Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

The COSMOS Companion

Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Sponsored by:

Volume 119

Image courtesy of National Optical Astronomy Observatory, operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

What is the COSMOS Companion?

The COSMOS Companion is a series of short subjects to help design engineers build better products with SolidWorks Analysis Video presentations and accompanying exercises A tool for Continuous Learning on your schedule Pre-recorded videos are accompanied by a more detailed webcast with Q & A
Download videos and review webcast schedule at:
http://www.cosmosm.com/pages/news/COSMOS_Companion.html

It is not an alternative to instructor-led introductory training

We highly recommend you take a course with your local reseller to build a solid knowledge base

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

If you are new to the COSMOS Companion, a few comments on the program are warranted. The COSMOS Companion series was developed in response to the request from many of our users for more detailed information on specific and/or new functionality within the COSMOS products. Additionally, many users have been asking for clarification of common design analysis questions to enable them to make more representative analysis models and make better decisions with the data. Whats more, users have asked for this material to be made available in a variety of formats so they can review it how and when they wish. To address this, each COSMOS Companion topic has been pre-recorded and made available thru the COSMOS Companion homepage as a downloadable or streaming video with audio, as static PDF slides for printing, or as a live webcast enabling attendees to ask questions and engage in additional discussion. We are trying to provide continuous learning on your schedule so you can be as effective and efficient as possible when using COSMOS for design analysis and validation. It is important to note that this material is not developed as an alternative to instructor led training. We still believe that the best introduction to any of the COSMOS products is in a class led by your resellers certified instructor. In this program, we are hoping to build on the lessons learned in your initial training. In fact, we will make the assumption that you have basic knowledge of the interface and workflow from intro training or equivalent experience. We will try not to repeat what was taught in those classes or can be found in the on-line help but to augment that information.

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Topics to be Covered
What is thermal analysis? Thermal analysis vs. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) How thermal analysis can be used in product design Thermal analysis examples using COSMOSWorks

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

What is Thermal Analysis?

Heat Transfer Mechanisms
Conduction Convection Radiation

Timeframes
Steady-State Transient
Simple Observe path to steady-state Complex Time varying inputs

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

The best place to start a thermal investigation is by identifying the scope of the problem. Many thermal analyses have gone astray because the design engineer failed to consider all the pertinent aspects of the problem. In addition to quantifying the problem geometry and various inputs, which require as much care as in a static analysis, you need to determine which heat transfer mechanisms are relevant to your system. Only the heat transfer mechanisms that you specify will be included since COSMOS assumes you know what you are doing. For example, if only conduction or convection are considered for a high temperature lighting product, the thermal effects caused by radiation will be ignored even though, in practice, these might be significant contributors to the overall problem. Well discuss each of these in more detail in context of the COSMOSWorks inputs. You are encouraged to explore these in more detail in one or more of the references Ill share at the end of the session or your own favorite heat transfer text. The second aspect of scope that must be considered is timeframe. In many problems, all the inputs are constant for a sufficient duration such that the system reaches equilibrium. If you are only concerned with the state of the system at equilibrium, then a steady-state analysis will work for you. If you are interested in the response of the system as it proceeds towards equilibrium once the inputs are turned on as in the previous case, a simple transient analysis is your best bet. If the inputs vary with time such that a more dynamic situation is created, then youll need to perform a more complex transient study. COSMOSWorks doesnt differentiate between simple & complex per se. Your choice of time-independent or time-dependent inputs makes the determination.

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

What is Thermal Analysis?

Thermal analysis using Finite Element methods calculates:
Temperature Heat Flux (Power Dissipation / Area)

Temperature is only unknown (1 DOF Solution)

Fewer equations so problems solve faster

Can be used on parts or assemblies

Conduction and Radiation can transfer heat across parts Thermal contact resistance can be defined for conduction

Can take advantage of symmetry

Nothing required at symmetry cuts as no heat flow thru a symmetry plane is assumed

