nTop 5.40 is here! This release features the Convection Boundary Load block, which enables users to apply a convection load in Conjugate Heat Transfer. This release also features improved implicit hatching, an iteration improvement for Parameter Optimization, and some helpful bug fixes. As with every release, nTop’s dedicated support team is ready to answer your questions. Please visit support.ntop.com to gain access to helpful tutorials and support articles.
Convection Boundary Load
We have implemented the Convection Boundary Load block to support Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT). This block enables you to apply a convection load defined by a boundary zone, an ambient temperature field, and a convection coefficient field.- Block Name: Convection Boundary Load
- Common Uses:
- Simulate heat dissipation in electronic enclosures using known heat transfer coefficients.
- Design and iterate on high-performance heat exchangers.
- Model cooling or heating effects on exterior surfaces exposed to a surrounding fluid medium.
- Location: Structures > Boundary Conditions
- Inputs:
- Boundary: The boundary faces to apply the load
- Ambient Temp: The temperature of the fluid medium surrounding the boundary
- Conv. Coefficient: Heat transfer coefficient that relates heat flux to the temperature difference between the fluid medium and the boundary.
- Output: Convection Heat Flux
Implicit Hatching Design
We have updated the hatching design for implicit bodies clipped by their bounding box, improving legibility and preventing aliasing and other visual artifacts.The design rendered on clipped faces is now screen-space hatching independent from zoom or model scale, which provides a clearer distinction from geometry in the notebook. The color is inherited from the display color of the body.Usage Improvements
We have updated the Parameter Optimization block iteration numbering to start at 1 for consistency across all optimization types. This update includes a new ‘Iteration’ column in data tables and fixes the initial value of the iteration axis in all plots.Bug Fixes
- We fixed an issue with the Flow Analysis block where boundary neighbor identification in Conjugate Heat Transfer simulations could lead to divergence or stability regressions in specific setups (e.g., cold plates).
- We fixed an issue with GPU Acceleration that occasionally caused implicit bodies to be rendered improperly on Nvidia GPUs.