This paper presents a new numerical scheme for simulating multidimensional transient and steady-state microscale energy transport. The new method is based on the method of characteristics that follows heat carriers along their pathline. Unlike traditional methods, it uses a fixed computational grid and follows the heat carriers backward in time. The method 1) is accurate, 2) is unconditionally stable, 3) can deal with complex geometries without a large increase in computational cost, and 4) can be used for solving coupled equations using other numerical schemes. First, the numerical scheme is described. Then, simulations for transient and steady-state phonon transport in dielectric thin films are discussed. Numerical results are compared with analytical and reported numerical solutions and good agreement is obtained.
Skip Nav Destination
e-mail: pilon@seas.ucla.edu
Article navigation
Technical Papers
Modified Method of Characteristics for Simulating Microscale Energy Transport
Laurent Pilon,
e-mail: pilon@seas.ucla.edu
Laurent Pilon
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Henri Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Search for other works by this author on:
Kamal M. Katika
Kamal M. Katika
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Henri Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Search for other works by this author on:
Laurent Pilon
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Henri Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
e-mail: pilon@seas.ucla.edu
Kamal M. Katika
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Henri Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Contributed by the Heat Transfer Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER. Manuscript received by the Heat Transfer Division June 11, 2003; revision received February 20, 2004. Associate Editor: C. P. Grigoropoulos.
J. Heat Transfer. Oct 2004, 126(5): 735-743 (9 pages)
Published Online: November 16, 2004
Article history
Received:
June 11, 2003
Revised:
February 20, 2004
Online:
November 16, 2004
Citation
Pilon, L., and Katika, K. M. (November 16, 2004). "Modified Method of Characteristics for Simulating Microscale Energy Transport ." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. October 2004; 126(5): 735–743. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1795233
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
On Prof. Roop Mahajan's 80th Birthday
J. Heat Mass Transfer
Thermal Hydraulic Performance and Characteristics of a Microchannel Heat Exchanger: Experimental and Numerical Investigations
J. Heat Mass Transfer (February 2025)
Related Articles
Phonon Heat Conduction in Thin Films: Impacts of Thermal Boundary Resistance and Internal Heat Generation
J. Heat Transfer (April,2001)
An Improved Computational Procedure for Sub-Micron Heat Conduction
J. Heat Transfer (October,2003)
Sub-Continuum Simulations of Heat Conduction in Silicon-on-Insulator Transistors
J. Heat Transfer (February,2001)
Computation of Sub-Micron Thermal Transport Using an Unstructured Finite Volume Method
J. Heat Transfer (December,2002)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Short-Pulse Collimated Radiation in a Participating Medium Bounded by Diffusely Reflecting Boundaries
International Conference on Mechanical and Electrical Technology, 3rd, (ICMET-China 2011), Volumes 1–3
How to Use this Book
Thermal Spreading and Contact Resistance: Fundamentals and Applications
Introduction
Introduction to Finite Element, Boundary Element, and Meshless Methods: With Applications to Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow