Electro-Thermal and Downstream Mechanical Simulation
Components carrying electrical current are subject to a wide range of demands. Typically, a combination of electrical and thermal conditions acts upon them – conditions that ultimately take on mechanical relevance as well. Electro-thermal simulations are therefore essential for evaluating such components in operation and for effective thermal management.
Our electro-thermal simulation services cover the following areas:
- In the area of electrical simulation, a detailed analysis is carried out to assess current-carrying capacity and optimise electrical current flow. To ensure a precise evaluation, both steady-state and transient conditions are taken into account.
- To visualise and optimise temperature fields, electro-thermal simulations are performed incorporating combined electrical and thermal boundary conditions. Depending on the application, steady-state and transient conditions are considered – including specific current profiles such as drive cycles.
- These components may be simultaneously subject to natural and forced convection. To account for these fluid flow effects, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are applied.
- Mechanical simulations follow on from electro-thermal and fluid dynamics analyses to assess thermo-mechanical loading.
- The determination of fatigue strength consists of comprehensive mechanical simulations to determine the service life of the system in the high cycle fatigue (HCF) or low cycle fatigue (LCF) regime, including vibration loads, PSD analyses and thermal shock.
- We analyse the stresses that may occur during assembly processes such as welding or handling in production, in order to ensure the structural integrity of the system.
- Determination of thermal response times to optimise sensor placement and performance.
- By varying geometric parameters, we conduct comprehensive parameter studies to optimise system design and achieve maximum performance.
The following programs are used for electro-thermal simulation:
- ANSYS Workbench
- ANSYS mechanical APDL
- ANSYS Fluent
- Siemens Simcenter FLOEFD
Our electro-thermal simulation service provides a holistic assessment and optimisation of the system – addressing electrical, thermal and mechanical aspects in combination to maximise performance, reliability and service life.
