Thermal control circuit modelling with TCCbuilder

Abstract

Abstract Thermal control elements (TCEs) and thermal control circuits (TCCs) are a promising addition to conventional methods of thermal management, as they enable non-linear, switchable, and active control of heat. However, TCEs and TCCs are still at an early stage of development and are not yet ready for use in commercial applications. The combinations of TCEs in TCCs and the transient operation of TCEs and TCCs have not yet been sufficiently investigated. We have developed an open-source TCC simulation tool with a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI), TCCbuilder. TCCbuilder enables the design of TCEs and TCCs and offers the possibility to analyse their behaviour in (quasi-)steady state and transient operation. The tool has an extensive library of materials and TCEs (thermal switches, thermal diodes, etc.) compiled from extensive literature research and contributions from fellow researchers. TCCbuilder’s library of materials provides input data (e.g. temperature- and/or external field-dependent thermal properties) for simulations. However, users can also enter their own data. This article demonstrates the simple design and simulation of a TCC with a caloric device using TCCbuilder.