This study has two main objectives: The performance evaluation of existing microchannel heat sinks using a CFD model, and the dimensional optimization of various heat sinks by minimizing the total thermal resistance. For the analyses, the geometric modeling is performed using the software GAMBIT while the thermal analysis is performed with FLUENT. The developed model compares very well with those available in the literature. Eight different metal-polymer microchannel heat sinks are analyzed using the model to find out how much heat could be provided to the systems while keeping the substrate temperatures below 85&deg / C under a constant pumping power requirement. Taking the objective function as the total thermal resistance, the optimum geometries have been obtained for the mentioned metal-polymer heat sinks as well as more conventional silicon ones. The results of the optimization code agreed very well with available ones in the literature. In the optimization study, the Intel Core i7-900 Desktop Processor Extreme Edition Series is considered as a reference processor which is reported to dissipate 130 W of heat and to have chip core dimensions of 1.891 cm &times / 1.44 cm. A dimensional optimization study has been performed for various copper and silicon microchannel heat sinks to cool down this processor. To the best of the author&rsquo / s knowledge, this study contributes to the literature in that, as opposed to the available analytical microchannel optimization studies considering constant thermophysical properties at the fluid inlet temperature, the properties are evaluated at the area weighted average of the fluid inlet and iteratively calculated outlet temperatures. Moreover, the effects of the thermal and hydrodynamic entrance regions on heat transfer and flow are also investigated.

Historical, well developed, procedures for RF design have minimal emphasis on exploring the third dimension due to the difficulty of fabrication. Recent material advancements applicable to 3D printing have brought about low-loss thermoplastics with excellent mechanical properties. Research into depositing conductive inks onto arbitrary 3D shapes has achieved resolutions better than 50 μm with conductivity values approaching that of copper cladding. The advancements in additive manufacturing have improved reliability and repeatability of three dimensional designs while decreasing fabrication time. With this design approach other considerations, such as stability and strength, can be concentrated on during the structure design to realize new shapes. The next step in the future of RF research will encompass designing and further understanding the benefits and consequences of using all three dimensions. This could include meandering an antenna element around other electronic components to make the overall package size smaller or integrating an antenna array into a wing. The design and analysis of the periodic spiral antenna (PSA) takes a look at a specific case of full volume utilization. In this application meandering in the z-dimension allowed the design to become smaller and more efficient than what is achievable with planar methods. This thesis will go into detail on the characterization of the periodic spiral antenna. To exemplify the benefits of meandering in the z-dimension a loop antenna is presented and benchmarked against other miniaturization techniques. Measured results of two different PSA models are presented and remarks on improving fabrication are given. When an antenna is used as a transmitter incident power will cause thermal generation so a study was conducted to understand how material properties can govern the amount of heat generated.

Lithium ion batteries have become one of the most popular types of battery in consumer electronics as well as aerospace and automotive applications. The efficient use of Li-ion batteries in automotive applications requires well designed battery management systems. Low order Li-ion battery models that are fast and accurate are key to well- designed BMS. The control oriented low order physics based model developed previously cannot predict the temperature and predicts inaccurate voltage dynamics. This thesis focuses on two things: (1) the development of a thermal component to the isothermal model and (2) the development of a hybrid neural net and physics based battery model that corrects the output of the physics based model. A simple first law based thermal component to predict the temperature model is implemented. The thermal model offers a reasonable approximation of the temperature dynamics of the battery discharge over a wide operating range, for both a well-ventilated battery as well as an insulated battery. The model gives an accurate prediction of temperature at higher SOC, but the accuracy drops sharply at lower SOCs. This possibly is due to a local heat generation term that dominates heat generation at lower SOCs. A neural net based modeling approach is used to compensate for the lack of knowledge of material parameters of the battery cell in the existing physics based model. This model implements a neural net that corrects the voltage output of the model and adds a temperature prediction sub-network. Given the knowledge of the physics of the battery, sparse neural nets are used. Multiple types of standalone neural nets as well as hybrid neural net and physics based battery models are developed and tested to determine the appropriate configuration for optimal performance. The prediction of the neural nets in ventilated, insulated and stressed conditions was compared to the actual outputs of the batteries. The modeling approach presented here is able to accurately predict voltage output of the battery for multiple current profiles. The temperature prediction of the neural nets in the case of the ventilated batteries was harder to predict since the environment of the battery was not controlled. The temperature predictions in the insulated cases were quite accurate. The neural nets are trained, tested and validated using test data from a 4.4Ah Boston Power lithium ion battery cell. / text

