Modeling the Heat Dissipation of a Head Lamp within COMSOL Multiphysics®
In order to reduce the environmental footprint of a serial production of head lamps, one lever is to replace and employ new materials, often requiring to redesign the product to ensure its mechanical and thermal resistance. In this context, this paper studies the modelling of the heat dissipation of a head lamp within COMSOL Multiphysics®.
The electronic components of the lamp produce heat by Joule effect, modelled as thermal sources. Within the lamp, the three heat transfer modes are modelled. The heat conduction is modelled in volumes using the Heat Transfer in Solids physics interface, and shell elements for thin volumes (e.g. the copper layout). Natural convection is modelled using the Nonisothermal Laminar Flow interface. The radiative transfers are taken into account using the Surface-to-Surface Radiation multiphysics interface. The heat transfers of the lamp with the surrounding environment are modelled using heat transfer coefficients for natural convection and radiative losses. To validate the model, experimental results are available on an existing lamp. When the lamp is open, temperature distributions are available thanks to thermal camera measurements, allowing a qualitative validation of the model. The model is then validated quantitatively in the closed lamp configuration using temperature measurements available thanks to thermocouples placed within the lamp.
The model can then be used as a digital twin to assess the heat dissipation performance of new designs by forecasting the temperature field and the hot spots within the lamp.
