Automated Thermal Analysis with CAD Associativity

Product Overview

Thermal Workshop solves long-standing problems associated with the extraction of geometry from CAD models to thermal analysis software. Thermal Workshop provides capabilities for importing native CAD (e.g., Pro/E, Solidworks, NX CAD), and ACIS files, and passing corresponding meshes and other model information seamlessly into Thermal Desktop. In the Thermal Workshop environment, objects may be “tagged” as needed to describe boundary conditions, contact conductance, heater locations, etc. Once the analysis process has been created and saved, if the CAD geometry is altered, then the process can be used to automatically update the Thermal Desktop model. The Thermal Workshop environment provides access to other multidisciplinary and multi-physics engineering analysis.

Thermal Workshop is CRTech’s exclusive thermal-specific version of Comet™, the innovative multi-physics engineering analysis environment from Comet Solutions, Inc. Developed specifically to integrate with Thermal Desktop, Thermal Workshop greatly extends the capabilities of the Thermal Desktop user.

Thermal Desktop users will find the Thermal Workshop interface to be very familiar and intuitive. Material and optical properties, boundary conditions, tags, and concepts specific to RadCAD such as radiation analysis groups are applied to the CAD geometry and carried through to the resulting mesh that is sent to Thermal Desktop.

Thermal Workshop provides the thermal engineer with the technology of the industry leader in meshing, Simmetrix. Detailed mesh controls are available to create a custom, thermally-appropriate mesh. These customizations are also preserved if the design geometry changes.

Additional Information

• For a detailed example, click here
• Aerospace Presentation: Concurrent Engineering Works: Thermal Results from an Integrated Structural Thermal Optical (STOP) Analysis Study
• Visit Comet Solutions, Inc. web site
• Visit Simmetrix web site

 

Introduction

Thermal Workshop is a tool that integrates and automates the preparatory tasks performed by the thermal engineer. Specifically, it contains capabilities for importing a CAD model, creating an analysis model from the design geometry, launching Thermal Desktop and SINDA/FLUINT thermal analyses, and seamlessly mapping results to a structural model. It integrates and manages the execution and data flow between the various tools used to perform the CAD import, meshing, analysis, and data export tasks.

Thermal Workshop does not replace Thermal Desktop. Rather, it augments and significantly extends the analysis capabilities. It provides innovative new functionality that is applicable to all aspects of thermal engineering for all phases of the product life cycle. It provides powerful analysis capabilities as well as systems engineering features to track compliance with requirements.

Thermal Workshop Process

Thermal Workshop and its companion modules are more than just a suite of powerful tools. The thermal process can be re-executed to accommodate changes in design with a simple right-click of the mouse and selecting “run” from the context menu. Through the use of the Process Schematic and Abstract Modeling, Thermal Workshop creates full associativity between the CAD model and the resulting thermal model entities.

Typical Process Schematic

Engineering processes are captured using a Process Schematic, which graphically depicts analysis tasks and the data that flows between those tasks. Users create new process schematics interactively, or they may simply use previous processes that have been captured and saved as a template.

Example of a Motor Imported to Thermal Workshop, Meshed, and Exported to Thermal Desktop

Abstract Domains
 
Abstract Domains are created by “tagging” appropriate assemblies, parts, features, faces, edges and vertices of the CAD geometry with a meaningful label. For example, the leading edge of a wing might be tagged with the label “leading_edge.” All thermal entities created from the CAD geometry are subsequently associated with this label. If heat load boundary conditions from an external flow field are to be mapped to the leading edge, the boundary condition is not applied to individual thermal nodes and elements, but rather to the abstract domain. At analysis time, the abstract domain is resolved into the appropriate thermal entities. For example, “leading_edge” might be described as a partial finite difference (FD) cylinder built with a honeycomb structure, plus finite element (FE) solids representing the support structure. The design may change, but the downstream use of the abstract domain names remains the same. Geometry changes and remeshing of the CAD model do not affect how boundary conditions and heat loads are applied, nor do they affect the connection to the rest of the thermal model.  Therefore, geometric changes in the CAD model flow into the thermal model without any additional effort.

Surfaces Tagged for Automatic Thermal Connections Such as Contact Conductance

Key extensions to Thermal Desktop have been implemented to exploit the use of abstract domains. Virtually every Thermal Desktop thermal entity, such as a heat load, a node-to-surface conductor, the boundary condition mapper, or a contactor can accept an abstract domain or “tag” for the thermal entities on which they operate. Thermal model data that is created by Thermal Workshop and then imported into Thermal Desktop contains these tags, which were applied to the original CAD geometry. For example, if the FE solid representing part of the aforementioned wing structure is more coarsely meshed, or even replaced by an FD solid, it doesn’t matter since the “leading_edge” tag will still apply.

Propagation of Design Changes

When the CAD geometry is changed and the engineer wishes to update the thermal model and generate new results, the process schematic is simply re-executed. This causes the CAD geometry to be re-meshed, then this new mesh is automatically imported into Thermal Desktop, and any loads, boundary conditions, and connections are automatically and seamlessly re-applied.

Another key extension to Thermal Desktop was the creation of “manager objects” for handling imported thermal model data from Thermal Workshop. When an update such as a design change is sent to Thermal Desktop, a manager object automatically takes care of deleting the old modeling entities and replacing them with the newly created entities.

Because aspects of the newly created modeling entities are associated with the previously created tags, Thermal Desktop is able to automatically reconnect the new modeling entities with the rest of the thermal model. The thermal model may be composed of any combination of finite element meshes, finite difference entities, and arbitrary RC networks.

Design Updates Seamlessly Incorporated into an Existing Thermal Model

The use of abstract domains and an automated process schematic allows updates to be seamlessly incorporated into an existing thermal model. The analyst can decide which portions of the thermal model are best built and managed in Thermal Desktop, and which portions should be associated with CAD model and originate within Thermal Workshop.

For a detailed example, click here.

 

General Features

• Provides a direct interface between various CAD packages and Thermal Desktop
• Integrates and manages the execution and data flow between the various tools used to perform the CAD import, meshing, analysis, and data export tasks.
  • Importing of Pro-E, SolidWorks, NX, or ACIS geometry files
  • Built-in powerful and flexible FE mesher developed by Simmetrix
• A process schematic graphically shows tasks and the data that flows between those tasks.
  • Ability to accommodate design changes by re-executing the "process" with a single click of the mouse
  • Allows rapid response to design changes
• Abstract Domains allow “tagging” appropriate assemblies, parts, features, faces, edges and vertices of the CAD geometry with a meaningful label.
  • Thermal entities such as heaters, contact conduction, convection etc., are associated with the abstract domain.
  • The design may change, but the downstream use of the abstract domain names remains the same.
• Opens a growth path toward multidisciplinary, multi-physics engineering
  • Example: Structural, Thermal, and Optical (STOP) design analysis

 

System Requirements

Thermal Desktop	Thermal Desktop version 5.4 or newer
Operating System	XP Pro or Home, Vista Pro or Home, Windows 7
Memory	2GB