SHD Sim Thermal
Heat, wherever it belongs
Thermal does not get a solver of its own. It belongs to whichever solver is already in the case — which is a design decision, not a limitation.
This module is available.
What it runs on
Established open-source solvers, bundled or provisioned — the same approach as the CFD module, where the case for paying is the hours the interface saves rather than a solver nobody else has.
code_aster / Elmer
Solid-only conduction, with convection and radiation boundaries
OpenFOAM
Conjugate heat transfer, where the fluid actually matters
Elmer
Joule and induction heating, coupled internally
Analysis types
9 of them, in 4 groups, each with the backend that serves it. Naming the backend per row is deliberate: it is what tells you whether a capability is a setting away or a different solver entirely.
Conduction
Solid-only. Steady for a settled answer, transient for a soak or a thermal shock.
| Analysis type | Backend | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steady conduction | code_aster / Elmer | Solid-only |
| Transient conduction | code_aster / Elmer | Thermal soak, transient response |
| Convection boundary | code_aster / Elmer | h and T-infinity, or a multi-layer wall resistance |
| Radiation (enclosure) | Elmer | View factors; OpenFOAM has viewFactor for fluid cases |
With flow
If there is flow, thermal belongs to the fluid case. One solver beats coupling two whenever it can do the job — and for CHT it can.
| Analysis type | Backend | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Conjugate heat transfer | OpenFOAM chtMultiRegionFoam | Fluid and solid in one solver, preferred over coupling |
| Natural convection | OpenFOAM | Buoyancy-driven, Boussinesq or fully compressible |
Driven heating
Heat generated by something other than a boundary condition, solved with the field that causes it rather than after it.
| Analysis type | Backend | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Joule heating | Elmer | Electric current to heat, coupled internally |
| Induction heating | Elmer | AC magnetics to heat |
Phase change
Casting and phase-change materials, where latent heat is the whole problem.
| Analysis type | Backend | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Solidification / melting | OpenFOAM or Elmer | Casting, PCM |
What you would use it for
Written as questions because that is how the work arrives. Nobody sets out to run a modal analysis; they set out to find whether the thing will resonate.
Will this electronics enclosure cook itself?
Conjugate heat transfer solves the air and the board together, so the answer accounts for the flow rather than assuming a heat transfer coefficient.
What insulation do I actually need?
Steady conduction through a layered wall, with a convective boundary — the gradient kinks at each conductivity change and you can see where the resistance really is.
How long does it take to cool down?
Transient conduction gives the soak curve rather than the end state, which is the number a process actually depends on.
Where does the busbar get hot?
Joule heating solves the current and the temperature together in Elmer, so heating follows the current crowding instead of being applied by hand.
Will the casting solidify before it fills?
Solidification and melting, with latent heat, which is the whole problem in casting and phase-change materials.
Who asks these questions
- Electronics and thermal management
- Building services and HVAC
- Process and chemical
- Energy and power
- Foundry and casting
- Automotive
- Consumer goods
Sectors where this analysis is routine — not a claim that we have customers in them.
How to get it
Add Thermal on the pricing page, choose named or floating seats, and the same licence unlocks local solving, paid-tier scale and eligible SHD Cloud workflows for this module.