Understanding Native Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) Simulations: A Unified Approach to Thermal Analysis
Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) simulations play a critical role in accurately modeling the thermal interactions between solid structures and the fluids that flow around or through them. These simulations help engineers and researchers predict how heat moves between different materials, enabling better designs for electronics, engines, HVAC systems, and more.
CHT Analysis is possible with Fluid Scenario Creation App within 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.
In Fluid Scenario Creation, the native CHT capability seamlessly couples heat transfer in both the fluid and solid domains into a single simulation environment—no co-simulation required. This integration simplifies the setup and accelerates the simulation process.
🔍 Key Features of Native CHT Simulations:
- Treats solids as rigid bodies
- Supports both steady-state and transient thermal analysis
- Avoids the need for external coupling tools or co-simulation setups
- Delivers efficient performance for typical electronics cooling or thermal management studies
By contrast, CHT co-simulations in the Multiscale Experiment Creation app:
- Are always transient
- Allow for fully deformable solid models
- Enable the study of thermal-structural interactions (e.g., thermal expansion, stress effects)
- Typically require higher computational resources
📌 Example Use Case:
Simulating heat transfer from an electronic chip mounted on a PCB. As the chip dissipates power, heat is conducted through its body and transferred to the surrounding air via natural convection—a result of temperature-induced density variations in the fluid.
💡 Technical Highlights:
- Thermal analysis uses a heat transfer step to model conduction in solids.
- Fluid flow is captured via an incompressible flow step that solves the energy equation.
- Interface boundaries (e.g., top surface of a chip) are defined to link the thermal fields between the solid and fluid domains.
- Native CHT handles conformal and non-conformal meshes, though it performs best when mesh sizes across interfaces are comparable.
Native CHT simulations offer a streamlined, efficient path for analyzing thermal behavior in fluid-solid systems—ideal for scenarios where structural deformation isn't a concern.
