The 'Uniform Heat Source' object allows the user to define a region of uniform heat generation. The region geometry as well as the parameters below can be specified:
Geometry
Directly defined
SOURCE TYPE: The source can be 2D for 2D. The 2D source must be used with the appropriate 2D HEAT solver and the 3D source should only be used with the 3D HEAT solver.
- X, Y, Z: The center position of the simulation region
- X MIN, X MAX: X min, X max position
- Y MIN, Y MAX: Y min, Y max position
- Z MIN, Z MAX: Z min, Z max position
- X SPAN, Y SPAN, Z SPAN: X, Y, Z span of the simulation region
USE RELATIVE COORDINATES: If this is enabled then the source will use the center or the HEAT solver as its origin (reference). If disabled then it will use the absolute center (0,0,0) as its origin.
Volume
VOLUME TYPE: This option allows the user to parametrize the mesh constraint position and span based on an existing volume.
- SOLID: Select the target solid. The solid can be a geometry object or a structure group.
- DOMAIN: Select the target domain. The reference geometry is the volume of the selected domain.
- ALL DOMAIN: The reference geometry is the volume of all domains.
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Note: It is recommended to define the uniform heat source using "volume" geometry type. This will ensure the heat source is exactly applied to the geometrical volume (e.g. solid object or partitioned domain). If you have to use the "direct definition" geometry type, it is highly recommended to use mesh refinement in the user defined bounding box, to improve the accuracy of the mapping between the bounding box and the finite element mesh. |
Source parameter
- EQUIVALENT LENGTH (um): Only applicable to 2D sources. The equivalent length defines the length of the source in the third dimension. In 2D simulation, the input power for the source has a unit of W/m and this is achieved by dividing the "total power" value (W) with the length in the third dimension.
- USE SOLVER NORM LENGTH: Only applicable to 2D sources. Enabling this option overrides the value of the "equivalent length" of the source with the "norm length" of the solver region.
- TOTAL POWER (W): This is the total power injected by the source in Watts. In 3D, the total volume of the source introduces this amount of heat into the simulation region. In 2D, the input power (in W) is divided by the length of the source in the third dimension and unit for the applied input power becomes W/m.