Optimal shape design for packaging containing heating elements by inverse heat transfer method

The present study is concerned with the determination of the optimal shape for a package containing multiple heating elements. The optimization tool has been developed based on the inverse heat transfer (IHT) approach, incorporating a direct problem solver, a numerical grid generator, a direct-differentiation sensitivity analyzer, and the conjugate gradient method. Shape design that leads to a specified outer surface temperature distribution is predicted by the approach. In this study, the effects of internal heat generation on optimal shapes of the packagings have also been evaluated. Several practical cases with various imbedded heating elements and thermal conditions are studied. Results show that the approach provides an efficient computer-aided design scheme for the shape profile determination.