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Contents
Introduction
External Temperature.
Example: Heating a Building with Two Rooms
Examples Involving Fluid Flow
Example: Cooling a Block of Metal in a Tank with Fluid Flow.
Aside: Modeling a Fluid Flow with and Electrical Analog
Solving the Model
Introduction
This page discusses how the system elements can be included in larger
systems, and how a system model can be developed. The actual solution of such
models is discussed elsewhere.
temperature and the skin temperature Ris, and the temperature between skin and
ambient Rsa.
a) Draw a thermal model of the system showing all relevant quantities.
b) Draw an electrical equivalent
c) Develop a mathematical model (i.e., an energy balance).
d) Solve for the temperature of the skin if i, =37C, a =9C, Ris=0.75/W; for a patch
of skin and Rsa= 2.25/W for that same patch.
Solution:
a) In this case there are no thermal capacitances or heat sources, just two know
temperatures ( i, and a), one unknown temperature (s), and two resistances ( Risand
Rsa.)
c) There is only one unknown temperature (at s), so we need only one energy
balance (and, since there is no capacitance, we don't need the heat stored term).
Note: the first equation included a, but the second does not, since a is our reference temperature and is taken to be zero.
d) Solving for s
Note: you may recognize this result as the voltage divider equation from electrical circuits.
We can now solve numerically (we use 28C for the internal temperature since it is
28C above ambient (37-9=28)
This says that s is 21C above ambient. Since the ambient temperature is 9C, the
actual skin temperature is 30C.
Note: If Rsa is lowered, for example by the wind blowing, the skin gets cooler, and it feels like it is colder. This is the mechanism
responsible for the "wind chill" effect.
b) To draw the electrical system we need a circuit with a node for the ambient
temperature, and a node for the temperature of the room. Heat (a current source)
goes into the room. Energy is stored (as an increased temperature) in the thermal
capacitance, and heat flows from the room to ambient through the resistor.
c) We only need to develop a single energy balance equation, and that is for the
temperature of the thermal capacitance (since there is only one unknown
temperature). The heat into the room is qi, heat leaves the room through a resistor and
energy is stored (as increased temperature) in the capacitor.
Example: Heating a Building with One Room, but with Variable External
Temperature.
Consider the room from the previous example. Repeat parts a, b, and c if the
temperature outside is no longer constant but varies. Call the external temperature
e(t) (this will be the temperature relative to the ambient temperature). We will also
change the name of the resistance of the walls to Rre to denote the fact that the
external temperature is no longer the ambient temperature.
Solution:
The solution is much like that for the previous example. Exceptions are noted below.
a) The image is as before with the external temperature replaced by e(t).
b) To draw the electrical system we need a circuit with a node for the external
temperature and a node for the temperature of the room. Though perhaps not obvious
at first we still need a node for the ambient temperature since all of our temperatures
are measured relative to this, and our capacitors must always have one node
connected to this reference temperature. Heat flows from the room to the external
temperature through the resistor.
c) We still only need to develop a single energy balance equation, and that is for the
temperature of the thermal capacitance (since there is only one unknown
temperature). The heat into the room is qi, heat leaves the room through a resistor and
energy is stored (as increased temperature) in the capacitor.
(the ambient temperature is taken to be zero in this equation). In this case we end up
with a system with two inputs (qi and e).
The
resistance of the walls room 1 and ambient is R1a, between room 2 and ambient is
R2a and between room 1 and room 2 is R12. The capacitance of rooms 1 and 2 are
C1 and C2, with temperatures 1 and 2, respectively. A heater in in room 1 generates
a heat qin. The temperature external temperature is a constant, a.
a) Draw a thermal model of the system showing all relevant quantities.
The two first order energy balance equations (for room 1 and room 2) could be
combined into a single second order differential equation and solved. Details about
developing the second order equation are here.
System:
Free Body
Diagrams:
Equations:
Note: the resistance between the tank and the metal block, Rmt, is not explicitly shown.
Solution:
Since there are two unknown temperatures, we need two energy balance equations.