Kirchhoff's Laws

Category: 熱解析 | Integrated 2026-04-06
CAE visualization for kirchhoff law theory - technical simulation diagram
キルヒホッフの法則

Theory and Physics

Overview

🧑‍🎓

Teacher! Today's topic is Kirchhoff's law, right? What is it about?


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The equivalence of emissivity and absorptivity at thermal equilibrium. The theoretical basis for the gray body approximation. The foundation for modeling radiative properties.



🧑‍🎓

Ah, I see! So that's how emissivity works at thermal equilibrium.


Governing Equations




$$ \alpha_\lambda = \varepsilon_\lambda $$
$$ \alpha = \varepsilon \quad (\text{gray body}) $$



🧑‍🎓

Now I understand what my senior meant when he said, "At least make sure you get Kirchhoff's law right."


Discretization Methods

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How do you actually solve these equations on a computer?


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We use spatial discretization via the Finite Element Method (FEM). We assemble the element stiffness matrix and construct the global stiffness equation.


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We transform it into the weak form (variational form) and use formulation via the Galerkin method using test functions and shape functions. The choice of element type (low-order elements vs. high-order elements, full integration vs. reduced integration) directly affects the trade-off between solution accuracy and computational cost.




Matrix Solution Algorithms

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What exactly are matrix solution algorithms?


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Solve the simultaneous equations using direct methods (LU decomposition, Cholesky decomposition) or iterative methods (CG method, GMRES method). For large-scale problems, preconditioned iterative methods are effective.



SolverClassificationMemory UsageApplicable Scale
LU DecompositionDirect MethodO(n²)Small to Medium Scale
Cholesky DecompositionDirect Method (Symmetric Positive Definite)O(n²)Small to Medium Scale
PCG MethodIterative MethodO(n)Large Scale
GMRES MethodIterative MethodO(n·m)Large Scale / Non-symmetric
AMG PreconditionerPreprocessingO(n)Very Large Scale
🧑‍🎓

So if you cut corners on the finite element method part, you'll pay for it later. I'll keep that in mind!


Implementation in Commercial Tools

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So, what software can be used to work with Kirchhoff's law?


Tool NameDeveloper/CurrentMain File Formats
Ansys FluentAnsys Inc..cas, .dat, .msh, .jou
Simcenter STAR-CCM+Siemens Digital Industries Software.sim, .java, .csv
COMSOL MultiphysicsCOMSOL AB.mph
Ansys Mechanical (formerly ANSYS Structural)Ansys Inc..cdb, .rst, .db, .ans, .mac
Abaqus FEA (SIMULIA)Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA.inp, .odb, .cae, .sta, .msg

Vendor History and Product Integration Background

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Is the origin story of each software quite dramatic?



Ansys Fluent

🧑‍🎓

Next is about Ansys Fluent. What's the story?


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Developed by Fluent Inc. Acquired by Ansys in 2006. A general-purpose CFD solver based on unstructured grids.

Current affiliation: Ansys Inc.



Simcenter STAR-CCM+

🧑‍🎓

Next is about Simcenter STAR. What's the story?


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Developed by CD-adapco. Acquired by Siemens in 2016 and integrated into the Simcenter brand. Known for polyhedral meshes.

Current affiliation: Siemens Digital Industries Software


🧑‍🎓

After hearing this, I finally understand why development is so important!



COMSOL Multiphysics

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Tell me about "COMSOL Multiphysics"!


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Founded in Sweden in 1986. Started as FEMLAB with MATLAB integration, later renamed to COMSOL. Strong in multiphysics.

Current affiliation: COMSOL AB


🧑‍🎓

Wow, the story of development is super interesting! Tell me more.


File Formats and Interoperability

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Are there any points to note when transferring data between different software?


FormatExtensionTypeOverview
STEP.stp/.stepNeutral CAD3D CAD data exchange format compliant with ISO 10303. Supports geometry + PMI.
CGNS.cgnsCFD DataCFD General Notation System. Standard exchange format for CFD results.
VTK.vtk/.vtuVisualizationVisualization Toolkit. A library and format for scientific data visualization. The foundation of ParaView.
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