Analysis of the Thermodynamic Effects of a Plate Based on Numerical Simulations

Heat transfer is a common phenomenon in engineering applications, and selecting an appropriate material is vital. When the heat is exchanged between two mediums, the wall or material in-between them is exposed to extreme temperatures (high and low), commonly known as a cooling or heating plate. This article proposes a finite difference formulation to determine the temperature distribution of a plate for a 2D steady-state heat conduction equation. This formulation is then applied to a specific plate shape with particular boundary conditions. A MATLAB code is proposed to formulate the heat conduction equation using a finite difference approach. The proposed methodology can be used to determine the temperature distribution of a plate along with boundary conditions defined by the user, including plate size, size of the resolution in both axes (horizontal and vertical), heat flux, and thermal conductivity. Finally, the results of the proposed methodology are verified by modeling. The novel method allows a plate's optimal size, geometry, and appropriate material to be selected based on thermodynamic effects.