Methods for Tomographic Segmentation in Pseudo-Cylindrical Coordinates for Bobbin-Type Batteries

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Imaging Science

Background:

• High-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) is crucial for analyzing sealed battery samples.
• Cartesian coordinates in CT data are unsuitable for studying radial dependencies in bobbin-type batteries.
• Alkaline zinc-manganese dioxide (Zn-MnO2) batteries are prevalent in the primary battery market.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for approximating Cartesian CT data into pseudo-cylindrical coordinates.
• To enable correlation between computational battery models and CT data by aligning radial volume fractions.
• To improve the analysis of radial material dependencies in bobbin-type batteries.

Main Methods:

• A novel pseudo-cylindrical coordinate transformation is applied to CT data from Zn-MnO2 AA battery anodes.
• Pseudo-radius is defined as the relative distance from the central current pin to the separator within the anode.
• The method is demonstrated and validated using 10 AA battery anodes.

Main Results:

• The pseudo-cylindrical method yields averaged one-dimensional material profiles.
• These profiles show improved quantitative matching to individual anode slices compared to other averaging methods.
• The method effectively corrects for asymmetries in bobbin-type battery components.

Conclusions:

• The developed pseudo-cylindrical coordinate method enhances the analysis of CT data for bobbin-type batteries.
• This approach facilitates better comparison between experimental CT data and computational battery models.
• Accurate radial analysis is vital for optimizing battery performance and design.