Heat Transfer and Thermal Analysis with Computational Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

This chapter provides general descriptions of heat transfer and thermal analysis within mechanical designs using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. CFD modeling is capable of evaluating all heat transfer mechanisms: conduction, convection, and radiation, with predictions on temperature distributions in solid embodiment or fluids. This modeling process can be extremely useful in mechanical design to help further understanding of thermal management and avoid hotspots with extreme temperatures. For the prototype design of any mechanical machine, CFD-based heat transfer and thermal analysis will efficiently discover the thermal signatures and save costs from prototype manufacture and field tests. This book chapter will review the numerical modeling methodologies in CFD, the discretization approach, and later, with an example analysis of real physical applications, including heat exchangers, flow distributing systems, power generation/conversion systems, etc. The goal of this chapter is to provide a general research map and help readers use CFD tools in future mechanical designs.