Mathematical Modeling of Thermal Systems

Contents

Introduction

The Energy Balance

Examples Involving only Thermal Resistance and Capacitance
Example: Two thermal resistances in series
Example: Heating a Building with One Room
Example: Heating a Building with One Room, but with Variable

External Temperature.
Example: Heating a Building with Two Rooms
Examples Involving Fluid Flow
Example: Cooling a Block of Metal in a Tank with Fluid Flow.
Aside: Modeling a Fluid Flow with and Electrical Analog
Solving the Model

Introduction
This page discusses how the system elements can be included in larger
systems, and how a system model can be developed. The actual solution of such
models is discussed elsewhere.

The Energy Balance

To develop a mathematical model of a thermal system we use the concept of an
energy balance. The energy balance equation simply states that at any given
location, or node, in a system, the heat into that node is equal to the heat out of the
node plus any heat that is stored (heat is stored as increased temperature in thermal
capacitances).

Heat in = Heat out + Heat stored

To better understand how this works in practice it is useful to consider several
examples.

Examples Involving only Thermal Resistance and Capacitance

Example: Two thermal resistances in series
Consider a situation in which we have an internal temperature, i, and an ambient
temperature, a with two resistances between them. An example of such a situation is
your body. There is a (nearly) constant internal temperature, there is a thermal
resistance between your core and your skin (at s), and there is a thermal resistance
between the skin and ambient. We will call the resistance between the internal

temperature and the skin temperature Ris, and the temperature between skin and
ambient Rsa.
a) Draw a thermal model of the system showing all relevant quantities.
b) Draw an electrical equivalent
c) Develop a mathematical model (i.e., an energy balance).
d) Solve for the temperature of the skin if i, =37C, a =9C, Ris=0.75/W; for a patch
of skin and Rsa= 2.25/W for that same patch.
Solution:
a) In this case there are no thermal capacitances or heat sources, just two know
temperatures ( i, and a), one unknown temperature (s), and two resistances ( Risand
Rsa.)

b) Temperatures are drawn as voltage sources. Ambient temperature is taken to be

zero (i.e., a ground "temperature), all other temperatures are measured with respect to
this temperature).

c) There is only one unknown temperature (at s), so we need only one energy
balance (and, since there is no capacitance, we don't need the heat stored term).

Note: the first equation included a, but the second does not, since a is our reference temperature and is taken to be zero.

d) Solving for s

Note: you may recognize this result as the voltage divider equation from electrical circuits.

We can now solve numerically (we use 28C for the internal temperature since it is
28C above ambient (37-9=28)

This says that s is 21C above ambient. Since the ambient temperature is 9C, the
actual skin temperature is 30C.
Note: If Rsa is lowered, for example by the wind blowing, the skin gets cooler, and it feels like it is colder. This is the mechanism
responsible for the "wind chill" effect.

Example: Heating a Building with One Room

Consider a building with a single room. The resistance of the walls between the
room and the ambient is Rra, and the thermal capacitance of the room is Cr, the heat
into the room is qi, the temperature of the room is r, and the external temperature is a
constant, a.
a) Draw a thermal model of the system showing all relevant quantities.
b) Draw an electrical equivalent
c) Develop a mathematical model (i.e., a differential equation).
Solution:
a)

We draw a thermal capacitance to represent the room (and note its

temperarature). We also draw a resistance between the capacitance and ambient.

b) To draw the electrical system we need a circuit with a node for the ambient
temperature, and a node for the temperature of the room. Heat (a current source)
goes into the room. Energy is stored (as an increased temperature) in the thermal
capacitance, and heat flows from the room to ambient through the resistor.

c) We only need to develop a single energy balance equation, and that is for the
temperature of the thermal capacitance (since there is only one unknown
temperature). The heat into the room is qi, heat leaves the room through a resistor and
energy is stored (as increased temperature) in the capacitor.

by convention we take the ambient temperature to be zero, so we end up with a first

order differential equation for this system.

Example: Heating a Building with One Room, but with Variable External
Temperature.
Consider the room from the previous example. Repeat parts a, b, and c if the
temperature outside is no longer constant but varies. Call the external temperature
e(t) (this will be the temperature relative to the ambient temperature). We will also
change the name of the resistance of the walls to Rre to denote the fact that the
external temperature is no longer the ambient temperature.

