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FEMforHeatTransferProblems(FiniteElementMethod)Part1

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FEMforHeatTransferProblems(Finite
ElementMethod)Part1
FieldProblems
Thistopicdealswiththeuseofthefiniteelementmethodtosolvethesteadystateheattransfer
problem.Suchaproblemcanbetermedgenerallyasoneofthemanyfieldproblems.Otherfield
problemsincludetorsionaldeformationofbars,irrotationalflowandacousticproblems.Thistopic
makesuseoftheheattransferproblemtointroduceconceptsbehindthesolvingoffieldproblems
usingtheFEM.Emphasiswillbeplacedononeandtwodimensionalheattransferproblems.Three
dimensionalproblemscanbesolvedinsimilarways,exceptfortheincreaseinDOFsduetothe
dependencyoffieldvariablesonthethirddimension.TheapproachusedtoderiveFEequationsin
heattransferproblemsisageneralapproachtosolvepartialdifferentialequationsusingtheFEM.
Therefore,theFEequationsdevelopedforheattransferproblemsaredirectlyapplicabletoallother
typesoffieldproblemsthataregovernedbyasimilartypeofpartialdifferentialequation.
Thegeneralformofsystemequationsof2Dlinearsteadystatefieldproblemscanbegivenby
thefollowinggeneralformoftheHelmholtzequation:

whereisthefieldvariable,andDx,Dy,gandQaregivenconstantswhosephysicalmeaningis
differentfordifferentproblems.Foronedimensionalfieldproblems,thegeneralformofsystem
equationscanbewrittenas

ThefollowingoutlinesdifferentphysicalproblemsgovernedbyEqs.(12.1)or(12.2).

HeatTransferinaTwoDimensionalFin
Hereweconsideraproblemofheattransferinatwodimensionalfin,asshowninFigure12.1.A
2Dfinismountedonapipe.Heatconductionoccursinthexyplane,andheatconvectionoccurson
thetwosurfacesandedges.

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Figure12.1.A2Dfinmountedonapipe.Heatconductionoccursinthexyplane,andheat
convectionoccursonthetwosurfacesandedges.
Assumethefinisverythin,sothattemperaturedoesnotvarysignificantlyinthethickness(z)
direction,thereforethetemperaturefieldisonlyafunctionofxandy.Thegoverningequationforthe
temperaturefieldinthefin,denotedbyfunction(x,y),canbegivenby

wherekx,kyare,respectively,thethermalconductivitycoefficientsinthexandydirections,histhe
convectioncoefficient,tisthethicknessofthefin,andistheambienttemperatureofthe
surroundingfluid.Theheatsupplyisdenotedbyq,whichcanbeafunctionofxandy.Thegoverning
equation(12.3)canbederivedsimplyusingFourierslawsofheatconductionandconvection,aswell
astheconservationlawofenergy(heat).Equation(12.3)simplystatesthattheheatlossduetoheat
conductionandheatconvectionshouldequaltheheatsupplyatanypointinthefin.
ItcanbeseenthatEq.(12.3)takesonthegeneralformofafieldproblemasinEq.(12.1),withthe
substitutionof

HeatTransferinaLongTwoDimensionalBody
Ifthedomainiselongatedinthezdirection,andthegeometryandtemperaturedonotvaryinthez
direction,asillustratedinFigure12.2,thenarepresentative2Dslicecanbeusedformodellingthe
problem.
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FEMforHeatTransferProblems(FiniteElementMethod)Part1

Figure12.2.Heattransferinalongbody.

Figure12.3.Heatconductionalongathinonedimensionalfin.
Inthiscase,thereisnoheatconvectiononthetwosurfacesofthe2Dslice,andthegoverning
equationbecomes

whichrelatestothegeneralformofthefieldequationwiththefollowingsubstitutions:

HeatTransferinaOneDimensionalFin
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FEMforHeatTransferProblems(FiniteElementMethod)Part1

Consideraonedimensionalfin,showninFigure12.3.Assumethatthefinisverythin,andthe
dimensionsofthecrosssectionofthefinaremuchsmallerthanthelengthofthefin,sotemperature
doesnotvaryinthecrosssection,andhenceisonlyafunctionofx.Heatconductionoccursinthex
direction,andheatconvectionoccursonthecircumferentialsurfaceofthefin.Thetemperaturefield
inthefin,denotedbyfunction(),isgovernedbytheequation

wherekisthethermalconductivity,histheconvectioncoefficient,Aisthecrosssectionalareaofthe
fin,andPistheperimeterofthefin,asshowninFigure12.3.Equation(12.7)iscreatedinthesame
wayasits2DcounterpartofEq.(12.3).Equation(12.7)canbewritteninthegeneralformofEq.
(12.2),withthesubstitutionsof

HeatTransferAcrossaCompositeWall
Manywallsofindustrialstructures,orevensimpleapplianceslikeathermalflask,arecompositein
nature,i.e.theyconsistofmorethanonematerial.Byutilizingthethermalconductivitypropertiesof
thematerialchosen,eitherthermalinsulationoreffectivethermalheattransferthroughthewallscan
beachieved.
Considertheheattransferacrossacompositewall,asshowninFigure12.4.Thewallisassumedto
beinfinitelylongintheydirection,andhencetheheatsourceandanyheatexchangesarealso
independentofy.Inthiscase,theproblemisonedimensional.Sincethewallisinfinitelylong,itis
alsonotpossibletohaveheatconvectionalongthexaxis.

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FEMforHeatTransferProblems(FiniteElementMethod)Part1

Figure12.4.Heattransferthroughacompositewallofthreelayers.Assumethetemperature
doesnotvaryintheydirection.
Therefore,thesystemequationinthiscaseismuchsimplercomparedtothatofthefin,andit
governsonlytheheatconductionthroughthecompositewall,whichcanbegivenby

whereistheknowntemperature.Equation(12.9)canbewritteninageneralformofEq.(12.2)with

TorsionalDeformationofaBar
Forproblemsoftorsionaldeformationofabarwithnoncircularsections,thefieldvariablewillbethe
stressfunctionthatisgovernedbyaPoissonsequation,

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FEMforHeatTransferProblems(FiniteElementMethod)Part1

whereGistheshearmodulusandisthegivenangleoftwist.Thestressfunctionisdefinedby

Equation(12.11)canbeeasilyderivedinthefollowingprocedure.Considerpuretorsionalstatus
where

Therefore,thereareonlytwostresscomponents,and^.UsingHookeslaw,wehave

Therelationshipbetweendisplacementandthegivenangleoftwistcanbegivenby[Fung,1965]:

Next,usingEqs.(2.4),(12.15),(12.14)and(12.12),weobtain

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FEMforHeatTransferProblems(FiniteElementMethod)Part1

DifferentiatingEq.(12.16)withrespecttoyandEq.(12.17)withrespecttox,andequatingthetwo
resultantequations,leadstoEq.(12.11).

ItcanbeseenthatEq.(12.11)takesonthegeneralformofEq.(12.1),with

IdealIrrotationalFluidFlow
Forproblemsofideal,irrotationalfluidflow,thefieldvariablesarethestreamline,,andpotential,,
functionsthataregovernedbyLaplacesequations

ItcanbeseenthatbothEqs.(12.19)and(12.20)takeontheformofEq.(12.1),with

AcousticProblems
Forproblemsofvibratingfluidinaclosedvolume,asinthecaseofthevibrationofairparticlesina
room,thefieldvariable,P,isthepressureabovetheambientpressure,andisgovernedbyPoissons
equation

wherewisthewavefrequencyandcisthewavevelocityinthemedium.Thederivationoftheabove
equationscanbefoundinanytopiconacoustics(e.g.seeCrocker[1998]).ItcanbeseenthatEq.
(12.22)takesontheformofEq.(12.1),withsubstitutionof

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FEMforHeatTransferProblems(FiniteElementMethod)Part1

TheaboveexamplesshowthattheHelmholtzequation(12.1)governsmanydifferentphysical
phenomena.Therefore,aproductivewaytosolvealltheseproblemsusingtheFEMistoderiveFE
equationsforsolvingthegeneralformofEqs.(12.1)or(12.2).Thefollowingsectionsthusintroduce
theFEMasageneralnumericaltoolforsolvingpartialdifferentialequationsintheformofEqs.
(12.1)or(12.2).InapplyingtheFEMequations,wefocusmainlyonheattransferproblems.
Nextpost:FEMforHeatTransferProblems(FiniteElementMethod)Part2
Previouspost:ModellingTechniques(FiniteElementMethod)Part5

RelatedLinks
TheFiniteElementMethod
ComputationalModelling(FiniteElementMethod)
IntroductiontoMechanicsforSolidsandStructures(FiniteElementMethod)Part1
IntroductiontoMechanicsforSolidsandStructures(FiniteElementMethod)Part2
IntroductiontoMechanicsforSolidsandStructures(FiniteElementMethod)Part3
FundamentalsforFiniteElementMethodPart1

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