Contact

Dr. Norbert Weber

norbert.weberAthzdr.de
Phone: +49 351 260 3112

OpenFOAM

OpenFOAM is an open source CFD library supporting single and multiphase-simulation of laminar and turbulent flows. Moreover, modelling of electric field and current as well as magnetic fields and electrochemistry is easily possible.

OpenFOAM is used intensively at HZDR for the simulation of liquid metal batteries. HZDR supports actively the development of OpenFOAM by integrating developed models into the official OpenFOAM software or providing the developed solvers as open-source.

Moreover, also software developed in other programming language, such as Python, is published as open-source.

Simulation of flow and mass transfer in electrolytes

In oder to quantify the influence of convection in the electrolyte on the performance of liquid metal batteries, a model has been developed which solves the Species-Transport equations, the flow and the electric potential in the electrolyte of the cells.

Source code: https://doi.org/10.14278/rodare.3414, Version: OpenFOAM v2006

Diffusive mass transfer in electrolytes

In order so simulate liquid metal batteries, a model has been developed which describes the mass transfer also in the electrolyte of such cells.

Source code: https://doi.org/10.14278/rodare.2312, Version: OpenFOAM v2006

Modelling of the influence of flow on cell voltage

By coupling a flow model with a cell potential model the influence of mass transfer on the cell performance of liquid metal batteries can be well described.

Source code: will be provided soon

Simulation of solutale and thermal convection in liquid metal batteries

For simulating the interaction of solutal with thermal convection in liquid metal batteries, a model has been developed which describes flow in both the electrodes, and electrolyte in a coupled way.

Source code: https://doi.org/10.14278/rodare.3596, Version OpenFOAM-v2006

Cell voltage model for Li-Bi liquid metal batteries

The cell potential of Li-Bi cells can be approximated by a simple 1-dimensional model.

Source code: https://doi.org/10.14278/rodare.1368, Version: Python 3

Modelling of fuel cells

A three-dimensional model to simulate fuel cells has been developed, which describes all major effects.

Source code: https://gitlab.com/dl6tud/fuelcellfoam, Version: OpenFoam v2112

Modelling electrode-reactions with diffusive mass transfer

The cell potential of liquid metal batteries is generated at their electrodes. The electrochemical double layer can be described in a simplified manner as jump in the electric potential, which is implemented by a modified Laplace and gradient term into the finite-volume method.

Source code: will be provided soon

Modelling droplet movement in liquid metal batteries

Describing the movement of metal droplets in between the electrodes of liquid metal batteries requires simulating the current and magnetic field distribution within a multiphase model.

Source code: will be provided soon

Thermal convection in multiphase systems

A solver to simulate thermal convection in liquid metal batteries based on a multiphase model has been developed.

Source code: will be provided soon

Interfacial intabilities

The simulation of interfacial instabilities requires coupling of the current and magnetic field distribution with a multiphase model.

Source code: will be provided soon

Electro-vortex flow

Electro-vortex flows appear in many liquid conductors. Their modelling requires typically the coupling of liquid with solid conductors as well as the computation of magnetic fields via Biot-Savart's law.

Source code: will be provided soon

Tayler-Instability

The simulation of the Tayler instability, which is known from astrophysics and liquid metal battery research requires computing current and magnetic field distributions via Biot-Savart's law.

Source code: will be provided soon

WeightedFlux interpolation scheme

Computing mass or heat fluxes or electric current densities, the velocity, temperature or electric potential needs to be interpolated between cell centres and cell faces. In order to achieve exact results, the interpolation scheme needs to account for the diffusivities or the thermal or electric conductivities.

Source code: available since OpenFOAM-v1912, Version: since OpenFOAM-v1912

Function Object "Capillary Courant Number"

Simulating multiphase flows using the volume-of-fluid method, unphysical ("spurious") velocities appear at the interfaces. These velocities can be reduced by several orders of magnitude by defining the time step of the simulation based on the capillary velocity.

Source code: will be provided soon

Ultrasound-beam model

An ultasound beam measures the velocity in a certain volume. In order to compare simulated velocities with experiments, and appropriate beam model has therefore been developed.

Source code: https://doi.org/10.14278/rodare.3399, Version: OpenFOAM-v2406

PCG solver

When solving the pressure equation, the pressure has to be fixed at a certain point. This can lead sometimes to convergence problems. Therefore, a PCG solver has been developed which fixes the integral of the pressure.

Source code: https://doi.org/10.14278/rodare.3401, Version: OpenFOAM-v2406

Simulation of 3D electromagnetic eddy-current driven flows

Source code: https://codebase.helmholtz.cloud/galindo/foam-extend, submodule of foam-extend-4.1