Transient Thermal Spreading From a Circular Heat Source in Polygonal Flux Tubes

Abstract

This study develops a numerical simulation to assess transient constriction resistance in various semi-infinite flux channel geometries, including circle on circle, triangle, square, pentagon, and hexagon, which are derived from various heat source arrangements in a large domain. Using both isothermal and isoflux circular heat sources in polygonal flux channels, and employing a finite volume method, the study evaluates transient constriction resistance. The research confirms that for different geometries, similar nondimensionalized constriction resistance results are obtained, particularly when using the square root of the source area as the characteristic length and the square root of the constriction area ratio. The study reveals that flux tube shape has a minimal impact on thermal spreading resistance, with the circle-on-triangle configuration displaying the largest deviation from a simple circle-on-circle model. These insights advance our understanding of thermal spreading resistance in polygonal flux channels and their applications in thermal engineering, especially in contact heat transfer problems.