Chapter 12

Thermal Analysis

Chapter 12 Thermal Analysis

Overview

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In this chapter, we will describe the specifics of a thermal analysis. Th purpose is The i two-fold: t f ld
To reiterate the general analysis procedure. To introduce you to thermal loads and boundary conditions

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Chapter 12 A. Preprocessing

Geometry y
Geometry C either Can ith be b created t d within ithi ANSYS or imported i t d. Include details to improve results:

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Goal is to sufficiently model the thermal mass of the structure. Convection loads requires areas be correctly modeled. Heat generation loads requires the volumes be correctly modeled.

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Chapter 12 A. Preprocessing

Meshing g
Element type

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The table below shows commonly used thermal element types. The nodal DOF is: TEMP. Commonly used thermal element types
2-D Solid 3-D Solid 3-D Shell Line Elements Linear PLANE55 SOLID70 SHELL57 LINK31, 32, 33, 34 SHELL131 Quadratic PLANE77 SOLID90 SHELL132 PLANE35 SOLID87

Material properties
Minimum requirement is Kx, thermal conductivity for steady state analysis. analysis Setting preferences to thermal limits the Material Model GUI to display only Thermal properties.

R l constants Real t t / Section S ti properties ti

Primarily needed for shell and line elements.
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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Overview
Thermal loading conditions can be:
Temperatures Heat flow Heat flux Convections Regions of the model where temperatures are known. Points where the heat flow rate is known.

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Surfaces where the heat flow rate per unit area is known. Surfaces where heat is transferred to (or from) surroundings by means of convection. Input consists of film coefficient h and bulk temperature of the surrounding fluid Tb. Regions where the volumetric heat generation rate is known. Perfectly insulated surfaces where no heat transfer takes place.

Heat generation

Adiabatic surfaces

Radiation* Radiation

Surfaces where heat transfer occurs by means of radiation radiation. Input consists of emissivity, Stefan-Boltzmann constant, and optionally, temperature at a space node. February 7, 2006
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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Nodal Coordinate System y

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Unlike the structural analysis displacement and force boundary conditions, the analogous thermal analysis temperature and heat fl flow b boundary d conditions diti are not t dependent d d t on the th nodal d l coordinate system.

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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Temperature Constraints
Temperature Constraints Used to specify a known temperature in the model model. To apply displacement constraints :
Main Menu > Solution > Define Loads > Apply pp y > Thermal > Temperature Choose where you want to apply the constraint. Pick the desired entities in the graphics g p window. Then enter the temperature value. Value defaults to zero. Or use the D family of commands: DK, DL, DA, D.

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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Concentrated Heat Flow

To apply a heat flow, the following information is needed:

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node or keypoint number (which you can identify by picking) heat flow magnitude (which should be consistent with the system of units you are using)

Use:
Main Menu > Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Heat Flow Or the commands FK or F

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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Heat Flux
Heat Flux: T apply To l heat h t flux: fl
Main Menu > Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Heat flux Choose where you want to apply the heat flux-- usually on lines for 2-D models, on areas for 3-D models. Pick the desired entities in the graphics window. Then enter the heat flux values. Or use the SF family of commands: SFL, SFA, SFE, SF.

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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Convections
Convective Loads T apply To l a convection: ti
Main Menu > Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Convection Choose where you want to apply the convection -- usually on lines for 2-D models, on areas for 3-D models. Pick the desired entities in the graphics window. window Then enter the film coefficient and bulk temperature values. y Or use the SF command family: SFL, SFA, SFE, SF.

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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Heat Generation
Heat Generation T apply To l heat h t generation: ti
Maine Menu > Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Thermal > Heat Generation Choose where you want to apply the heat generation-- usually on areas for 2-D models, on volumes for 3-D models. Pick the desired entities in the graphics window. Then enter the heat generation values. Or use the BF family of commands: BFL, BFA, BFE, BF.

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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Adiabatic Surfaces
Adiabatic Surfaces

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Perfectly Perfectly insulated insulated surfaces where no heat transfer takes place place. This is the default condition, i.e, any surface with no boundary conditions specified is automatically treated as an adiabatic surface

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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Modifying y g and Deleting g Loads

Modifying and Deleting Loads To modify T dif a load l d value, l simply i l reapply l the th load l d with the new value. To delete loads:
Main Menu > Solution > Define Loads > Delete When you delete solid model loads, ANSYS also automatically deletes all corresponding finite element loads. loads

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Chapter 12 B. Solution

Solutions Options
Steady State vs. Transient Analysis

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A steady t d state t t analysis l i assumes that th t th the l loading di conditions diti have h settled down to a steady level, with little or no time dependency. y conditions that are changing g g with time. A transient analysis For example, consider the analysis of a clothes iron which takes 1 minute to reach a constant temperature
The analysis of the clothes iron for the first 1 minute of operation would be transient. After a constant temperature is reached reached, the analysis would be steady state.

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Chapter 12 C. Postprocessing

Review Results

temperature distribution thermal gradient distribution thermal flux distribution

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Reviewing results of a thermal analysis generally involves:

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Chapter 12 C. Postprocessing

Review Results
Temperature Distribution: To plot temperature contours
General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solution > Temperature Or use the PLNSOL command.

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Chapter 12 C. Postprocessing

Review Results
Thermal Gradients: To p plot thermal gradient g contours:

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General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu or PLNSOL command General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Element Solu or PLESOL command

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Chapter 12 C. Postprocessing

Review Results
Thermal Flux: To p plot thermal gradient g contours:

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General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu or PLNSOL command General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Element Solu or PLESOL command

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Chapter 12 C. Postprocessing

Review Results
Reaction Forces

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The sum of Th f the th reaction ti heat h t flows fl must t balance b l the th sum of f the th applied heat flows g Best viewed as a listing:
General Postprocessor > List Results > Reaction Solution or PRRSOL command

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Chapter 12 C. Postprocessing

Verify y Results

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It is always a good idea to do a sanity check and make sure that the solution is acceptable. What you need to check depends on th t the type of f problem bl you are solving, l i but b t here h are some typical t i l questions to ask: g hand calculations or experimental p data? Do FEA results agree Is the temperature solution correct? Check the FEA temperature solution first since FEA heat fluxes are second order results. Do the reaction heat flows balance the applied heat flows? Where is the maximum heat flux located?
If it is at a singularity, such as a point load or a re-entrant corner, the value is generally meaningless.

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Chapter 12 C. Postprocessing

Verify y Results
Is the mesh adequate?

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This is always debatable, but you can gain confidence in the mesh by using i error estimation. ti ti Other ways to check mesh adequacy: Plot the element solution (unaveraged stresses) and look for elements with high heat flux gradients. These regions are candidates for mesh refinement. If there is a significant difference between the nodal (averaged) and element (unaveraged) heat flux contours, the mesh may be too coarse. coarse Similarly, if there is a significant difference between PowerGraphics and full graphics heat flux, the mesh may be too coarse. Re-mesh with twice as many elements, re-solve, and compare the results. (But this may not always be practical.)

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Chapter 12 D. Workshop

Workshop
Refer to your Workshop Supplement for instructions on:
W12. Axisymmetric Pipe with Fins

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