Automatic mode (automatically loaded 4 seconds after the simulator is started):
Use the sliders to configure the simulation:
Cycle time: Duration of a full heating/cooling cycle.
Pump delay: Shift between heating and cooling phases (max: 50%, more is covered by "invert phase").
Invert phase: Swap heating and cooling actions.
Manual mode:
Use your keyboard:
Space (pressed) to charge the electrocaloric element, resulting in an instantaneous temperature increase.
Space (released) to discharge the electrocaloric element, resulting in an instantaneous temperature decrease.
Left ← / Right → to move the fluid left/right.
Automatic / manual mode:
Select between Automatic and Manual using the checkbox.
Press r to reset all tempeartures to zero.
Builder mode (on/off using 'b' key, or menu button):
Left mouse click and drag on the simulation to add electrocaloric elements (remove fluid elements).
Right mouse click and drag on the simulation to add fluid (remove electrocaloric elements).
Note: When builder mode is disabled, the updated velocity field is calculated, which takes some time (20s), and is then shown.
Details
This simulator is part of the EIC Pathfinder Challenges Project "COOLPOL - cooling with electrocaloric polymers". Project homepage: www.coolpol.eu
Thermal: A double-loop electrocaloric regenerator (fluid based) is impelemented, as published by Defay's group [Link to publication].
Electrical: A bidirectional dc-dc half-bridge converter with hysteretic current control and zero voltage switching is implemented, as published by Mönch's group [Link to publication].
Black contour contains active electrocaloric material
White contour contains obstacles (no fluid flow, but heat flow)
Purple contour contains check valve, allowing fluid flow only from left to right
Cyan contour contains check valve, allowing fluid flow only from right to left
White thin lines are velocity streamlines, indicating the fluid flow path
The area left to the left-most white contour and right to the right-most white contour is the area of a moving piston pump, which effectively also thermally loads the system
The left-most and right-most boundaries are connected by a roll-over condition in x-direction.
Troubleshooting
If "space" key doesn't work, click the 3D image above the simulation once with the mouse to put the focus of the keyboard to the simulator.
Do not unintentionally click in the simulation. This will change the geometry (adding/removing EC material) and requires 10s of seconds recomputation of the velocity field afterwards, which can seem like the simulation is stuck.
