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items in the PHOENICS Applications Album
HOTBOX is a special-purpose version of PHOENICS, devoted to the simulation of flow and
heat transfer in enclosures containing heat- generating electrical equipment.
The cooling is usually effected by forced convection to fan-driven air; but natural (ie free) convection also plays a part, together with heat conduction and surface-to-surface radiation.
HOTBOX has been in use for several years; but it is now being issued in a new form, which can make use of the CAD-to-SFT-via VR-features.
In the example presented here, however, the geometrical data were entered directly, by the use of VR's own "object-introducing" facilities, ie without making use of CAD files. and the solid-stress capabilities were not activated.
Objects of various shapes are brought in from a prepared "warehouse" and given
locations, sizes and orientations by mouse and keyboard interactions with the display
panel shown in the next picture. The material from which each object is made is selected
from a list.
The objects can be viewed from various viewpoints, as the user "walks
through" his "world".
New objects can be copies of those already in existence; arrays of similar objects can be
brought in; and objects of various kinds can be assigned to a group, whereafter all can be
moved together.
Either the temperature or the heat input to each object can be specified by means of a
dialogue box.
Streamlines (ie a sequence of arrows) can be released from a movable
probe, in order to reveal the flow pattern. A few examples will now be shown.
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