Thesis
Developing transient numerical schemes for analysis and design of thermal systems
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Jun 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001150
Abstract
In this thesis, a transient numerical scheme for thermal design optimization is developed. This scheme aims to optimize the channel network of a microvascular composite for the purpose of providing rapid thermal management. Microvascular composites are bio-inspired multi-functional materials that contain an embedded channel network. Specific capabilities are augmented depending on the type of fluid that is used in the vasculature. This study will focus on the use of coolant for heat transfer. Applications of this technology include vehicle battery packaging, hyper-sonic aircraft, and microelectronics cooling. This optimization framework utilizes a transient finite element analysis to obtain a microvascular system's thermal response. A density based topology optimization method is used for optimizing the channel configuration. Because this method is gradient based, a transient sensitivity analysis is derived to supply the design variable gradients to the optimizer. The adjoint sensitivity method is chosen for this task, owing to its accuracy and computational efficiency. Two example optimization problems are solved to demonstrate the capabilities of the framework. Furthermore, an additional application of the transient finite element method is also presented - a transient heat flux calculation. In this method, experimentally obtained data is used to calculate a surface heat flux. An example of this technique is shown.
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Details
- Title
- Developing transient numerical schemes for analysis and design of thermal systems
- Creators
- Jonathan B. Gorman
- Contributors
- Ahmad Raeisi Najafi (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- vii, 59 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Engineering (1970-2026); Mechanical Engineering (and Mechanics) (1970-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991018526902304721