High-performance computing heat transfer

Any on-line process control model used for computer-aided manufacturing of high-performance composite laminates must include a thorough treatment of void stability and growth as well as resin transport. These two key components, along with a heat transfer model and additional chemorheological information on kinetics and material properties, should permit optimized production of void-free, controlled-thickness parts. A number of advances have been made toward this goal. 

With an effective thermal model of the cells, modules and overall system, an analysis of the performance under different situations and load conditions can be evaluated. This proves to be a very useful tool in the development of the pack as these thermal models can be input into computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models to determine how the cells will heat during operation. A good CFD model can be used to determine flow rates, turbulence, and heat transfer within a pack. In addition, it is possible to use a lumped parameter model to develop a simplified model where the external parameters are basically ignored and the model is designed using fully adjustable parameters to do high-level evaluations of the thermal effectiveness of a system. 

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