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Thermal engineering has long been left out of the concurrent engineering environment dominated by CAD (computer aided design) and FEM (finite element method) software. Current tools attempt to force the thermal design process into an environment primarily created to support structural analysis, which results in inappropriate thermal models. As a result, many thermal engineers either build models “by hand” or use geometric user interfaces that are separate from and have little useful connection, if any, to CAD and FEM systems. This paper describes the development of a new thermal design environment called the Thermal Desktop. This system, while fully integrated into a neutral, low cost CAD system, and which utilitizes both FEM and FD methods, does not compromise the needs of the thermal engineer.

In order to meet the challenging thermal analysis needs of Space Station Freedom and other proposed Space Exploration Initiative missions, a new generation of thermal analysis tools, utilizing the latest advances in user-interface design, software engineering approaches, graphics capability, CPU speed, and networking technology will be needed. NASA Johnson Space Center has commissioned the development of the Thermal Synthesizer System (TSS) to meet these difficult analysis requirements. TSS is being developed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Lockheed Engineering Sciences Company, and NASA Johnson Space Center. The system consists of integrated applications to perform: surface and solid modeling, radiation coupling, orbital analysis, characterization of the thermal radiation heating environment for a spacecraft in orbit or on a planet surface, conduction network generation, two-phase flow modeling and analysis, temperature predictions, and general purpose post-processing.