Introduction to Thermal Analysis
Thermal management plays a crucial role in the design process of various products, from power electronics enclosures to heat exchangers. SimScale offers a cloud-based engineering platform specifically designed for thermal management, allowing engineers to perform thermal simulations in their browsers. By leveraging SimScale's broad thermal simulation capabilities, users can analyze and optimize their products at an early stage of the design process, leading to better outcomes and improved efficiency.
From CAD to Thermal Simulation in 3 Steps
SimScale simplifies the thermal analysis process with a seamless workflow that consists of three main steps. First, users can import their models with just one click, as the platform supports all major CAD tools natively. Next, users can set up their heat transfer analysis by choosing between Cartesian mesh-based solving for preliminary design modeling or high-accuracy body-fitted discretization for detailed parametric studies. Finally, users can analyze their results in minutes using SimScale's integrated post-processor, allowing for quick iterations and design improvements.
Thermal Simulation Capabilities
SimScale's thermal simulation offers a comprehensive set of capabilities, including simulating coupled heat transfer in solids through conduction and in fluids via convection, radiation, and thermomechanical analysis. The platform considers various parameters related to fluid convection, such as natural, mixed, or forced convection, making it suitable for a wide range of applications like heat sink design, electronics cooling, heat exchangers, automotive thermal management, and even nuclear reactors.
Key Features of Thermal Analysis
SimScale's thermal simulation software covers key aspects of thermal analysis. It includes conduction simulation, which focuses on heat transfer between substances in direct contact. The platform enables users to model temperature-dependent conductivity, anisotropic material for PCBs, power networks, and thermal interface materials. Additionally, SimScale supports convection simulation for forced and natural convection cooling, air and liquid cooling, fan performance curves, and porous media modeling. Moreover, the platform offers radiation simulation for analyzing heat loss in high-temperature components and thermomechanical analysis to consider the effects of loads on solids due to thermal expansion.
Benefits of Choosing SimScale's Thermal Analysis
By opting for SimScale's thermal analysis solution, engineers can save time and costs by making informed design decisions early in the process. The platform facilitates fast iteration for optimal design, reducing prototyping expenses. Users can avoid compromising between market speed and design quality, ensuring competitive products with efficient thermal management. Testimonials from professionals like Christopher Quijano, a Mechanical Engineer at MSA, highlight the platform's efficacy and the ability to handle large simulation models effectively.