A full 3D thermal simulation of an electronic system requires, not surprisingly, a 3D geometric representation of the proposed design. Much of the design data for a phone, laptop, blade server, IGBT cooling system, etc. often already resides in an MCAD system and is readily importable into FloTHERM or loadable into FloTHERM XT. EDA design data, be it a PCB layout or BGA … [Read more...]

  Energy isn’t the only thing that is wasted when dealing with hot water supply. Time is as well. The house I live in is nearly 200 years old. It wasn’t a very well made house when it was new and, unlike a good wine, has not got better with time. The retrofitted, refitted, repaired, repaired and repaired again hot water supply system would have benefited from … [Read more...]

  Horror vacui, Natura abhorret vacuum, Resintenza del vacuo; from Aristotle to Galileo, it has long been known that here on earth matter tends to flow from where it is to where it isn’t. Fast forward to Hobbes and Boyle, Newton and Leibniz and we find such concepts being applied in the context of a fluid dynamic. From a heat transfer perspective heat energy also tends … [Read more...]

  Sure, most modern homes have much more advanced water heating systems than a big tank with an electric heater element. Systems that work on ‘point of use’ heating concepts that heat the water as it is being delivered, not heating up a large storage container for later use. One day I hope to live in such a house! Until then I’m going to worry and fret about the amount … [Read more...]

  Human technical prowess relies heavily on the conversion of energy from one form to another, to meet our needs. Physiological needs underpin Maslow’s pyramid of all our other ones. The availability of hot water is in turn important for that. Likely we’ve been heating water since the early Neolithic, converting chemical energy stored in wood to heat (radiative and … [Read more...]