TNSolver - The Thermal Network Solver

TNSolver is an open source thermal network solver written using GNU Octave, the MATLAB clone. It will run in either GNU Octave or MATLAB.

Documents

• Summary of TNSolver Input Commands, updated on August 19, 2018
• TNSolver User Manual , updated on July 31, 2016

TNSolver Presentations

• University of Washington, ME 331, Introduction to Heat Transfer, Autumn Quarter 2016
• Lumped Mass Experiment, October 4, 2016
• Fin Convection Experiment, November 1, 2016
• Radiation Experiment, November 15, 2016
• TNSolver: An Open Source Thermal Network Solver for Octave or MATLAB, TFAWS 2016, August 2, 2016
• University of Washington, ME 331, Introduction to Heat Transfer, Autumn Quarter 2015
• Composite Wall Problem, October 13, 2015
• Lumped Mass Experiment, November 3, 2015
• Radiation Experiment, December 1, 2015
• University of Washington, ME 331, Introduction to Heat Transfer, Autumn Quarter 2014
• Composite Wall Problem, September 30, 2014
• Convection Experiment, October 30, 2014
• Radiation Experiment, November 18, 2014

Octave/MATLAB Source Code

• TNSolver Version 0.9.3, August 19, 2018
• Extended functions to the sources block parameters for qdot and Qsrc.
• TNSolver Version 0.9.2, August 9, 2017
• Extended functions to the boundary conditions block parameters.
• TNSolver Version 0.9.x, July 31, 2016

Installation Notes

1. Download the zip file containing the TNSolver m-files and unzip it into an empty folder.
2. Add the path to the TNSolver .m files folder in Octave/MATLAB:
• >> addpath('path to .m files folder')

Installing GNU Octave

1. Version 4.4.1 (August 2018) of GNU Octave provides a GUI interface, with a built-in editor.
1. GNU Octave download and install instructions for Linux/macOS/Windows is at: GNU Octave Download
2. GNU Octave Wiki is at: GNU Octave Wiki

Example Problems

• Transient Conduction - Example 5.2, pp. 290-291 in [BLID11]

View Factors

• View Factor Manual, updated on April 20, 2016
• Plate to Plate
• Orthogonal Plate to Plate
• Disk to disk
• Disk to cone
• Frustum to base
• Plate to cylinder

References

• [BLID11] T.L. Bergman, A.S. Lavine, F.P. Incropera, and D.P. DeWitt. Introduction to Heat Transfer. John Wiley & Sons, New York, sixth edition, 2011.
• [LL12] J. H. Lienhard, IV and J. H. Lienhard, V. A Heat Transfer Textbook. Phlogiston Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, fourth edition, 2012.

Last Modified by Bob Cochran, on August 19, 2018