In serial manufacturing processes, localized energy sources (e.g. plasma cutters, arc welders or water jets) induce material geometry transformations that yield a desired product. Simple parameter control of these energy sources does not necessarily ensure an optimal or successful part because of disturbances in the manufacturing process (material and temperature variations, etc). Currently, control in manufacturing is based on statistical process control where large databases for the manufacturing of a fixed process are available and have been compiled over several manufacturing runs. In the absence of a statistical database, and with the increased need for improved monitoring and throughput, there is need for active process control in manufacturing. In this work, Gas Metal Arc Braze-Welding (GMABW) will serve as a test-bed for the implementation of model predictive control (MPC) for a serial manufacturing process. This dissertation investigates the integration of real time modeling of the temperature field with control algorithms to control the evolving temperature field in the ix braze-welded base metal. Fundamental problems involving MPC that are addressed are modeling techniques to calculate temperature fields with reduced computational requirements and control algorithms that utilize the thermal models directly to inform the controller. The dissertation first outlines and compares analytical and computational thermal models and comparison with experimental data are obtained. A thermal model based on a metamodeling approach is used as the plant model for a classical control system and control parameters are found. Various techniques for dealing with signal noise encountered during experimentation are investigated. A proportional controller is implemented in the experimental setup that applies feedback control of the braze –welding process using thermal signals. A novel approach to MPC is explored by using a metamodel as the plant model for the braze-welding process and having the temperature trajectory dictated by the metamodel in the steady state region of the weld. Lastly, future work and extensions of this research are outlined. / text

Infrared (IR) imaging is a key technology in a variety of military and civilian applications, especially for night vision and remote sensing. Compared with cryogenically cooled IR sensors, uncooled infrared imaging devices have the advantages of being low cost, light weight, and superior reliability. The electro-thermal analysis of a microbolometer pixel is critical to determine both device performance and reliability. To date, most microbolometer analysis research has focused on performance optimization and computation of thermal conductance directly from the geometry. However, modeling of the thermal distribution across the microbolometer pixel is critical for the comprehensive analysis of system performance and reliability. Therefore, this thesis investigates the electro-thermo-mechanical characteristics of a microbolometer pixel considering the effects of joule heating and incoming IR energy. The contributions of the present research include the electro-thermal models for microbolometer and methods of validating thermal distribution using experimental results. The electro-thermal models explain the effect of microbolometer material properties and geometry on device performance and reliability. The research also contributes methods of estimating the thermal conductivity of microbolometer, which take into account different heat transfer mechanisms, including radiation and convection. Previous approaches for estimating the thermal conductance of uncooled microbolometer consider heat conduction via legs from the geometry of the pixel structure and material properties [2]. This approach assumes linear temperature distribution in the pixel legs structure. It also leaves out the various electro-thermal effects existing for multilayer structures. In the present research, a different approach is used to develop the thermal conductance of microbolometer pixel structure. The temperature distribution in the pixel is computed from an electro-thermal model. Then, the average temperature in the pixel microplate and the total heat energy generated by joule heating is utilized to compute the thermal conductance of the structure. The thesis discusses electro-thermal and thermo-mechanical modeling, simulation and testing of Polysilicon Multi-User MEMS Process (PolyMUMPs®) test devices as the groundwork for the investigation of microbolometer performance and reliability in space applications. An electro-thermal analytical and numerical model was developed to predict the temperature distribution across the microbolometer pixel by solving the second order differential heat equation. To provide a qualitative insight of the effect of different parameters in the thermal distribution, including material properties and device geometry, first an explicit formulation for the solution of the electro-thermal coupling is obtained using the analytical method. In addition, the electro-thermal model, which accounts for the effect of IR energy and radiation heat transfer, spreading resistance and transient conditions, was studied using numerical methods. In addition, an analytical model has been developed to compute the IR absorption coefficient of a Thin Single Stage (TSS) microbolometer pixel. The simulation result of this model was used to compute absorbed IR energy for the numerical model. Subsequently, the temperature distribution calculated from the analytical model is used to obtain the deflections that the structure undergoes, which will be fundamental for the reliability analysis of the device. Finite element analysis (FEA) has been simulated for the selected device using commercial software, ANSYS® multiphysics. Finite element simulation shows that the electro-thermal models predict the temperature distribution across a microbolometer pixel at steady-state conditions within 2.3% difference from the analytical model. The analytical and numerical models are also simulated and results for a temperature distribution within 1.6% difference. In addition, to validate the analytical and numerical electro-thermal and thermo-mechanical models, a PolyMUMPs® test device has been used. The test results showed a close agreement with the FEM simulation deflection of the test device.

No description available.

Study of pseudotachylytes (PT) (frictional melts) can provide information on the physical and chemical conditions at the earthquake source. This study examines the influence of asperityscale fault dynamics on asperity temperature distribution, and therefore, the potential for frictional melting to occur. Frictional melting occurs adiabatically, and is initiated between opposing asperity tips during fault slip. Our model considers 2-D heat conduction in elastic, isotropic, hemispherical asperities, with temperature dependent thermal properties. The only heat source is a point heat flux pulse at the asperity tip. The non-linear problem was solved using the -form of Newton-Kantorovich procedure coupled with the -form of Douglas-Gunn two level finite difference scheme, while the linear problem required only the latter method. Results for quartz and feldspar indicate that peak temperatures can reach melting point values for typical asperity sizes (1-100 mm), provided that contact (frictional) shear stress is sufficiently high. For any asperity size, the temperature distribution peak becomes insignificant by the time it reaches the asperity center. These results imply that much of asperity scale melting is highly localized, which may explain why most PT veins in the field are usually very thin. However, in some cases, successive asperity encounters may generate temperature increases large enough to trigger the massive melting inferred from typical PT exposures. Significant differences were observed between the results of the linear and nonlinear models.

Thermal modeling is an important aspect of electric motor design. Numerous techniques exist to predict the temperatures in a motor, and they can be incorporated in the design of a thermal model for a new type of electric motor. This work discusses the available modeling techniques and determines which methods are applicable for medium-sized motors with either natural convection or forced convective cooling over irregular geometry. A time-dependant thermal model, with thermal transport parameters based upon geometric and simplified air flow information, is developed based on a discrete lumped parameter model with several modifications to improve accuracy. The model was completed with the aid of nine experiments, and the result is a thermal model that exhibits an absolute error of less than 6.1??C for the nine test runs at three different currents between 8.4 A rms and 28.2 A rms and three cooling levels, natural, 10.7 CFM and 24.4 CFM.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / This dissertation presents the combination of an electrical and thermal model to represent the characteristics of the photovoltaic module floating in water. Based on the proposed model a MATLAB / Simulink software simulation is made and validated with data obtained through a experiment performed. Two experiments were conducted in the UFC Alternative Energy Laboratory in order to validate the model proposed by the use of two distinct manufacturing photovoltaic modules, a monocrystalline produced by Azur Solar GmbH model TSM 160M and a polycrystalline produced by Solartec model KS20T. The model proposed was satisfactory compared the model results with measured data, which is irradiance, temperature front, rear and IV characteristic curve of the PV module. The irradiance is obtained by a pyranometer LP02 model Hukseflux manufactured by Thermal Sensor, temperatures were measured with temperature sensors type thermo EN 100 and the characteristic curves were obtained by tracer curve mini-KLA, manufactured by IngenieurbÃro. The monocrystalline module errors were lower than 4% for short-circuit current values, open circuit voltage and maximum power point. To reduce the error the electric model initially proposed was changed at the point of maximum power and were obtained errors lower than 2% for the short-circuit current values, open circuit voltage and maximum power point. The polycrystalline module showed errors lower than 10% for the short-circuit current values, open circuit voltage and maximum power point. The polycrystalline module floating in water performance was compared to the conventional use (installed on the ground), being recorded a cell temperature difference at any given time of day to 29 ÂC between the two applications; as a consequence, better efficiency was obtained floating on the water module with power gains of up to 17% compared to conventional usage. / Esta dissertaÃÃo apresenta a combinaÃÃo de um modelo elÃtrico e tÃrmico para representar as caracterÃsticas do mÃdulo fotovoltaico flutuante em Ãgua. A partir do modelo proposto à realizada simulaÃÃo no software MATLAB/Simulink e validado com dados obtidos atravÃs de experimento realizado. Foram realizados dois experimentos no LaboratÃrio de Energias Alternativas da UFC a fim de validar o modelo proposto atravÃs da utilizaÃÃo de dois mÃdulos fotovoltaicos de caracterÃstica de fabricaÃÃo distintas, um monocristalino da Azur Solar GmbH modelo TSM 160M e um policristalino da Solartec modelo KS20T. O modelo proposto mostrou-se satisfatÃrio quando comparado os resultados do modelo com os dados medidos, que sÃo irradiÃncia, temperatura frontal, posterior e curva caracterÃstica I-V do mÃdulo fotovoltaico. A irradiÃncia à obtida atravÃs do piranÃmetro modelo LP02 do fabricante Hukseflux Thermal Sensor, as temperaturas foram medidas com sensores de temperatura tipo termorresistÃncia PT 100 e a curvas caracterÃsticas foram obtidas atravÃs do traÃador de cuva mini-KLA, do fabricante IngenieurbÃro. O mÃdulo monocristalino apresentou erros inferiores a 4% para os valores de corrente de curto-circuito, tensÃo de circuito aberto e ponto de mÃxima potÃncia. Visando diminuir o erro alterou-se o modelo elÃtrico proposto inicialmente no ponto de mÃxima potÃncia e foram obtidos erros inferiores a 2% para os valores de corrente de curto-circuito, tensÃo de circuito aberto e ponto de mÃxima potÃncia. O mÃdulo policristalino apresentou erros inferiores a 10% para os valores de corrente de curto-circuito, tensÃo de circuito aberto e ponto de mÃxima potÃncia. Observou-se o rendimento do mÃdulo policristalino flutuante em Ãgua em relaÃÃo ao uso convencional (instalado sobre o solo), sendo registrada uma diferenÃa de temperatura da cÃlula em determinado horÃrio do dia de atà 29ÂC entre as duas aplicaÃÃes; como consequÃncia, obteve-se melhor eficiÃncia do mÃdulo flutuante em Ãgua com ganhos de potÃncia de atà 17% em relaÃÃo ao uso convencional.