Solution:
The solution is much like that for the previous example. Exceptions are noted below.
a) The image is as before with the external temperature replaced by e(t).

b) To draw the electrical system we need a circuit with a node for the external
temperature and a node for the temperature of the room. Though perhaps not obvious
at first we still need a node for the ambient temperature since all of our temperatures
are measured relative to this, and our capacitors must always have one node
connected to this reference temperature. Heat flows from the room to the external
temperature through the resistor.

c) We still only need to develop a single energy balance equation, and that is for the
temperature of the thermal capacitance (since there is only one unknown
temperature). The heat into the room is qi, heat leaves the room through a resistor and
energy is stored (as increased temperature) in the capacitor.

(the ambient temperature is taken to be zero in this equation). In this case we end up
with a system with two inputs (qi and e).

Example: Heating a Building with Two Rooms

Consider a building that consists of two adjacent rooms, labeled 1 and 2.

The

resistance of the walls room 1 and ambient is R1a, between room 2 and ambient is
R2a and between room 1 and room 2 is R12. The capacitance of rooms 1 and 2 are
C1 and C2, with temperatures 1 and 2, respectively. A heater in in room 1 generates
a heat qin. The temperature external temperature is a constant, a.
a) Draw a thermal model of the system showing all relevant quantities.

b) Draw an electrical equivalent

c) Develop a mathematical model (i.e., a differential equation).

In this case there are two unknown temperatures, 1and 2, so we need two energy
balance equations. In both cases we will take a to be zero, so it will not arise in the
equations.

Room 1: Heat in = Heat out + Heat Stored

Room 2: Heat in = Heat out + Heat Stored

In this case there are two parts to the "Heat

Out"
term, the heat flowing through R1a and the heat
through R12.

In this case we take heat flow through

R12 to (from 1 to 2) to be an input.
We could also take this energy balance
to have no heat in, and write the heat flow
from
2 to 1 as a second "Heat out" term. (note the
change of subscripts in the subtracted terms)

The two first order energy balance equations (for room 1 and room 2) could be
combined into a single second order differential equation and solved. Details about
developing the second order equation are here.

This describes different ways in which physical systems can be represented

mathematically. Generally system equations are derived as a set of differential
equations. For example consider the system shown below (along with free body
diagrams and system differential equations).

System:

Free Body

Diagrams:

Free Body 1 (at x1)

Equations:

Free Body 2 (at x2)

This representation completely represents the system, but is cumbersome to

use. It requires two equations with multiple symbols and subscripts. It doesn't
generalize well to a wide variety of systems. In this document we first review the
representation of systems with differential equations, then we develop several
systems that are generally easier to work with.
Keep in mind that this document describes how the various forms (e.g., transfer
function, state space...) but does not discuss their solution. That discussion is
elsewhere, and separated by discipline:

Examples Involving Fluid Flow

So far we have not considered fluid flow in any of the examples; let us do so now.
Example: Cooling a Block of Metal in a Tank with Fluid Flow.
Consider a block of metal (capacitance=Cm, temperature=m). It is placed in a well
mixed tank (at termperature t, with capacitance Ct). Fluid flows into the tank at
temperature in with mass flow rate Gin, and specific heat cp. The fluid flows out at the
same rate There is a thermal resistance to between the metal block and the fluid of
the tank, Rmt, and between the tank and the ambient Rta. Write an energy balance for
this system.

Note: the resistance between the tank and the metal block, Rmt, is not explicitly shown.

Solution:
Since there are two unknown temperatures, we need two energy balance equations.

Metal Block: Heat in = Heat out +

Heat Stored

Tank: Heat in = Heat out + Heat Stored

In this case there is not heat in, and

heat out
is to the tank through Rmt.

In this case we have heat in from the fluid flow

and from the metal block.
We have heat out to ambient through Rta.

Aside: Modeling a Fluid Flow with and Electrical Analog

To model this system with an electrical analog, we can represent the fluid flow as a
voltage source at in, with a resistance equal to 1/(Gincp). If you sum currents at the
nodes t and myou can show that this circuit is equivalent to the thermal system
above.

Solving the Model

Thus far we have only developed the differential equations that represent a
system. To solve the system, the model must be put into a more useful
mathematical representation such as transfer function or state space. Details about
developing the mathematical representation are here.
http://lpsa.swarthmore.edu/Systems/Thermal/SysThermalModel.html