Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
(OP)
Hello,
I currently use ANSYS thermal to predict metal temperatures of electrical components. Some of you probably already know the extent by which I went to calculate heat generation of these electrical components.
I would like to be able to apply an electrical current and have ansys compute body wattage dissipation for me at both bulk materials AND contacts (like bolted electrical joints).
Is it as easy as just applying electrical current load to a face? I do not wish to apply a voltage because I know the current offhand. I am also doing this in AC, can ANSYS handle AC current and heating? Is there a directional input to this current BC or does ansys compute current flow automatically?
Thanks,
- D
I currently use ANSYS thermal to predict metal temperatures of electrical components. Some of you probably already know the extent by which I went to calculate heat generation of these electrical components.
I would like to be able to apply an electrical current and have ansys compute body wattage dissipation for me at both bulk materials AND contacts (like bolted electrical joints).
Is it as easy as just applying electrical current load to a face? I do not wish to apply a voltage because I know the current offhand. I am also doing this in AC, can ANSYS handle AC current and heating? Is there a directional input to this current BC or does ansys compute current flow automatically?
Thanks,
- D





RE: Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
RE: Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
I am using SOLID69 thermal electric elements.
RE: Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
RE: Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
I guess I am not understand what ANSYS needs.
Are SOLID69 elements sufficient if i meshed that volume and applied current to nodes? Do I have to use link68: Automotive tire/wheel engineering Links elements? I read about them and they are 2 node elements with DOF and need to be applied at centerlines of geometry, but I suppose I dont need them if I am using SOLID69s and I correct?
Thanks for your help
RE: Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
RE: Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
So at least one voltage restraint should be specified. Well than if my customer is telling me we are running at 1500 amps, what should i put for the voltage? I mean it really could be anything (within reason), as long as the voltage difference produces the current i specify. And the voltage difference will be computed I guess, by ANSYS.
I will try this approach thank you very much for your time.
RE: Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
I just re-ran my metal rod model and it did indeed converge. Although this is a good step towards understanding thermal electric, the answer dosent really make sense to me.
Heres what I did,
I have a metal rod 26mm in diameter that is 500 mm long. A quick tet mesh with SOLID69 thermal electrics.
I applied current TO ALL NODES, 800 amps. I applied some convection value on the rod outside surfaces for heat balance (i didnt apply conv on the ends).
I applied a voltage of zero on one end and the other end with no BC (I let that potential fall out through ANSYS).
The solution converged but I expected the temperature profile of the rod to be axially uniform and radially varying (getting hot from the inside out, with lowest temp at the surface due to convection).
This was not the case, the rod showed axial temperature gradient which means there is more heat being generated at one end as opposed to the other. I do not understand why because the current applied is the same at all nodes and ref voltage is zero at one end.
Please let me know if you have any ideas to further clarify.
Thanks
RE: Electrical current boundary condition in ANSYS for thermal model.
One other suggestion to minimize end effects (but not likely to be the problem in this case because of large L/d). When you apply the current at one end, put the entire current into one node, then couple the Volt DOF of all the other nodes at the end to that Master. This should give you a uniform current density at the end even when your mesh is irregular.