MultiNet

MultiNet provides more freedom in linking MagNet and ThermNet for solving coupled electromagnetic-thermal problems.

While ThermNet already handles most cases, MultiNet is used when specialized coupling is needed, such as interdimensional linking (a 3D MagNet solver with a 2D ThermNet solver or vice versa).

The way MultiNet works

To determine the material properties in a coupled analysis, the electromagnetic simulation uses the operating temperature obtained from the thermal simulation, and the thermal simulation uses the ohmic losses obtained from the electromagnetic simulation. To perform this two-way coupled analysis, the electromagnetic and thermal solvers need to send and receive data after each solution is complete, or in the case of a transient simulation, after each time step.

To create the flexibility of linking any electromagnetic solver to any thermal solver and the ability to mix multi-dimensional analyses (i.e. 2D with 3D), the data transferred from one solver to another must be at the component level.

Modifying your model at the component level

Transferring data from one solver to another at the component level means that the solver that receives the data would no longer have the information about the distributed field values. In the standard coupled simulation available in ThermNet, field values are transferred at each point in space and, as a result, the coupling is stronger. Using MultiNet, only the total ohmic loss (MagNet to ThermNet) or the average temperature (ThermNet to MagNet) in a component is transferred from on solver to the other, leading the solvers to assume that the values (loss or temperature) are distributed uniformly over the component. In cases such as this, the user would create several sub-components in place of one, thereby simulating the variation of loss or temperature more accurately.

Note  There are facilities in MagNet and ThermNet that allow the user to easily create several components in order to obtain an accurate simulation.