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

Essentially, a thermal analysis calculates temperature and the variation of temperature in a system, either over a volume or over time. The temperature change or flow through an area is often called Heat Flux and can provide insight into the power required to achieve a certain thermal state for design purposes. A structural analysis must calculate 3 translational and 3 rotational unknowns for each node in the model, in general, whereas a thermal analysis only needs to calculate one unknown, temperature. Therefore, there are fewer equations in the solution and they tend to run very quickly and youll gain less benefit from aggressive geometry simplification. It is still a good idea to stop your modeling before unnecessary detail is added and run the thermal analysis to make sure your design is off to a good startjust as we recommend for structural analyses. A thermal analysis can be performed on both parts and assemblies. In an assembly, you can define conduction between parts with or without contact resistance. You can also define radiation between parts in an assembly if this heat transfer mechanism is important. Finally, a thermal analysis can take advantage of symmetry as you might use in a structural analysis. If your geometry is symmetric across 1-3 planes and all the thermal inputs and fixed temperatures are also symmetric about those planes, symmetry might save you some solve time. In a static analysis, you need to apply symmetry restraints to the cut surface to get the proper model behavior. In a thermal analysis, the proper modeling technique is to do nothing. If a face has no temperature, convection, or conduction related conditions applied, it behaves as an insulated face & doesnt allow heat to flow thru it. This is what happens at a symmetry plane in practice so youll get good answers with no additional work.

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Inputs for a Thermal Analysis

Temperature
Sets temperature on a vertex, edge or face Like a restraint in structural FEA
Temperature fixed at assigned value for duration of solution

May be time-dependent for a transient analysis May be used in all heat transfer mechanisms

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

The next set of slides review the input UIs for the various thermal conditions you might want to apply to your model. With each, well review the basic heat transfer mechanisms that are appropriate for each input and then walk thru simple examples to show you that, when applied correctly, the COSMOSWorks Thermal solution is comparable to closed form calculations. As Ive said many times throughout this program, if you can develop a good level of confidence in the solutions you can check, you can rest more at ease that at least COSMOSWorks is doing its part on the more complex problems. The most basic input to a thermal analysis is a fixed temperature. This can be applied to a vertex, face, or edge and acts like a restraint in a structural analysis. In a static analysis, fixing a face with a restraint imposes a zero displacement restriction on that face so that no matter how your model is loaded, that face isnt going anywhere. This is similar to a temperature load in that once specified, no matter how heat flows in your model due your other inputs, those entities will always reflect a fixed temperature. You can specify a time-dependent temperature for transient analyses if you know the timehistory curve. You might use a temperature load regardless of the heat transfer mechanisms expected in the model but dont forget that once you specify a temperature, it sticks. Dont think of it as an initial temperature unless youve defined that for a transient study. Think of it as a permanent fixed input.

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Inputs for a Thermal Analysis

Heat Power & Flux
Heat Power applies a constant energy to a vertex, edge, or face as a total value Heat Flux applies a constant energy to a face as a per unit area value Like a Load in structural FEA
Temp at these inputs dependent upon model behavior

May be time dependent for a transient analysis May be temperature dependent (Nonlinear Thermal) May be used in all heat transfer mechanisms

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

Heat Power can be applied to a vertex, edge, or face as unit of energy if that is how your inputs are known to you. Heat Flux is essentially Heat Power per unit area and must be applied to a face. These inputs are analogous to loads in static analysis in that the temperature on these entities is determined by where this power goes and how it interacts with other model inputs. These inputs may also be time dependent and used for all heat transfer mechanisms. They can also be temperature-dependent, much like many heat sources in electronics, that become more or less efficient as temperature changes. A solution that utilizes temperature-dependent inputs is actually a nonlinear thermal analysis but you dont need to make that distinction in COSMOSWorks. The solver works thru the problem if it sees these conditions.

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Inputs for a Thermal Analysis

Convection Conditions
Define convection coefficient, h and ambient, or bulk, temperature on a face May be time or temperature dependent Should only be used if convection heat transfer expected

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

10

Convection conditions are obviously only required if convection heat transfer is expected. Convection heat transfer is dependent upon the ambient fluid temperature and then a coefficient, h, which is a conglomeration of fluid type, speed, & surface conditions. Determining h isnt always the easiest task. The table show, from the COSMOSWorks Help, lists some commonly published h values but you can see that there are large variances in each category. Convection conditions can be time and temperature dependent however, they need to be spatially uniform. What this means is that across any selected entity, the convection conditions are constant. This is applicable to some situations but not to others with obstructed or unclear flow patterns. If you cant confidently state that the flow is uniform across a face, you may need to utilize a Computational-Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool like COSMOSFloWorks to determine the h or to simply complete the thermal problem. Well get into this more later.

