Learning Forum

[Sebastian Maluenda]

Hello, I have a question that until today I have not been able to answer despite consulting both tutorials and guides. If I simulate in Fluent two connected bodies with their walls coupled, and I fix a different temperature for each body, will there come a point at which both bodies have the same temperature?, considering of course a transient simulation.

My doubt is that the term "fixed temperature" sounds to me like a value that will never change over time. If so, how can I make one piece cool and the other warm?

[Kishan Konannavar]

Hello Sebastian

If what you are referring to as 'fixed temperature' refers to the boundary conditions you've applied at the start of the simulation, over time, due to heat transfer, the temperatures of the two bodies will evolve according to the physics of the problem. If the simulation is set up correctly and runs for a sufficient amount of time, the temperatures of the two bodies may eventually equalize, reaching a thermal equilibrium. How are you fixing the temperature of the entire body in Fluent?

The question is in general sense and hence there are multiple ways that it can be achieved. To make one piece cool and the other warm, appropriate boundary conditions will be needed to be applied on the basis of heat transfer principles. For instance, you could set a contant temperature to the boundary of one surface and a heating or cooling boundary condition (like convection) to the other body. This way, you can drive the heat transfer between the two bodies in the desired direction. Material properties such as thermal conductivity can determine the how close to uniform temperature distribution can be achieved.

Regards