Conjugate Heat Transfer Modeling in Fluid-Structure Systems
Summary
Conjugate heat transfer modelling integrates conductive heat flow within solid components and convective heat exchange in adjacent fluid domains to predict temperature distributions and thermal stresses with high fidelity. By enforcing continuity of temperature and heat flux across fluid–solid interfaces, these models capture both steady and transient processes in applications ranging from aerospace engines and micro gas turbines to electronic cooling and reactor systems. Key challenges include reconciling disparate time and length scales, accommodating turbulence effects and fine-scale conduction, and ensuring numerical stability and mesh independence. Contemporary strategies employ both monolithic and partitioned solution schemes that couple computational fluid dynamics with finite element analysis. Advances in iterative coupling algorithms, spectral methods and multiscale frameworks have significantly enhanced predictive accuracy and computational efficiency. These developments underpin global efforts to optimise thermal management and structural integrity in high-performance fluid–structure systems, supporting safer, more efficient design and operation.
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Conjugate Heat Transfer Modeling in Fluid-Structure Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in conjugate heat transfer modeling in fluid-structure systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Conjugate heat transfer: The simultaneous modelling of heat conduction in solids and convective heat exchange in fluids across a shared interface.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD): Numerical solution of fluid flow and heat transfer equations to predict velocity and temperature fields.
Multiscale framework: A computational strategy that captures physical phenomena across widely differing temporal or spatial scales within a unified model.
Turbulence-resolving methods: Techniques that directly simulate turbulent eddies and fluctuations rather than relying on averaged or empirical turbulence models.
Harmonic balance interface: A spectral approach matching periodic temperature or flux oscillations across fluid–solid boundaries by balancing harmonic components.
References
- Conjugate Heat Transfer Advancements and Applications in Aerospace Engine Technology. Applied Sciences (2024).
- A multiscale framework for unsteady conjugate heat transfer with turbulence resolving methods — With application to rotating cavities. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow (2023).
- Two‐scale conjugate heat transfer solution for micro‐structured surface. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids (2023).
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