10

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Inputs for a Thermal Analysis

Radiation Conditions
Define radiation conditions from a face to another face or to ambient May be time or temperature dependent Should only be used if radiation heat transfer expected

Ambient T Emissivity View Factor

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

11

Radiation is a more advanced heat transfer mechanism in that the neither the input specification nor the calculation of the response is necessarily intuitive. However, if radiation is an important aspect of your system, youll need to spend some time understanding the implications of each input. Radiation can occur between a face and ambient or between multiple surfaces in a model. If both are occurring, youll need to specify two radiation conditions in your model. The ambient temperature in a radiation calculation can be time-dependent and the emissivity can be temperature dependent. COSMOSWorks does not calculate View Factor in radiation to ambient but will take relative face placement into account when a surface to surface radiation condition is specified. Most of these inputs are explained in good detail in the Help system but alternate heat transfer references should be used to shore up your understanding of this condition.

11

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Material Properties for a Thermal Analysis

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

12

There only two material properties that are required for a thermal analysis in general. Steadystate analyses only require Thermal Conductivity whereas transient analyses require Thermal Conductivity and Specific Heat. You can actually solve a thermal problem with only these properties and ignore the structural properties but it might be worthwhile to include them on custom materials for reference & doesnt really make sense to delete them if you are modifying an existing material. Note that Thermal Expansion Coefficient is not required for a thermal analysis as some might think. A thermal analysis only calculates temperatures. A static analysis calculates deformation. CTE allows the calculation of deformation based on temperature change but is still a structural property. It is quite common to follow up a thermal analysis with a static analysis & use the temperature distribution in a part calculated by the thermal analysis to calculate thermal stresses. However, it is a 2-step process.

12

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Heat Transfer By Conduction

1D Heat Transfer

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

13

Lets look at how these inputs come together for some simple 1D heat transfer problems starting with Conduction. The equation for 1D steady-state conduction is well documented as shown above.

13

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Heat Transfer By Conduction

1D Heat Transfer A = 1.0 in2 L = 10 in K = 0.000695 BTU/(in-s-F) T = 100-50=50F

Heat Flux, q = KAT/L = 0.003475 BTU/(s-in2)

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

14

If the system defined in this slide is run thru the calculation and COSMOSWorks, we see that the calculated heat flux is uniform throughout the bar and the two solutions match. The spotty appearance of the contour plot is due to the fact that the response across 16 divisions is essentially zero so the color variations actually represent element to element round off error. This is why you always need to review the color plot in conjunction with the legend to get the full picture.

14

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Heat Transfer By Conduction

Contact Conditions Between Parts in an Assembly
Thermal Resistance
Speed Bump for Conduction

Bonded
Thermal Resistance of Zero

Insulated
Thermal Resistance of Infinity

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

15

For conduction problems, you have the additional capability to define conduction across touching parts in an assembly. If they arent touching, they must interact thru radiation or derived convection conditions. Interactions between parts that are touching must be defined using contact sets as in a static analysis. In a thermal study, you have the option of defining a bonded interface which allows unobstructed heat flow between the parts, Insulated contact which is like specifying Free contact in a static analysis or specifying no contact condition at all. As stated previously, faces with no heat transfer conditions applied are treated as insulated. Finally, you can specify a Thermal Resistance between the two faces so that the heat flow can behave more like real interacting parts with some heat flow obstruction. The actual thermal resistance value is dependent upon the materials, surface finish and contact pressure. Since these factors arent known to COSMOSWorks, youll need to identify or otherwise measure the appropriate thermal resistance for your problem.

15

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Heat Transfer By Convection

1D Heat Transfer

QCONVECTION = h (TS TF)

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

16

As with conduction, the equation for 1D convection is pretty well documented as shown in this slide. The heat transfer in this system is dependent upon the temperature differential and the convection coefficient, h.

16

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Heat Transfer By Convection

Thermal Analysis in FEA can only model forced, and/or predictable convection Natural convection may require a CFD study to account for buoyancy Intermittently obstructed flow may require CFD
Flow

OK Not OK
2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

Flow

17

When the flow in a system is reasonably consistent and predictable, a single h value can often be determined allowing FEA heat transfer calculations to accurately account for thermal response. Since h is dependent upon fluid velocity, if the air or fluid flow isnt predictable, it is very difficult to anticipate an accurate thermal solution since you are unable to provide an accurate convection definition. In these cases, COSMOSFloWorks may be a better choice for the problem. Similarly, a Thermal Study is appropriate for a forced convection scenario since the h is large enough to be meaningful and it is assumed the force flow overwhelms the fluid flow effects of buoyancy. If buoyancy from natural convection is the primary convection mechanism, you may not have a predictable system and be able to use a thermal study either. COSMOSFloWorks is a better choice in this situation too.

