Conjugate Heat Transfer Analysis Using the Discrete Green's Function

Abstract

Conjugate heat transfer problems generally require a coupled solution of the temperature fields in the fluid and solid domains. Implementing the boundary condition at the surface of the solid using a discrete Green's function (DGF) decouples the solutions. A DGF is determined first considering only the fluid domain with prescribed thermal boundary conditions, then the temperature distribution in the solid is calculated using standard numerical methods. The only compatibility requirement is that the DGF must be specified with the same discretization as the surface of the solid. The method is demonstrated for both steady-state and transient heating of a thin plate with laminar boundary layers flowing over both sides. The resulting set of linear algebraic equations for the steady-state problem or linear ordinary differential equations for the transient problem are easily solved using conventional scientific programming packages. The method converges with nearly second-order accuracy as the discretization resolution is increased.