go-kart to fit race specifications and maximum performance capabilities that tested both performance and degradation requirements
“Modeling, and specifically electrochemical modeling, is a valuable teaching tool for us because it provides an interactive way to learn and understand physical phenomena and behavior of cells,” said Dr. Krishna Shah, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama. “With GT-AutoLion, we setup virtual sensors to measure concentrations, potentials, flux rates, other quantities that are impossible to measure in an operational Li-ion cell, which greatly enhances the learning process.”
“We look forward to building on this collaboration with the University of Alabama and hope to continue to bring GT simulation tools into more engineering classrooms,” remarked Dimple Shah, President and CEO of Gamma Technologies. “Together with universities across the globe, we hope to play a small role in preparing today’s students to compete as tomorrow’s top simulation engineers.”