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In order to explore a 2D temperature distribution, let us assume an analytic

function,

T = a + bx + cx2 + by + xy 2 (1)
2
and assume that a = 900K, b = −300K/m, and c = −50K/m .
We shall evaluate our temperature over a 2D slab which is 1m by 1m with
the bottom left corner at the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system, as shown
in figure 1. The grid is shown as lines with circular symbols used to denote the
intersection of grid lines, where the temperature is actually evaluated.

0.8

0.6
Y [m]

0.4

0.2

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1


X [m]

Figure 1: Computational grid used to explore 2D temperature fields.

We are going to use the temperature field to calculate heat rates throughout
the slab, and therefor will have to calculate temperature gradients. These gra-
dients will be determined by numerically differentiating that we evaluate on our
grid. As discussed previously in the 1D example, the gradients that we evaluate
in this way represent an average of the gradient between the two grid locations
– where we choose to locate those gradients is somewheat arbitrary. We shall
assume that they are located at the cell centres, which are denoted on figure 2
by x’s.
Now we can evaluate our 2 dimensional temperature field, and plot it several
ways. Figure 3 depicts colour shaded temperature contours over the slab, and
clearly shows that the highest temperature is at the origin while the minimum
temperature is at the opposite corner (x=1,y=1).

1
Grid Points
Cell Centres
1

0.8

0.6
Y [m]

0.4

0.2

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1


X [m]

Figure 2: Computational grid showing the cell centre locations (indicated by an


x).

Contours of T=a + bx +cx2 + by + y2


1

0.9 800

0.8
700

0.7

0.6 600
Y [m]

0.5
500
0.4

0.3 400

0.2
300
0.1

0 200
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
X [m]

Figure 3: Colour shaded temperature contours over the slab.

2
Contours of T=a + bx +cx2 + by + y2
1

0.9 800

0.8
700

0.7

0.6 600
Y [m]

0.5
500
0.4

0.3 400

0.2
300
0.1

0 200
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
X [m]

Figure 4: Colour shaded temperature contours over the slab. The temperature
gradient is visualized as vectors superimposed on the temperature distribution

Knowing the temperature field, we can now calculate the heat fluxes, or heat
rates at any point in our slab using Fourier’s law.

q = −kA∇T (2)
where ∇T is the temperature gradient defined in Cartesian coordinates by
∂T ∂T
∇T = î + ĵ (3)
∂x ∂y
Note that while Temperature is a scalar, the temperature gradient is a vector
quantity, which can be decomposed into components in each of the coordinate
directions. We can easily calculate the two components of the temperature
gradient over our slab, and represent them as a vector, with a length equal to
the magnitude of the gradient. This is shown graphically on figure 4 where each
arrow represents the gradient at tail of the arrow.
Note that the temperature gradient is everywhere perpendicular to the tem-
perature contour lines. This should be fairly obvious, since a contour line is a
line of constant temperature while the temperature gradient represents spatial
differences in temperature. By definition, there is no change in temperature
along a contour line. The gradient is directed in the direction of maximum tem-
perature increase, which has to be in the direction that minimizes the distance

3
−kA ∂T/∂x [W]
1

0.8 750

0.6

Y [m]
700
0.4

650
0.2

0
−0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5
X [m]

−kA ∂T/∂y [W]


1

0.8 750

0.6
Y [m]

700
0.4

650
0.2

0
−0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5
X [m]

Figure 5: Colour shaded contours of heat rate through the slab. The upper
figure depicts the î compenent of the heat rate vector, while the lower figure
depicts the ĵ component.

to the contour line representing the next highest temperature. Any direction
that is not perpendicular to the contour lines will result in a greater distance
than one that is, and hence the gradient is always perpendicular to the contour
lines.
We can also create a contour plot of each component of the temperature
gradient, or using Fourier’s law, equation 2, each component of the heat rate
vector which acts the opposite direction to the temperature gradient as shown
in figure 5.
Figure 5 represents the heat rate in [W ] at each location through the plate.
The total heat rate can be determined by adding up the individual contributions
at each point. Note that it is common to plot the heat flux [W/m2 ] instead of
the heat rate, and then the total heat rate through a given surface would be
the integral over that area. In either case, we can see from the figure that there
is clearly more energy leaving the plate at the x=1 surface and y=1 surface
than there is entering the plate at the x=0 and y=0 surfaces. This is shown
even more clearly in figure 6, where theheat rate is plotted at each of the four
external boundaries of our slab. Since we know that energy must be conserved,
we know that there must be energy generation occuring within the plate. Using
conservation of energy we can easily calculate the amount of generation.
Let’s consider each of the four faces separately, and evaluate the heat rate.

4
796

795

794

793
0 0.5 1

1 1

0.5 0.5

0 0
604 605 606 793 794 795 796

606

605.5

605

604.5

604
0 0.5 1

Figure 6: Heat rate evaluated over each of the four boundary surfaces.

First, the x=0 face. To evaluate the energy passing through a surface, we must
consider both the surface normal and the temperature gradient vector.

q(y)|x=0 = −kA∇T · n (4)

which will give us the heat rate normal to the surface, or the amount of energy
that actually passes into our slab through the x=0 face. Since our slab is square,
and the boundaries are normal to the coordinate directions, this is quite simply

dt 
q(y)|x=0 = −kdy(1) (5)
dx x=0

where we have assumed unit depth into the page.


When we add up all the individual contributions along the entire x=0 face,
we find that 12,100 W enter the domain through this surface.
Similarly, at the x=1 face,

dt 
q(y)|x=1 = −kdy(1) (6)
dx x=1

and there is 14,000 W leaving the domain. Considering now the y=0 face,

dt 
q(x)|y=0 = −k(1)dx (7)
dy y=0

5
we find again 12,100 W entering the domain. This is to be expected since we have
used exactly the same temperature distribution in the x and y directions. Not
suprisingly then, the total heat rate through the y=1 face, found by summing
the individual contributions

dt 
q(x)|y=1 = −k(1)dx (8)
dy y=1

is 14,000 W.
We are now in a position to determine energy generation in the slab using
conservation of energy, assuming a steady state, or no energy storage.

E˙in − Eout
˙ + E˙g = 0 (9)

E˙g ˙ − E˙in
= Eout (10)
E˙g = (Qx=1 + Qy=1 ) − (Qx=0 + Qy=0 ) (11)
E˙g = (14, 000 + 14, 000) − (12, 100 + 12, 100) (12)
E˙g = 3, 800[W ] (13)

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