Ce mémoire est centré sur l’application de la technique d’optimisation de type Space Mapping dans le cadre du dimensionnement d’actionneurs électriques pris en compte par des modélisations multi-physiques. L’intérêt particulièrement recherché de ce type de méthode est la réduction potentiellement forte du coût du dimensionnement optimal. Cette volonté de réduction du coût de l’approche optimale s’explique par plusieurs considérations. En premier lieu, la modélisation des actionneurs tend à considérer de plus en plus de phénomènes physiques (tels que les phénomènes magnétiques, électriques, thermiques, mécaniques …) afin de décrire au mieux les phénomènes observés et mesurés. En second lieu il devient alors nécessaire de tenir compte des couplages entre ces physiques afin de traduire au plus juste l’interdépendance de ces phénomènes. Dans ce cadre, un travail particulier a été réalisé concernant la prise en compte des aspects thermiques dans les machines électriques. C’est ainsi qu’un modèle thermique à constantes localisées d’une machine synchrone à aimants permanents a été construit. Pour valider les résultats de calcul et préciser la définition de certain de ses éléments, une démarche expérimentale a été réalisée. Tous ces points, traduits dans le plan numérique, haussent le coût de l’évaluation des performances des actionneurs, et donc celui de leurs dimensionnements. De là, l’utilisation des techniques d’optimisation basées sur des modèles substituts permet d’envisager des réductions significatives des coûts de dimensionnement. La technique de Space Mapping est utilisée dans ce travail comme solution pour trouver un compromis entre la qualité des solutions trouvées et le temps de calcul. Plus particulièrement, elle est utilisée pour résoudre un problème de dimensionnement optimal d’une machine synchrone à aimants permanents assurant la fonction de démarreur dans une application de véhicule hybride. L’approche d’optimisation par Space Mapping a été comparée à celle, plus classique, n’utilisant qu’une seule modélisation de l’actionneur à dimensionner, c’est-à-dire sans modèle substitut. Il est montré que les techniques de Space Mapping sont à même de trouver des solutions de dimensionnement similaires à celles issues d’une approche classique, mais de manière beaucoup plus efficace, i.e. en utilisant un nombre plus faible d’évaluations de la modélisation multi-physique de l’actionneur. / This thesis focuses on the application of the Space Mapping optimization technique in the case of the sizing of electrical actuators taking into account a multi-physical modeling. The main interest in this type of optimization method is to considerably reduce the cost of optimal sizing. The need to use such optimization approach is due to several considerations. First, electrical actuators modeling tends to increasingly require the consideration of several physical phenomena (such as magnetic, electrical thermal and mechanical phenomena) in order to better describe observed and measured phenomena. Besides, it becomes necessary to take into account couplings between the different physical phenomena to precisely calculate the interdependencies between these phenomena. In this context, taking into account the thermal aspect in the case of electrical machines is particularly highlighted. A lumped parameter model of a permanent magnet synchronous machine is built. An experimental procedure has been followed to validate calculation results and define some elements of the proposed model. When implemented numerically, all points mentioned above increase the cost of the calculation of the performances of the electrical actuator, and then the cost of the optimal sizing. Thus, the use of an optimization technique based on surrogate models permits to reduce the optimal sizing cost. Space Mapping technique was used in this work as a solution to find a compromise between the quality of the found results and the calculation time. It is particularly used to solve an optimal sizing problem of a permanent magnet synchronous machine used as starter in a hybrid vehicle application. The Space Mapping optimization approach was compared to a classical one using a unique modeling of sized the electrical actuator : no surrogate model is used in the classical approach. Il is demonstrated that the Space Mapping techniques find optimization results that are similar to those found by the classical approach, yet, in a much more efficiently. Space Mapping techniques require only few calculations of the multi-physical model of the actuator.