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MathematicalModelsofThermalSystems

MathematicalModelsofThermalSystems
IntroductionandUnits SystemElements MathematicalModel Printable

Contents
Introduction
TheEnergyBalance
ExamplesInvolvingonlyThermalResistanceandCapacitance
Example:Twothermalresistancesinseries
Example:HeatingaBuildingwithOneRoom
Example:HeatingaBuildingwithOneRoom,butwithVariableExternal
Temperature.
Example:HeatingaBuildingwithTwoRooms
ExamplesInvolvingFluidFlow
Example:CoolingaBlockofMetalinaTankwithFluidFlow.
Aside:ModelingaFluidFlowwithandElectricalAnalog
SolvingtheModel

Introduction
Whilethepreviouspage(SystemElements)introducedthefundamentalelementsofthermalsystems,as
wellastheirmathematicalmodels,nosystemswerediscussed.Thispagediscusseshowthesystem
elementscanbeincludedinlargersystems,andhowasystemmodelcanbedeveloped.Theactual
solutionofsuchmodelsisdiscussedelsewhere.

TheEnergyBalance
Todevelopamathematicalmodelofathermalsystemweusetheconceptofanenergybalance.The
energybalanceequationsimplystatesthatatanygivenlocation,ornode,inasystem,theheatintothat
nodeisequaltotheheatoutofthenodeplusanyheatthatisstored(heatisstoredasincreased
temperatureinthermalcapacitances).

Heatin=Heatout+Heatstored
Tobetterunderstandhowthisworksinpracticeitisusefultoconsiderseveralexamples.

ExamplesInvolvingonlyThermalResistanceandCapacitance
Example:Twothermalresistancesinseries
Considerasituationinwhichwehaveaninternaltemperature, i,andanambienttemperature,
awithtworesistancesbetweenthem.Anexampleofsuchasituationisyourbody.Thereisa
(nearly)constantinternaltemperature,thereisathermalresistancebetweenyourcoreandyour
skin(at s),andthereisathermalresistancebetweentheskinandambient.Wewillcallthe
resistancebetweentheinternaltemperatureandtheskintemperatureRis,andthetemperature
betweenskinandambientRsa.
a)Drawathermalmodelofthesystemshowingallrelevantquantities.
b)Drawanelectricalequivalent
c)Developamathematicalmodel(i.e.,anenergybalance).
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d)Solveforthetemperatureoftheskinif i,=37C, a=9C,Ris=0.75/Wforapatchofskinand

Rsa=2.25/Wforthatsamepatch.

Solution:
a)Inthiscasetherearenothermalcapacitancesorheatsources,justtwoknowtemperatures( i,
and a),oneunknowntemperature( s),andtworesistances(RisandRsa.)

b)Temperaturesaredrawnasvoltagesources.Ambienttemperatureistakentobezero(i.e.,a
ground"temperature),allothertemperaturesaremeasuredwithrespecttothistemperature).

c)Thereisonlyoneunknowntemperature(ats),soweneedonlyoneenergybalance(and,
sincethereisnocapacitance,wedon'tneedtheheatstoredterm).

Note:thefirstequationincludeda ,buttheseconddoesnot,sincea isourreferencetemperatureandistakentobezero.

d)Solvingfor s

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Note:youmayrecognizethisresultasthevoltagedividerequationfromelectricalcircuits.

Wecannowsolvenumerically(weuse28Cfortheinternaltemperaturesinceitis28Cabove
ambient(379=28)

Thissaysthat sis21Caboveambient.Sincetheambienttemperatureis9C,theactualskin
temperatureis30C.
Note:IfRsa islowered,forexamplebythewindblowing,theskingetscooler,anditfeelslikeitiscolder.Thisisthe
mechanismresponsibleforthe"windchill"effect.

Example:HeatingaBuildingwithOneRoom
Considerabuildingwithasingleroom.Theresistanceofthewallsbetweentheroomandthe
ambientisRra,andthethermalcapacitanceoftheroomisCr,theheatintotheroomisq i,the
temperatureoftheroomis r,andtheexternaltemperatureisaconstant, a.
a)Drawathermalmodelofthesystemshowingallrelevantquantities.
b)Drawanelectricalequivalent
c)Developamathematicalmodel(i.e.,adifferentialequation).
Solution:
a)Wedrawathermalcapacitancetorepresenttheroom(andnoteitstemperarature).Wealso
drawaresistancebetweenthecapacitanceandambient.

b)Todrawtheelectricalsystemweneedacircuitwithanodefortheambienttemperature,anda
nodeforthetemperatureoftheroom.Heat(acurrentsource)goesintotheroom.Energyis
stored(asanincreasedtemperature)inthethermalcapacitance,andheatflowsfromtheroomto
ambientthroughtheresistor.

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c)Weonlyneedtodevelopasingleenergybalanceequation,andthatisforthetemperatureof
thethermalcapacitance(sincethereisonlyoneunknowntemperature).Theheatintotheroomis
q i,heatleavestheroomthrougharesistorandenergyisstored(asincreasedtemperature)inthe
capacitor.

byconventionwetaketheambienttemperaturetobezero,soweendupwithafirstorder
differentialequationforthissystem.

