Joule heating and thermal devices
This lesson introduces Joule heating and thermal device modeling, covering coupled thermal–electrical simulation, electrical boundary conditions, and simplified modeling of Peltier coolers and heat pipes.
This lesson may include hands-on exercises. Review the Discussion section for background information or click the button to proceed to the practical section.
Discussion
Joule heating models the conversion of electrical energy into thermal energy as electric current flows through a material with electrical resistance. This effect is an important heat source in many systems, including electronic components, heaters, wiring, and fuses, and must be accounted for in coupled thermal–electrical analyses.
Joule heating is modeled using a coupled thermal and electrical network. The electrical network is analogous to a thermal network and consists of voltage or current sources, electrical paths with defined resistivity, and reference elements that establish electrical potential differences. As current flows through resistive elements, the resulting power dissipation is automatically converted into heat and applied to the thermal model.
Use the Joule Heating simulation object to apply current, voltage, or electrical coupling boundary conditions. Electrical resistivity is defined as a material property and may vary with temperature. The solver computes electrical current density, voltage, and power density, which are then used to generate thermal heat loads.
Temperature-dependent behavior can be included by specifying how coupling magnitudes are evaluated, such as using the average temperature of connected regions or the temperature of a primary region. This capability enables accurate simulation of systems where electrical and thermal responses are strongly coupled.
In addition to Joule heating, Simcenter 3D provides Thermal Devices modeling objects to simplify the representation of common thermal components. These include Peltier Coolers, which generate heating and cooling effects based on applied voltage or current, and Heat Pipes, which are modeled using effective thermal conductance to represent highly efficient heat transport between evaporator and condenser regions.
Together, Joule heating and thermal device modeling enable efficient simulation of electrically driven heat sources and thermal control components in electronic and spacecraft systems.
Hands-on material
To gain experience with the topics discussed here, complete the following:
