Joule Heating

Use a Joule Heating simulation object to model joule heating in an electrical network. This allows you to study how electrical current or voltage in an electrical network affects temperature distribution in your model.

With Joule Heating, you can create:

• Current type objects to specify current values for a set of elements.

• Voltage type objects to specify voltage values for a set of elements.

• Electrical Coupling type objects to create an electrical coupling between two different sets of elements.

Using Current and Voltage type objects to model an electrical network

An electrical network is analogous to a thermal network, in that it must include at least three components:

• Elements defined as a voltage source (analogous to a heat source)

• Other elements defining a voltage differential or current (analogous to a heat sink)

• An electrical path of elements that share nodes and have electrical resistivity defined (analogous to a heat path with thermal conductivity defined)

Note:

In addition to specifying voltage or current values in the Joule Heating dialog box, you must also define the elements' Electrical Resistivity as a material property.

The thermal solver computes the complete current flow through the electrical network. The dissipative heat loads generated by this current flow (p = vi) are included in the thermal model. Since you can define the Electrical Resistivity material property as a function of temperature, it is a fully coupled solution.

Creating an Electrical Coupling type object

The Electrical Coupling type lets you create an electrical coupling between two different sets of elements. You join two disjointed meshes together within an electrical network.

Joule heating data and results sets

When you create an electrical network using Joule heating, you can post process the following results sets:

• Voltage

• Power density

• Current density

Temperature and power density contours from an electrical network

Supported variables and functions

The following table lists the independent variables and auto-generated expressions for the Joule Heating quantities that you can define using fields and expressions.

Type	Quantity	Variables	Auto-generated expressions
Current	Total Current****Current Per Element	TimeTemperatureHeat flow rateThermal capacitance	fluid_temperatureheat_flow_ratemass_flow_ratenxnynzpressureradiusrotational_speedtemperaturetemperature_differencethermal_capacitancethicknesstimevolume_flow_ratexyz
Voltage	Voltage
Electrical Coupling	Total Resistance****Conductance Gap

In expressions, you can also use all built-in functions that are listed in Mathematical functions in expressions and most built-in functions that are listed in Thermal-flow functions in expressions.

Where do I find it?

Application	Pre/Post
Command Finder	Joule Heating
Simulation Navigator	Right-click the Simulation Objects node→New Simulation Object→Joule Heating

How do I

Model an electrical network

Learn more

Inputs to expressions

Specifying a Coupling Resolution

Using the Only Connect Overlapping Elements option

Look up more details

Auto-generated expressions

Quick links

Simcenter 3D Thermal/Flow, Electronic Systems Cooling, and Space Systems Thermal boundary conditions

Thermal/Flow, Electronic Systems Cooling, and Space Systems Thermal

Command reference

Pre/Post video examples

Bulk Entry Descriptions

Simcenter 3D tutorials

Browse Simcenter 3D help by product area

Joule Heating, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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