System Elements Identification Method for Heat Transfer Modelling in MBSE

Systems, vol. 13, pp. 251

Abstract

Today’s systems are becoming increasingly complex due to the multitude of interactions between subsystems. This is also true for the electromechanical drivetrain and its physically interacting cooling system. In order to provide a virtual representation of such systems, including system architecture and product behaviour, model-based systems engineering (MBSE) introduces system models. System models are built using system elements and reoccurring models. MBSE, therefore, enhances the efficient development of complex systems by promoting model reuse in interdisciplinary architectural modelling. The reuse of models, such as calculation models, reduces redundancy, accelerates development iterations, and streamlines consistency. However, there is a lack of standardised and reusable model libraries to facilitate this reuse. In the approach in this paper, the reusability of those models is facilitated by the system elements, referred to as “solution elements”. MBSE system elements enable the structuring, reuse, and organization of models within model libraries. The identification of these system elements for heat-exchanging systems, however, remains an open challenge. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to develop a method for systematically identifying system elements in heat-exchanging systems, providing a formalized approach to reusing thermal models. The method focuses on functional and heat-transfer processes at the contact level referred to here as thermal contacts. The developed method is demonstrated through a case study of a thermal management system (TMS) of an electric truck. It is shown that a small set of recurring system elements can be used to represent a large number of individual thermal interactions, within TMS components and, therefore, streamline modelling efficiency significantly.

Authors 7

1. Patrick Jagla corresponding Aachen Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, Germany

2. Georg Jacobs Aachen Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, Germany

3. Vincent Derpa Aachen Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, Germany

4. Lukas Irnich Aachen Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, Germany

5. Gregor Höpfner Aachen Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, Germany

6. Stefan Wischmann Aachen Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, Germany

7. Joerg Berroth Aachen Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, Eilfschornsteinstraße 18, 52062 Aachen, Germany