Ansys Lumerical HEAT Thermal — Conductive Simulation — Lesson 1

The Ansys Lumerical HEAT solver can simulate Joule heating, which is also known as ohmic heating. This is a process by which the passage of an electric current through a conductor produces heat. The HEAT solver has a “thermal and conductive” mode for studying the thermal response to Joule heating in an electrically driven system.

In this lesson, we will walk you through a simple example by simulating ohmic heating arising from current flow in a wire. As shown in the figure below, an aluminum wire is connected between two copper leads. The entire structure is embedded inside SiO2 (glass). A voltage applied between the two leads results in current flow through the wire that results in ohmic heating. We will study the heat power generation and temperature change due to the ohmic heating and also obtain the wire’s resistance from its current-voltage characteristics.