17

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Heat Transfer By Convection

1D Heat Transfer h = 1.7e-5 BTU/(s-in2-F) Ts = 200F Tf = 70F

q = h (TS TF) = 0.00221 BTU/(s-in2)

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

18

Using the 1D convection equation introduced previously, you can see that the result from it matches the COSMOSWorks thermal solution closely and that the system has a uniform heat flux as expected.

18

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Heat Transfer By Radiation

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

19

Thermal radiation occurs over a large band of wavelengths including visible light. Radiation does require a line of sight between interacting bodies. This explains why the room always seems to cool off when someone sits in front of the fireplace at our house! Radiation can also heat the air or surrounding fluid, thus contributing to convective heat transfer and should be considered if there are high temperatures in a model and especially if this temperature emits a glow, as in fire or an incandescent light filament.

19

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Heat Transfer By Radiation

Hand calculations, even in 1D, require an iterative solution Published Verification Problems show COSMOSWorks results for these

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

20

The primary drivers of radiation are temperature & temperature differential. The greater the difference in temperature and the hotter the higher temp surface is, the more radiation heat transfer will occur. Solving a radiation problem is an iterative process since as radiation occurs, the temperature differential changes and thus the system changes requiring another solution. Thus, performing hand calculations, even for simple radiation problems, can be cumbersome. For this purpose, the COSMOSWorks Verification Problem database has documented a few solutions that compare the COSMOSWorks thermal results to published data for comparison. You can check this out along with other verification problems in the Help section.

20

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Using Thermal Analysis In Your Design Work

Find the temperature distribution to avoid overheating Determine the required heat power for heaters or coolers Calculate thermal stresses Correlate to Test Data

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

21

Now that weve defined and validated the process, how and when can thermal analyses be utilized in your design process. Obviously, these studies can be used to find the temperature distribution in a product or system to predict over heating, uniform heating, or temperatures in areas that a consumer might interact with. The study can also provide valuable information on how much energy is required to achieve a desired temperature state, much as you can use a motion driver in COSMOSMotion to determine motor sizing. The temperature distribution in a part or assembly can be used to front-end a static study to look at stresses caused by thermal expansion. This is a much better approach than guessing at local temperatures or using a uniform temperature for an entire body, which are your only options just within a static study itself. Finally, you can use a thermal analysis in conjunction with test data to help enhance your understanding of a given system and the sensitivity of outputs of interest to various inputs that are difficult to measure or control within a test. Many measurement techniques on a part in a temperature test actually effect the results of the test so running an analysis in parallel helps to weed out these uncertainties.

21

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Example Problem Regulator IC Design

Analysis Options Examined
Steady-State Simple Transient Complex Transient Time-Dependent Input Complex Transient Thermostat Controlled Input

Comparing Thermal Results to Test Data

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

22

An example problem that looks at all these inputs and shows the impact on the results for a simple problem has been published for use with this unit. It is only available as a video since static screen shots didnt really tell the story and can be downloaded separately from the COSMOS Companion website. If you are new to thermal analysis in COSMOSWorks, you may want to review this video to reinforce the discussions on the UI.

22

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Presentation Summary
In this COSMOS Companion unit, we reviewed:
The basic components of a thermal study including the individual heat transfer mechanisms that must be considered and the different types of timedependency that might be investigated; The various definition forms for each available heat transfer input; A comparison of the COSMOSWorks results to closed form solutions for basic heat transfer problems; Some thoughts on utilizing thermal analyses in product design; And finally suggested a recorded example problem that you might want to review to see all these concepts put into play.

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

23

23

Unit 119

The COSMOS Companion Thermal Analysis in COSMOSWorks

Conclusion
For more information Contact your local reseller for more in-depth training or support on using Thermal Studies in COSMOSWorks to explore the temperature response of your designs. Review the on-line help for a more detailed description of the features discussed or check out these references on heat transfer:
Heat Transfer; Incropera & DeWitt

Attend, or better yet, present at a local COSMOS or SolidWorks user group.

See http://www.swugn.org/ for a user group near you

2006 SolidWorks Corp. Confidential.

24

24