Mechanical Engineering

MATLAB and Simulink for Fluids and Energy

MATLAB and Simulink provide tools to support thermofluidics education and research, including interactive teaching environments, symbolic and numerical methods for physical modeling and analysis, and more. Educators can use these products to combine theoretical knowledge with computational models and experimental workflows.

With MATLAB and Simulink, academics can:

  • Enhance education of fundamental topics in thermofluidics (thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer) with interactive live scripts and apps
  • Extend the reach of analytical and experimental methods by using symbolic and computational tools
  • Use physical network modeling to prototype and model thermofluidic systems quickly and run system-level models.
  • Expand from fundamental physical phenomena to applied real-world applications such as heat exchanger designs for thermal management systems
  • Create digital versions of experiments to analyze and increase insight into the systems and processes   
Infra red heat image hot gears in factory.

Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, and Heat Transfer

Temperature-Entropy plot of water, showing quality, isobaric, and isometric curves and critical points

Thermodynamics - Course Module

Teaching Thermofluidics

Teach students the fundamentals of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer with live Scripts and apps. Combine the theoretical concepts in thermofluidics with interactive practices and visualizations to enhance the students learning.

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Spatial and temporal profile of temperature in a finite slab.

Heating of Finite Slab

Computational Tools for Thermofluidics

Extend the reach of your analytical solutions with Symbolic Math Toolbox. Evaluate finite element analysis (FEA) for heat transfer with Partial Differential Equation Toolbox. Implement algorithms for computational fluid dynamics with MATLAB.

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Schematics and Simscape model of a cylindrical iron rod with a set temperature at the left end and specified heat flux at the right end.
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Physical Modeling with Simscape Fluids

Model simple or complex physical systems with fundamental physical phenomena and components in Simscape Fluids, and connect them to other domains (electrical, multibody, driveline, battery) to represent real-world systems.

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A GUI for capturing live data acquisition.

Create an App for Live Data Acquisition

Experimental Workflows

Enhance lab experiments with computational tools to acquire and visualize data from various sensors and lab equipment. Analyze the results and combine and compare them with theoretical and computational solutions

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Simscape model for a Brayton Cycle (Steam Turbine).

Brayton Cycle (Gas Turbine)

Digital Labs

Create computational models of your lab experiments to increase insight into the experiment. Extend access to the educational lab by providing the digital version of the experiments for pre- and post-lab works. Operate tests in conditions not accessible in real-world experiments.

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Transient thermal profile of battery module with cooling plate on the bottom side.

Battery Module Cooling Analysis and Reduced-Order Thermal Model

Engineering Design

Use models of thermal and fluidics systems in the engineering design process. Use simulation to optimize and control the processes. Examine the effect of component-level modification on system-level behaviors.

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Academic Examples

Teaching Students to Solve Complex Heat and Mass Transfer Problems with MATLAB

Decoding Butterfly Flight with High-Speed Cameras and a Wind Tunnel

Creating Artificial Cilia for Next-Generation Microfluidic and Medical Devices

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Self-Paced Online Courses

Products

MATLAB and Simulink for Heat and Fluid Applications

Industry Applications

MathWorks Presentations

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