Example:HeatingaBuildingwithOneRoom,butwithVariableExternalTemperature.
Considertheroomfromthepreviousexample.Repeatpartsa,b,andcifthetemperature
outsideisnolongerconstantbutvaries.Calltheexternaltemperature e(t)(thiswillbethe
temperaturerelativetotheambienttemperature).Wewillalsochangethenameoftheresistance
ofthewallstoRretodenotethefactthattheexternaltemperatureisnolongertheambient
temperature.

Solution:
Thesolutionismuchlikethatforthepreviousexample.Exceptionsarenotedbelow.
a)Theimageisasbeforewiththeexternaltemperaturereplacedby e(t).

b)Todrawtheelectricalsystemweneedacircuitwithanodefortheexternaltemperatureanda
nodeforthetemperatureoftheroom.Thoughperhapsnotobviousatfirstwestillneedanodefor
theambienttemperaturesinceallofourtemperaturesaremeasuredrelativetothis,andour
capacitorsmustalwayshaveonenodeconnectedtothisreferencetemperature.Heatflowsfrom
theroomtotheexternaltemperaturethroughtheresistor.
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c)Westillonlyneedtodevelopasingleenergybalanceequation,andthatisforthetemperature
ofthethermalcapacitance(sincethereisonlyoneunknowntemperature).Theheatintotheroom
isq i,heatleavestheroomthrougharesistorandenergyisstored(asincreasedtemperature)in
thecapacitor.

(theambienttemperatureistakentobezerointhisequation).Inthiscaseweendupwitha
systemwithtwoinputs(q iand e).

Example:HeatingaBuildingwithTwoRooms
Considerabuildingthatconsistsoftwoadjacentrooms,labeled1and2.Theresistanceofthe
wallsroom1andambientisR1a,betweenroom2andambientisR2aandbetweenroom1and
room2isR12.Thecapacitanceofrooms1and2areC1andC2,withtemperatures 1and 2,
respectively.Aheaterininroom1generatesaheatq in.Thetemperaturexternaltemperatureisa
constant, a.
a)Drawathermalmodelofthesystemshowingallrelevantquantities.

b)Drawanelectricalequivalent

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c)Developamathematicalmodel(i.e.,adifferentialequation).
Inthiscasetherearetwounknowntemperatures, 1and 2,soweneedtwoenergybalance
equations.Inbothcaseswewilltake atobezero,soitwillnotariseintheequations.
Room1:Heatin=Heatout+HeatStored

Inthiscasetherearetwopartstothe"Heat
Out"
term,theheatflowingthroughR1aandthe
heat
throughR12.

Room2:Heatin=Heatout+HeatStored

Inthiscasewetakeheatflowthrough
R12to(from1to2)tobeaninput.
Wecouldalsotakethisenergybalance
tohavenoheatin,andwritetheheatflow
from
2to1asasecond"Heatout"term.(notethe
changeofsubscriptsinthesubtractedterms)

Thetwofirstorderenergybalanceequations(forroom1androom2)couldbecombinedintoa
singlesecondorderdifferentialequationandsolved.Detailsaboutdevelopingthesecondorder
equationarehere.

ExamplesInvolvingFluidFlow
Sofarwehavenotconsideredfluidflowinanyoftheexamplesletusdosonow.
Example:CoolingaBlockofMetalinaTankwithFluidFlow.
Considerablockofmetal(capacitance=Cm,temperature= m).Itisplacedinawellmixedtank
(attermperature t,withcapacitanceCt).Fluidflowsintothetankattemperature inwithmassflow
rateGin,andspecificheatcp.ThefluidflowsoutatthesamerateThereisathermalresistanceto
betweenthemetalblockandthefluidofthetank,Rmt,andbetweenthetankandtheambientRta.
Writeanenergybalanceforthissystem.

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Note:theresistancebetweenthetankandthemetalblock,Rmt,isnotexplicitlyshown.

Solution:
Sincetherearetwounknowntemperatures,weneedtwoenergybalanceequations.
MetalBlock:Heatin=Heatout+Heat
Stored

Tank:Heatin=Heatout+HeatStored

Inthiscasethereisnotheatin,and
heatout
istothetankthroughRmt.

Inthiscasewehaveheatinfromthefluidflow
andfromthemetalblock.
WehaveheatouttoambientthroughRta.

Aside:ModelingaFluidFlowwithandElectricalAnalog
Tomodelthissystemwithanelectricalanalog,wecanrepresentthefluidflowasavoltage
sourceatin,witharesistanceequalto1/(Gincp).Ifyousumcurrentsatthenodestand
myoucanshowthatthiscircuitisequivalenttothethermalsystemabove.

SolvingtheModel
Thusfarwehaveonlydevelopedthedifferentialequationsthatrepresentasystem.Tosolvethesystem,
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themodelmustbeputintoamoreusefulmathematicalrepresentationsuchastransferfunctionorstate
space.Detailsaboutdevelopingthemathematicalrepresentationarehere.

References

Copyright2005to2015ErikCheeverThispagemaybefreelyusedforeducationalpurposes.
Comments?Questions?Suggestions?Corrections?
ErikCheeverDepartmentofEngineeringSwarthmoreCollege

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