Boundary Heat Source
This node models a heat source (or heat sink) that is embedded in the boundary. When selected as a Boundary Heat Source, it also prescribes that the temperature field is continuous across the pair. Note that in this case the source term is applied on the source side.
Pair Selection
If this node is selected from the Pairs menu, choose the pair to apply this condition to. A pair must be created first. See Identity and Contact Pairs in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual for more details.
Material Type
Select an option in the Material type list to specify if the inputs of the Boundary Heat Source section are defined in the material or spatial frame:
The default option for the Boundary Heat Source node is Solid, which specifies that the heat source Qb is defined in the material frame. Because the heat transfer variables and equations are defined in the spatial frame, the inputs are internally converted to the spatial frame. See Conversion Between Material and Spatial Frames for details.
The Nonsolid option defines Qb in the spatial frame. No frame conversion is needed.
The From material option uses the option selected in the Material type list of the Material Properties section of the material applied on the domain on which the node is active.
Boundary Heat Source
Select an option from the Heat Source list:
For General source (default) enter a value for the boundary heat source Qb when the default option, User defined, is selected.
A positive Qb corresponds to heating and a negative Qb corresponds to cooling. For the general boundary heat source Qb, there are predefined heat sources available when simulating heat transfer together with electrical or electromagnetic interfaces. Such sources represent, for example, ohmic heating and induction heating
When User defined is selected for General source, if the expression contains a variable that is discontinuous across that boundary (a thin resistive layer, for example), its value is the average of the value on the “up” and “down” sides of the boundary. You can use the up and down operators to get the value on either side of the boundary (see up and down).
For Heat rate enter the heat rate Pb. In this case Qb = Pb ⁄A, where A is the total area of the selected boundaries.
Source Position
To display this section, click the Show More Options button () and select Advanced Physics Options.
Select a Source position to define a side where the heat source is defined: Layer (default), Upside, or Downside. This setting has no effect unless the temperature differs from one side of the boundary to the other. Typically when Boundary Heat Source contributes with a Thin Layer feature.
Continuity
If this node is selected from the Pairs menu, select the Prescribe continuity check box to prescribe that the temperature field is continuous across the pair where the source and destination boundaries match. The continuity on a pair should be set from a single feature. It may also be set by a Continuity or another Boundary Heat Source pair feature.
When the General source option is selected, the heat source Qb is applied on the source or on the destination or on both depending on the selected option in Source position. When the Prescribe continuity check box is selected in this feature (the status in other Boundary Heat Source features has no effect) and General source is set to User defined, Qb ⁄ 2 is applied on the source and on the destination.
When the Heat rate option is selected, the heat rate is distributed on the source or on the destination or on both depending on the selected option in Source position. In this case, the integral of the applied heat source is equal to the heat rate.
To define the boundary heat source Qb as a function of the temperature, use the local temperature variable on the selected boundary, ht.bhs1.Tvar, that corresponds to the appropriate variable (upside, downside, or average temperature of a layer, wall temperature with turbulence modeling), depending on the model configurations. See Boundary Wall Temperature for a thorough description of the boundary temperature variables.
Upside and downside settings can be visualized by plotting the global normal vector (nx, ny, nz), that always points from downside to upside. Note that the normal vector (ht.nx, ht.ny, ht.nz) may be oriented differently.
See Tangent and Normal Variables in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual.
Evaporative Cooling of Water: Application Library path Heat_Transfer_Module/Phase_Change/evaporative_cooling
When Line Heat Flux is applied on a pair, the flux is only applied on the edge adjacent to the source boundary which is in contact with the destination boundary. Consider adding another pair with opposite source and destination boundaries to apply a flux on the edge adjacent to the destination boundary and in contact with the source boundary.
See Identity and Contact Pairs in the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual for more details.
Location in User Interface
Context Menus
Ribbon
Physics tab with interface as Heat Transfer in Solids and Fluids, or any version of the Heat Transfer interface selected:
Physics tab with Porous Medium>Fluid or Porous Medium>Porous Matrix selected in the model tree: