A rational method for the distribution of nodes in modelling of transient heat conduction in plane slabs

Pekka Tuomaala (Corresponding Author), Kalevi Piira, M. Vuolle

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    15 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this paper, the thermal response of a homogenous slab to both step and sinusoidal excitations of temperature at one boundary is examined. The distribution of nodes for the purposes of heat balance thermal modelling is discussed. Errors in the heat flux at the external boundary are examined when even and uneven gridding approaches are applied. A denser gridding close to the surface is adopted due to the fact that the curvature of the temperature gradient is greatest near the surface during the early stages of transient heat transfer. Example calculations demonstrate the potential of uneven gridding to obtain a rational compromise between accuracy and computational effort. Rational uneven gridding results in a more accurate solution with a smaller number of thermal nodes compared with even gridding.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)397 - 406
    Number of pages10
    JournalBuilding and Environment
    Volume35
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2000
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

    Keywords

    • thermal simulation
    • heat balance
    • uneven gridding
    • thermal network
    • accuracy

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