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Difficulty obtaining initial values in cyclic charge–discharge simulations when current collectors are included

Posted 2026/01/28 5:09 GMT-5 Battery Design, Modeling Workflow Version 6.3 0 Replies

Yixiao Cao

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I am currently learning lithium-ion battery simulations in COMSOL and I encountered a confusing issue related to cyclic charge–discharge conditions and current collectors.

Specifically, when I include current collectors in the model and change the study from a single charge (or charge–discharge) step to a cyclic charge–discharge condition, the solver fails to find consistent initial values. The simulation diverges very quickly (around 0.001 s) with errors indicating that the initial values cannot be obtained.

However, if I remove the current collectors while keeping all other settings the same, the model runs successfully under the same cyclic charge–discharge conditions.

For example, in the official COMSOL model “Electrode Utilization in a Large-Format Lithium-Ion Battery Pouch Cell”, the simulation works well for a single charge step. But after modifying it to cyclic charge–discharge, the model diverges almost immediately when current collectors are present. Once the current collectors are removed, the simulation can run normally again.

I have observed similar behavior in other lithium-ion battery models as well: – single charge or discharge works – cyclic charge–discharge fails only when current collectors are included

I would like to ask:

Why does including current collectors make it difficult to obtain consistent initial values under cyclic conditions?

Is this related to potential continuity, current conservation, or the coupling between electronic and ionic potentials during the transition between cycles?

Are there recommended strategies (e.g., initialization steps, solver settings, or study sequence design) to make cyclic simulations with current collectors converge reliably?

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