Thermal simulation
Thermal simulation is a virtual tool for modeling the thermal engineering behavior of a product in real-life operating environments. It is used to locate the heat challenges of the product, such as overheating and hot spots. Knowledge gained from simulations will help to find the causes and solve problems.
What are the benefits of thermal simulations?
Thermal simulation is a powerful tool for analyzing the thermodynamic equilibrium of devices and optimizing the design. The simulation also takes the challenges of comfort and safety into account.
Thermal simulation calculates the effects of heat loads on the model. The information is used to determine the convection, conductivity and radiation of the device. We can also model solar load, wind, heat pipes, TECs and fans.
Thermal simulations provide you with valuable information about how your device works already during product design, before the first prototype has been built:
- You get a detailed picture of the thermal performance of the device even before the building of working prototypes.
- You obtain practical solutions for unraveling heat challenges.
- You get a quality product already during the early stages of product development.
What kind of problems can thermal simulations solve?
Thermal simulations can help solve the following:
- Heat density size or performance issues
- Issues with higher than anticipated thermal loads during use
- Issues with highly integrated devices
- Issues with devices that have metal covers, and they feel hotter than plastic
- Issues with wearables that are in contact with skin for hours
- Concerns about thermal comfort
For example, simulating high-power use cases often lead to changes, as a result of which the device charges much more efficiently than it originally did. With more efficient charging, the operating time of the device increases, which directly affects customer satisfaction.
Download our Guide to Thermal Simulations
Download our guide and read more what kind of benefits thermal simulations bring to your product development projects.
Thermal and flow simulation services we provide
We offer you a full thermal and flow simulation service for your product, covering design, simulations, prototype construction, and measurements.
All our thermal and flow simulation services can be done in close cooperation with our mechanical simulation experts. This ensures that thermal and flow design, mechanical design and manufacturing work together seamlessly.
- Concept power budget analysis
- Thermal simulation and optimization of the entire device or hardware
- Analysis of fluid flow and heat transfer
- Advanced cooling materials
- Precise thermal modeling of components
- Thermal expansion
- Troubleshooting/firefighting
- Thermal measurements in the laboratory or customer's premises
- Air drag coefficient
Case study: Thermal simulation of device battery
It was discovered that charging components on one end of the device heated nearby battery cells. During the overcharging phase, battery temperatures began to rise rapidly and the temperature of the entire battery pack exceeded the limits given to it.
The solution was found through a simulation: a fan was added to the battery cells, a heat sink was added to the power electronics, and an insulating plate was inserted between the charging components and the batteries.
The entire charging profile was simulated with varying fan speeds. The heat sink and insulation plate prevented overheating so well that a fan was only needed to cool the batteries when overcharging began.
The time spent on thermal simulation was about three weeks. If the problem had been solved by testing with prototypes, about three times more time would have passed, since prototype construction is slow.
In terms of cost, thermal simulation is about ten times more economical than prototype tests. The estimate has taken into account the cost of manufacturing prototypes, both in anticipation of the completion of the prototypes and the time spent on actual testing as well as measurement and analysis, added to the human resources required for all work stages.
Thermal simulation top professionals at your service
In total, our experts have decades of experience in thermal engineering and productizing solutions for large systems, small mobile devices and individual electronic components.
Our team has a deep understanding of simulation methods, materials and the design requirements for user safety and convenience.
We use the best heat and flow calculation tools in the industry to carry out accurate temperature and air flow analysis to support a quick comparison of the design of various concept options.
Contact our sales and we'll discuss how we can help you!
Contact us
Matti Ojala
+358 20 7419 404
Juha-Matti Helisten
+358 20 7419 432
Jari Maijanen
+358 10 5565 208
Ari Hakkarainen
+358 20 7419 406