⚡ Conduction with Internal Heat Generation

Analyze steady-state temperature distribution in solids with uniform volumetric heat generation (electrical heating, nuclear fuel rods, chemical reactions).

📝 Configuration

Material & Heat Source

Stainless steel: 15 · UO₂ fuel: 3 · Silicon: 148
Electric wire: 10⁴–10⁸ · Nuclear fuel: 10⁷–10⁸ · Chemical: 10³–10⁶

Boundary Conditions

Still air: 5-10 · Forced air: 25-250 · Water: 500-10000
Temperature Distribution:

Wall: T(x) = Ts + q̇(L²-x²)/(2k)
Cyl: T(r) = Ts + q̇(r₀²-r²)/(4k)
Sphere: T(r) = Ts + q̇(r₀²-r²)/(6k)

• Tmax at center (x=0 or r=0)
• Ts = T∞ + q̇·Lc/h

📊 Results & Visualization

Results and visualizations will appear here after calculation.

ℹ️ About Internal Heat Generation

When heat is generated uniformly within a solid (electrical resistance, nuclear fission, chemical reactions), the temperature distribution is parabolic with the maximum at the center.

Common applications:
• Electrical resistance wires and heaters
• Nuclear fuel rods (UO₂ pellets)
• Exothermic chemical reactors
• Current-carrying conductors
• Microprocessors and electronic chips

Key insight: Tmax depends on both internal resistance (k) and external resistance (h). The surface temperature Ts is always above T∞.