An Analysis, Numerical Modeling and Experimental Verification of Low-Temperature Thermofoil Heaters

Abstract

In this paper, an analysis of the geometry, numerical modeling, and experimental verification of thermofoil heaters for low-temperature applications is presented. The research suggests a calculation procedure of the thermofoil traces’ geometry, comprising the necessary electrical and thermal parameters in order for the characteristics of the heater to be fully defined according to the stipulated conditions required. The derived heaters’ geometry analysis procedure is depicted with two case studies, giving the sequence of the necessary calculations and their applications as part of a design task. Its continuation, the design approach, is developed with numerical modeling, based on Finite Element Methods (FEM) used for multiphysics simulations, including the thermal and electrical heaters parameters. The realized 3D models are used to depict the uniformity of the thermal field in the system heatsink-thermofoil heater. The results from analysis, modeling, and simulations are tested experimentally. The suggested geometry analysis and modeling approach are experimentally verified. The final results demonstrate satisfactory precision with a simulation–experiment mismatch in a range of 5–7%. As a vital product of experimental research, the maximum power density for the studied thermofoil heaters is derived for a range of temperatures and material characteristics.