This Application Best Practice (ABP) outlines a best-practice workflow using Ansys Fluent® fluid simulation software and Ansys Mechanical™ structural finite element analysis software to simulate and analyze thermal behavior in systems where air gaps form due to structural deformation. It demonstrates how to model fluid-structure interaction, export gap data from structural simulations, and re-integrate it into thermal simulations using variable wall thickness for improved accuracy. The process enhances design performance by capturing the thermal impact of air gaps, offering a more realistic and precise simulation of heat transfer in complex assemblies.

Learning Outcomes:

Following completion of this Application Best Practice (ABP), you will be able to:

• Understand how thermal deformation in connected components can create air gaps, affecting heat conduction in simulations.
• Gain the ability to configure FSI simulations using Ansys Fluent software and Ansys Mechanical software to analyze thermal and structural behavior.
• Extract gap data from Ansys Mechanical software, convert it for use in Ansys Fluent software, and apply it to improve simulation accuracy.
• Understand how to use variable wall thickness in Ansys Fluent software to enhance thermal modeling precision.
• Analyze the influence of air gaps on temperature distribution and overall system performance in coupled simulations.

Prerequisites:

Previous experience using and applying Ansys Fluent software and Ansys Mechanical software is recommended.

Please note: Application Best Practices (ABPs) outline engineering design goals for specific applications and provide guidance for how to achieve those goals using Ansys simulation software. It is important to note that a Geometry File or other Input Files are not always available. ABPs, as opposed to the official training-material workshops/tutorials, are not meant to be a step-by-step instruction document. ABPs are a link between product-based training courses and application specific tutorials, educating on the "how" and "why" of the best modeling approach, highlighting best practices and workflows for a particular application.

These training materials were developed and tested in the 2025R1 release.