Re: Understanding Thermal Analysis

Hi Frank,

I'm not a thermal expert (I've used it a couple of times), but looking at the documentation it sounds like a heat load is a power (rate of heat energy input), not a temperature - so check the units on that:

https://help.ptc.com/creo_hc/creo30_sim_hc/usascii/index.html#page/sim/simulate/modstr/heatloads/reference/heatload_top.html

If I was doing this, I think I'd set a prescribed temperature at the fire end (not a heat load):

https://help.ptc.com/creo_hc/creo30_sim_hc/usascii/index.html#page/sim/simulate/modstr/prestemps/reference/prestemp_top.html

but then I'd leave the handle end with just the convection condition (or even with nothing, simulating the insulation of the hand holding it).  As I understand it, a prescribed temperature is like joining that surface to an infinite heat reservoir at that fixed temperature - it will make that surface equal to that temperature, with whatever heat flow in or out that requires.  You're after zero heat flow into the hand.

If you leave the handle end 'free', it will end up with a temperature which depends on the length of the handle and the values of your convection condition - then you can run a sensitivity analysis to see the relationship between length and handle temperature.  (It will always be slightly higher than your bulk temperature, btw, unless you have an infinitely long handle or an infinitely large convection coefficient.)

HTH!