Heat Transfer in COMSOL

Multiphysics Simulations

Speaker:
Nicolas Huc, Ph.D.
COMSOL France

Moderator:
Matin Durrani
Physics World
 Heat Transfer Engineering
• Wide application area ... truly multidisciplinary!

Electronics Energy Systems

circuit board memory array heating circuit

heat exchanger Thermal PV

Medical technology Process & Manufacturing

continuous casting
Disc Brake
Bioheating with Microwaves & AC Current cooling flange
Traditional approach to modeling
COMSOL Multiphysics supports it all
Multiphysics: Multiple Interacting Phenomena
Could be simple:
• Heat convected by Flow

Could be complex:
• Local temperature sets
reaction rates
• Multiple exothermic
reactions
• Convected by flow in pipes
and porous media
• Viscosity strongly
temperature dependent
Agenda

1. Introduction
2. Application examples
3. Setting up two models
1. Microwave heating
2. Heat transfer in a light bulb
4. Conclusion and questions
Application examples
Electronic Component Cooling

Memory Chip Array

• Forced or Natural Convection
• Contact resistance
• Thin Conductive Shell
Heat-Induced Deformations

• Thermal Expansion in Coil Changes Dimensions & Inductance

Temperature

50x Deformation

Stress
Natural Convection - Optimize Window Gap
• Conduction & Natural Convection

• Parametrically Vary Air Gap (Moving Mesh)

Ave Inside Window Temperature vs Air Gap

Window Temperature [C]

12 mm Optimum

Air Gap [meters]

Fuel Cell Reformer
Steam + Propane Reformer
Mass Fraction of Propane in
• Porous Catalytic Bed with porous media
Endothermic Reaction
Flow &
• Produces Hydrogen for fuel Temperature
cell stack
 Thermal Lensing – RF Deformation

Air/vacuum

TE10
waveguide
(not shown)
4µm wide PMLs
truncate
domain without
“Collimating” reflections
lens
Time evolution of Lens Changes

Local
Temperature

Index of
Refraction

Lens
Deformation

10 µ-sec 1 ms 100 ms 1 sec

Thermos – Convection Coef vs. Linking CFD
Coffee Temperature vs. Time
Radiative Energy – Thermal-Voltaic Cells
Flame heated emitter Photo-Voltaic cells
• Direct Conversion of
Heat to Electric Energy

Water cooling
of PV-cells

Optimize Electric Power Output vs.

Temperature

Based on Research Prototype (Paul Sherrer Institut)

Boiling Water

• Boiling Curve for Water

Heat: 105 W/m3

Phase Change – Continuous Casting
Optimize:
• Process Velocity
• Cooling
• Mold Shape

Include:
• Heat of Solidification
• Nonlinear Thermal
Properties

Liquid Metal
z Solid
Results, Length of Melted Zone
u=1 m/s u=1.4 m/s u= 2.3 m/s

• Model Heat & Flow

• Viscosity Highly Nonlinear

• Solidification Boundary
Seen in Thermal & Flow Phase
change

• Note Recirculation Zone:

Leads to Surface Defects
 Temperature vs. Time at 3 Sample Points

Freezing Water
Water Ctr.

Temperature [K]
Water Container
Airstream
Water
Latent heat

Container
~10 hours

Ice

Time
BioHeating – Electrical & Thermal

• Low Frequency – to mid – to True RF

Damage Equations – Two Examples
Simple Thermal: FDA Paper (Dr. Isaac Chang):
• T > 50C for at least 50 sec • Energy Absorption

t
TimeAtT   (T  50C )dt t
   Ae
E
0
RT
dt
0
d TimeAtT
 (T  50C ) d  E RT ln( A )  E RT
dt  Ae e e
dt
d
da
u
   F  expln( A)  E RT 
t dt

TimeAtT Probability (necrosis)  1  e  

 0  (T  50 [degC])
t
Add Your Own Equations to COMSOL’s

Don’t see what you need?

