Showing papers on "Thermal published in 2008"

Convection Heat Transfer and Flow Calculations Suitable for Electric Machines Thermal Models

Abstract: This paper deals with the formulations used to predict convection cooling and flow in electric machines. Empirical dimensionless analysis formulations are used to calculate convection heat transfer. The particular formulation used is selected to match the geometry of the surface under consideration and the cooling type used. Flow network analysis, which is used to study the ventilation inside the machine, is also presented. In order to focus the discussion using examples, a commercial software package dedicated to motor cooling optimization (Motor-CAD) is considered. This paper provides guidelines for choosing suitable thermal and flow network formulations and setting any calibration parameters used. It may also be considered a reference paper that brings together useful heat transfer and flow formulations that can be successfully applied to thermal analysis of electrical machines.

A benchmark study on mantle convection in a 3-D spherical shell using CitcomS

Abstract: As high-performance computing facilities and sophisticated modeling software become available, modeling mantle convection in a three-dimensional (3-D) spherical shell geometry with realistic physical parameters and processes becomes increasingly feasible. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive benchmark studies for 3-D spherical mantle convection. Here we present benchmark and test calculations using a finite element code CitcomS for 3-D spherical convection. Two classes of model calculations are presented: the Stokes' flow and thermal and thermochemical convection. For Stokes' flow, response functions of characteristic flow velocity, topography, and geoid at the surface and core-mantle boundary (CMB) at different spherical harmonic degrees are computed using CitcomS and are compared with those from analytic solutions using a propagator matrix method. For thermal and thermochemical convection, 24 cases are computed with different model parameters including Rayleigh number (7 × 10^3 or 10^5) and viscosity contrast due to temperature dependence (1 to 10^7). For each case, time-averaged quantities at the steady state are computed, including surface and CMB Nussult numbers, RMS velocity, averaged temperature, and maximum and minimum flow velocity, and temperature at the midmantle depth and their standard deviations. For thermochemical convection cases, in addition to outputs for thermal convection, we also quantified entrainment of an initially dense component of the convection and the relative errors in conserving its volume. For nine thermal convection cases that have small viscosity variations and where previously published results were available, we find that the CitcomS results are mostly consistent with these previously published with less than 1% relative differences in globally averaged quantities including Nussult numbers and RMS velocities. For other 15 cases with either strongly temperature-dependent viscosity or thermochemical convection, no previous calculations are available for comparison, but these 15 test calculations from CitcomS are useful for future code developments and comparisons. We also presented results for parallel efficiency for CitcomS, showing that the code achieves 57% efficiency with 3072 cores on Texas Advanced Computing Center's parallel supercomputer Ranger.

Comparison between PCM filled glass windows and absorbing gas filled windows

Abstract: From the thermal point of view, windows represent the weak link between the internal and external ambients of a room. In cold climates, they are responsible for 10–25% of the heat lost from the heated ambient to the external atmosphere. In hot climates, the excessive solar radiation entering the internal ambient through the windows leads to increasing the cooling load of the refrigeration system. The use of absorbing gases filling the gap between glass sheets appears to be an alternative solution for thermally insulated glass windows. The other options one may incorporate filling materials such as silica aerogel or a PCM. In this work, a comparison between the thermal efficiency of two glass windows one filled with an absorbing gas and the other with a PCM and exposed to solar radiation in a hot climate is done. To model double glass window filled with infrared absorbing gases, a CW real gas model is used. A radiative convective conductive model and a radiative conductive model were investigated. Three mixtures of gases were used; a strongly absorbing gas mixture, an intermediate absorbing gas mixture and a transparent to infrared radiation mixture. To model the double glass window filled with a PCM, a relatively simple and effective radiation conduction one dimensional formulation is used. Heat transfer through the window is calculated and the total heat gain coefficients are compared and discussed.

Boundary Layer Control of Rotating Convection Systems

Abstract: Turbulent rotating convection is an important dynamical process occurring on nearly all planetary and stellar bodies, influencing many observed features such as magnetic fields, atmospheric jets and emitted heat flux patterns. For decades, it has been thought that the importance of rotation's influence on convection depends on the competition between the two relevant forces in the system: buoyancy (non-rotating) and Coriolis (rotating). The force balance argument does not, however, accurately predict the transition from rotationally controlled to non-rotating heat transfer behaviour. New results from laboratory and numerical experiments suggest that the transition is in fact controlled by the relative thicknesses of the thermal (non-rotating) and Ekman (rotating) boundary layers. Turbulent rotating convection controls many observed features in stars and planets, such as magnetic fields. It has been argued that the influence of rotation on turbulent convection dynamics is governed by the ratio of the relevant global-scale forces: the Coriolis force and the buoyancy force. This paper presents results from laboratory and numerical experiments which exhibit transitions between rotationally dominated and non-rotating behaviour that are not determined by this global force balance. Instead, the transition is controlled by the relative thicknesses of the thermal (non-rotating) and Ekman (rotating) boundary layers. Turbulent rotating convection controls many observed features of stars and planets, such as magnetic fields, atmospheric jets and emitted heat flux patterns1,2,3,4,5,6. It has long been argued that the influence of rotation on turbulent convection dynamics is governed by the ratio of the relevant global-scale forces: the Coriolis force and the buoyancy force7,8,9,10,11,12. Here, however, we present results from laboratory and numerical experiments which exhibit transitions between rotationally dominated and non-rotating behaviour that are not determined by this global force balance. Instead, the transition is controlled by the relative thicknesses of the thermal (non-rotating) and Ekman (rotating) boundary layers. We formulate a predictive description of the transition between the two regimes on the basis of the competition between these two boundary layers. This transition scaling theory unifies the disparate results of an extensive array of previous experiments8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15, and is broadly applicable to natural convection systems.

Simulation of Natural Convection in the Presence of Volumetric Radiation Using the Lattice Boltzmann Method

Abstract: This article deals with the application of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to the analysis of natural convection in the presence of volumetric radiation in a square cavity containing an absorbing, emitting, and scattering medium. Separate particle distribution functions in the LBM are used to calculate the density and velocity fields and the thermal field. The radiative term of the energy equation is computed using the finite-volume method. Streamlines, isotherms, and Nusselt number are analyzed for the effects of different parameters such as Rayleigh number, convection-radiation parameter, extinction coefficient, and scattering albedo.

Thermal signatures of the Kondo volume collapse in cerium.

Abstract: X-ray diffraction measurements of cerium in the vicinity of the isostructural {gamma}-{alpha} transition have been performed with high precision and accuracy from room temperature to almost 800 K. The disputed location of the critical point has been found to occur at 1.5 {+-} 0.1 GPa and 480 {+-} 10 K. The data is well fit by the Kondo volume collapse model plus a quasiharmonic representation of the phonons. The resultant free energy is validated against data for the thermodynamic Grueneisen parameter, and beyond the dominant spin fluctuation contribution, indicates a dramatic change in the lattice Grueneisen parameter across the transition.

Analysis of a Flat-plate Solar Collector

Abstract: In the solar-energy industry great emphasis has been placed on the development of "active" solar energy systems which involve the integration of several subsystems: solar energy collectors, heat-storage containers, heat exchangers, fluid transport and distribution systems, and control systems. The major component unique to active systems is the solar collector. This device absorbs the incoming solar radiation, converting it into heat at the absorbing surface, and transfers this heat to a fluid (usually air or water) flowing through the collector. The warmed fluid carries the heat either directly to the hot water or space conditioning equipment or to a storage subsystem from which can be drawn for use at night and on cloudy days. A precise and detailed analysis of a solar flat plate collector is quite complicated because of the many factors involved. Efforts have been made to combine a number of the most important factors into a single equation and thus formulate a mathematical model which will describe the thermal performance of the collector in a computationally efficient manner.

Techniques for Thermal Modeling of Data Centers to Improve Energy Efficiency

Abstract: Techniques for modeling a data center are provided. In one aspect, a method for modeling a data center is provided. The method comprises the following steps. Spatially dense three-dimensional thermal distribution and air flow measurements made in the data center using a mobile off-line surveying system are obtained. A temperature and air flow model for the data center is created using the spatially dense three-dimensional thermal distribution and air flow measurements. The temperature and air flow model is used to make thermal distribution and air flow predictions of the data center. The thermal distribution and air flow predictions are compared with the thermal distribution and air flow measurements made using the mobile off-line surveying system to produce a validated model for the data center.

Experimental evidence of thermal vibrational convection in a nonuniformly heated fluid in a reduced gravity environment.

Abstract: We report experimental evidence of convection caused by translational vibration of nonuniformly heated fluid in low gravity. The theory of vibrational convection in weightlessness is well developed but direct experimental proof has been missing. An innovative point of the experiment is the observation of a temperature field in the front and side views of the cubic cell. In addition, particle tracing is employed. The evolution of this field is studied systematically in a wide range of frequencies and amplitudes. The flow structures reported in previous numerical studies are confirmed. The transition from four-vortex flow to the pattern with three vortices is observed in the transient state.

Convective heat transfer and the pattern of thermal emission on the gas giants

Abstract: SUMMARY Jupiter and Saturn emit nearly twice the thermal energy they receive from the Sun. Although insolation decreases toward the poles, the large-scale outward heat flux is nearly uniform, with smaller-scale latitudinal undulations that correlate with the zonal jet streams. Here we present numerical models of rapidly rotating, turbulent 3-D convection in geometrically thin, uniformly forced layers of Boussinesq fluid that approximate the deep convection zones of Jupiter and Saturn. In previous studies we have demonstrated that such models generate zonal flows comparable to those observed on the gas giants. By analysing the simulated patterns of convective heat transfer, we show here that deep convection in the gas giants can explain the anomalously uniform large-scale thermal emissions as well as the jet-scale variations. In particular, we find that convective heat transfer by quasi-geostrophic thermal plumes in relatively thin spherical shell geometry generates an outward heat flow pattern with a broad equatorial minimum and peaks at the poles. The results suggest an alternative to the hypothesis that insolation controls the large-scale patterns of heat flux and zonal flow on the gas giants. Instead, we propose that the large-scale thermal and zonal flow fields originate deep within the planets’ molecular envelopes.

Improved synchronous machine thermal modelling

Abstract: It is well accepted nowadays that in synchronous machine design procedures thermal aspects should be weighed equally with electromagnetic issues and considered in an iterative manner. Synchronous machine thermal models are being constantly optimised and improved, and many design areas are well understood and documented. Even so, there are a number of thermal model design aspects that require significant further study and analysis. These aspects include accurate machine operational loss prediction, precise loss distribution, thermal model discretisation level issues and cooling air flow implications. They will be analysed in the paper, with future related investigations being identified.

Effect of variable heat transfer coefficient on tissue temperature next to a large vessel during radiofrequency tumor ablation

Abstract: One of the current shortcomings of radiofrequency (RF) tumor ablation is its limited performance in regions close to large blood vessels, resulting in high recurrence rates at these locations. Computer models have been used to determine tissue temperatures during tumor ablation procedures. To simulate large vessels, either constant wall temperature or constant convective heat transfer coefficient (h) have been assumed at the vessel surface to simulate convection. However, the actual distribution of the temperature on the vessel wall is non-uniform and time-varying, and this feature makes the convective coefficient variable. This paper presents a realistic time-varying model in which h is a function of the temperature distribution at the vessel wall. The finite-element method (FEM) was employed in order to model RF hepatic ablation. Two geometrical configurations were investigated. The RF electrode was placed at distances of 1 and 5 mm from a large vessel (10 mm diameter). When the ablation procedure takes longer than 1–2 min, the attained coagulation zone obtained with both time-varying h and constant h does not differ significantly. However, for short duration ablation (5–10 s) and when the electrode is 1 mm away from the vessel, the use of constant h can lead to errors as high as 20% in the estimation of the coagulation zone. For tumor ablation procedures typically lasting at least 5 min, this study shows that modeling the heat sink effect of large vessels by applying constant h as a boundary condition will yield precise results while reducing computational complexity. However, for other thermal therapies with shorter treatment using a time-varying h may be necessary.

Convective Heat Transfer and the Pattern of Thermal Emission on the Gas Giants

Abstract: SUMMARY Jupiter and Saturn emit nearly twice the thermal energy they receive from the Sun. Although insolation decreases toward the poles, the large-scale outward heat flux is nearly uniform, with smaller-scale latitudinal undulations that correlate with the zonal jet streams. Here we present numerical models of rapidly rotating, turbulent 3-D convection in geometrically thin, uniformly forced layers of Boussinesq fluid that approximate the deep convection zones of Jupiter and Saturn. In previous studies we have demonstrated that such models generate zonal flows comparable to those observed on the gas giants. By analysing the simulated patterns of convective heat transfer, we show here that deep convection in the gas giants can explain the anomalously uniform large-scale thermal emissions as well as the jet-scale variations. In particular, we find that convective heat transfer by quasi-geostrophic thermal plumes in relatively thin spherical shell geometry generates an outward heat flow pattern with a broad equatorial minimum and peaks at the poles. The results suggest an alternative to the hypothesis that insolation controls the large-scale patterns of heat flux and zonal flow on the gas giants. Instead, we propose that the large-scale thermal and zonal flow fields originate deep within the planets’ molecular envelopes.

Portable computer systems with thermal enhancements and multiple power modes of operation

Abstract: A portable computer adapted for electrical connection to a docking station having multiple power modes of operation is described. The portable computer has one or more CPU chips which have at least two power modes of operation, a low power mode and a high power mode. When the portable computer is operated as a stand-alone computer, it operates in the low power mode. When the portable computer is operated while electrically connected to the docking station, it operates in a high power mode. The docking station has greater cooling capacity than the portable computer alone to provide enhanced cooling of the high power mode of operation.

Experimental study of the free surface deformation due to thermal convection in liquid bridges

Abstract: Optical imaging was used to measure the free surface deformation due to thermal (Marangoni-buoyant) convection in liquid bridges of 5-cSt silicone oil. We obtained the free surface position averaged over time in both the steady and oscillatory regimes. The deviation of the free surface contour from the corresponding equilibrium shape was determined with an uncertainty of about 2 μm. This deviation grew linearly with the applied temperature difference with a proportionality coefficient depending on the liquid bridge volume at equilibrium. Shrinkage at the upper part of the liquid bridge was slightly greater than bulging at the lower with the sum of the maximum deviations at both parts being about 30 μm near the onset of oscillations. This sum, normalized with the radius of the supporting disks, was of the same order of magnitude as the Capillary number. We observed the influence of thermal expansion, surface tension variation over the free surface, and fluid motion separately. The local mean curvature was also calculated and compared with its value at equilibrium, showing that the hydrodynamic effects were important.

Convective dust clouds driven by thermal creep in a complex plasma.

Abstract: Steady-state clouds of microparticles were observed, levitating in a low-frequency glow discharge generated in an elongated vertical glass tube. A heated ring was attached to the tube wall outside, so that the particles, exhibiting a global convective motion, were confined vertically in the region above the location of the heater. It is shown that the particle vortices were induced by the convection of neutral gas, and the mechanism responsible for the gas convection was the thermal creep along the inhomogeneously heated tube walls. The phenomenon of thermal creep, which commonly occurs in rarefied gases under the presence of thermal gradients, should generally play a substantial role in experiments with complex plasmas.

Damage Initiation and Propagation in Voided Joints: Modeling and Experiment

Abstract: This study examines damage initiation and propagation in solder joints with voids, under thermomechanical cyclic loading. An accelerated thermal cycling test is conducted on printed wiring assemblies (PWAs) containing 256 input/output (I/O) plastic ball grid arrays (PBGAs) with voided solder joints. Destructive and nondestructive failure analyses of the solder balls are used to detect the presence of voids and to relate the extent of damage propagation to the number of thermal cycles. Particular cases of voided and damaged joints are selected from these tests, to guide the development of a strategy for modeling damage propagation, using a three dimensional global-local finite element analysis (FEA). The displacement results of the global FEA at the top and bottom of the selected solder balls are used as the boundary conditions in a local FEA model, which focuses on the details of damage initiation and propagation in the individual solder ball. The local model is error seeded with voids based on cases selected in experiment. The damage propagation rate is monitored for all the cases. The technique used to quantify cyclic creep-fatigue damage is a continuum model based on energy partitioning. A method of successive initiation is used to model the growth and propagation of damage in the selected case studies. The modeling approach is qualitatively verified using the results of the accelerated thermal cycling test. The verified modeling technique described above is then used for parametric study of the durability of voided solder balls in a ChipArray Thin Core BGA with 132 I/O (CTBGA132) assemblies, under thermal cycling. The critical solder ball in the package is selected and is error seeded with voids with different sizes and various distances from damage initiation site. The results show that voids in general are not detrimental to thermal cycling durability of the CTBGA132 assembly, except when a large portion of the damage propagation path is covered with voids. Small voids can arrest the damage propagation, but generally do not provide a significant increase in durability because the damage zone deflects around the void and also continues to propagate from other critical regions in the solder ball.