Add your own equation

• ODE’s
• PDE’s
• Weak form PDE’s

Just type them in

• No Recompiling
• No Programming
Heat Transfer in applications

• Three heat transfer modes

– Conduction
– Convection
– Radiation

• Impact of heat in many other phenomena

– Material properties
– Phase change
– Thermal expansion
– Reaction rate
– …
Building two models in
COMSOL Multiphysics
Two Examples
Microwaving a Potato
• Predefined RF Coupling

Heat in a Light Bulb

• All 3 forms of heat transfer
Modeling Process – Same For All Physics
Move Down Model Builder
1. Choose Physics & Study Type

2. Create Geometry

3. Assign Materials

4. Add Physics Settings

(BC’s, IC’s, Loads)

5. Mesh

6. Solve

7. Analyze results
EXAMPLE #1 – Microwave Heating

• RF Waves Heat Potato

• Temperature vs. Time
Physics: Choose Microwave Heating

2 Physics
• Heat Transfer
• RF Electromagnetics
Import Geometry

• Right Click on “Geometry”

• Choose “Import”
Set Materials – Library Materials

• Right Click on Materials > Open material Browser

• “Built-in” > “Air”
• “Built-in” > “Glass”
Potato: User Defined
• Right Click on Materials > “Material”
• Define Sigma or Complex epsilon_r
Electrical Boundary Condition: Port
• Right Click “Microwave Heating”
• Choose “Port”
• “Rectangular”
• Port input power: 500W
Other Boundary Conditions
• Symmetry: Electrical + Thermal
• Heat flux (on Potato)
Set up Max and Average Operators

• Right Click on “Definitions”

• “Model Couplings> “Maximum”
• “Model Couplings> “Average”
Mesh – Here with Tetrahedra
Study Settings
• Open “Study 1”
• Set Times + Frequency
• Hit “Compute”
Results: Temperature
& Electric Field

Temperature [K] vs. Time [sec]

EXAMPLE 2: Light Bulb – Heat and Flow

Natural Convection Flow with Heat

All Three Forms of Heat Transfer:

• Conduction
• Convection
Flow inside Bulb
Convection Coefficient Outside
• Radiation
Surface-to-Surface
Surface-to-Ambient
Physics: Choose Conjugate Heat Transfer
Includes Two Physics
• Heat Transfer
• Flow
Import Geometry

• Right Click on “Geometry”

• Choose “Import”
Set Materials – Volumetric Materials
• Right Click on Materials > Open material Browser
• “Built-in” > “Glass”
• “Built-in > “Tungsten”
• “Built-in” > “Argon”
Modify Argon Density: Perfect Gas Law
Correct Material Properties:
• Enter gamma as “1.6”
• Set density to “nitf.pA*Mw_a/(R_const*T)”
Create One Boundary Material – Tungsten

• Provides Emissivity as
Function of Temperature

• Used by Surface-to-Surface
Radiation Boundary
Condition
 Overall Conjugate Heat Transfer Settings

• Set default Physical Model: “Fluid”

• Include “Surface-to-surface radiation”

Define what is Solid
• Right Click on “Non-Isothermal Flow”
• “Heat Transfer in Solids”
• Select Glass Domain

• Right click: Non-Isothermal Flow

• “Heat Transfer in Solids”
• Select Tungsten Domain
Initial Values and
Argon Ref. Pressure
• Non-Isothermal Flow >
Initial Values
• Change “T” to 25[degC]

• Non-Isothermal flow >

Fluid 1
• Set reference pressure
(calculate changes from
this value)
Heat Source: Filament

• Right Click on “Non-Isothermal Flow”

• “Heat Source”
• Select Tungsten Filament
• Set Value
Outside Convective Cooling

• Right click on “Non-Isothermal Flow”

• “Convective Cooling”
• Select outside GLASS boundaries
• Set Values
Surface-to-Surface Radiation
• One for Filament (Epsilon from material)
• One for Inside Glass (Set Epsilon)
Surface-to-Ambient Radiation
• Outside of Light bulb
• Set epsilon and T
Flow Boundary Cond’s – Defaults are Right
• Axial Symmetry
• No-Slip Walls
Natural Convection – Add the Body Force

• Right Click “Non-Isothermal Flow”

• “Volume Force”
• Enter (- rho * g)
Mesh
• Physics-Controlled Mesh
Solve
Append three ranges:
• Start: 0, Stop 1, step 0.1
• Start: 1.5, Stop 20, step 0.5
• Start: 21, Stop 300, step 3
 Temperature & Flow in 1st 60 seconds
• The filament heats rapidly over the first seconds
• Induces a flow driven by natural convection

t=0.1 sec t=6 sec t=60 s

Temp Velocity Temp Velocity

Heat Transfer with
COMSOL Multiphysics

• All Heat Transfer modes are available

• Multiphysics

• Flexible

• Extensible
Conclusion
COMSOL Version 4.2 Product Suite

One Tool, One Interface, Trusted by 50,000 Users Worldwide

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Q & A session