Heat Transfer / COMSOL / Aerospace Thermal Systems / Research Draft
Aerospace Heat Transfer Project
2026 • In Progress • Target Completion: December 2026
This project is still in the drafting and learning phase, but it represents the direction I want to grow toward as an engineer: aerospace heat-transfer simulation backed by real physical data through testing. My goal is to learn COMSOL for simulated results, produce heat-transfer calculations, then eventually use laser-heating experiments to study how space-system materials respond to extreme thermal loading.
The idea is to build a model of an aerospace thermal protection problem, such as a rocket heat layer, reentry heat shield, or blast-shield-style structure exposed to intense heat flux. From there, I want to compare different materials and geometries, analyze transient temperature response, and use experimental data to judge whether the simulation is physically believable.
Status
Draft / Learning Phase
Focus
Space Thermal Systems
Method
Simulation + Testing
Timeline
Target: Dec. 2026
Project Concept
The core concept is to simulate how an aerospace structure responds when exposed to extreme heat. A possible version of the project would model a simplified reentry heat shield, rocket thermal layer, hot plate, or blast shield under transient heat flux, then study how material choice and geometry affect the temperature distribution over time.
I want the project to combine COMSOL modeling with analytical heat-transfer calculations instead of only relying on the software. That means estimating the expected thermal behavior by hand, then using the simulation to study a more detailed version of the same problem.
Experimental Direction
The experimental idea is still being developed, but the current direction is to use a focused laser on a material sample and measure how the material responds to concentrated heating. That data could become a comparison point for the COMSOL model, especially for transient temperature response and material-dependent heat diffusion.
A later version of the project could test multiple materials or geometries, then compare the measured thermal response against simulated results. The dynamic loading side is not fully defined yet, but the long-term goal is to connect thermal loading, geometry, and aerospace-relevant boundary conditions into one validated workflow.
Development Roadmap
Since this project is still being built, the roadmap shows how it will move from COMSOL practice into a complete aerospace heat-transfer study with calculations, simulation results, and experimental comparison.
Phase 1 — Learn COMSOL
Build simple heat-transfer models first: materials, boundary conditions, meshing, heat flux inputs, transient studies, and temperature plots.
Phase 2 — Aerospace Thermal Model
Create a simplified heat shield, rocket thermal layer, hot plate, or blast-shield geometry exposed to high heat flux.
Phase 3 — Analytical Comparison
Use heat-transfer equations and hand calculations to check whether the COMSOL results behave realistically.
Phase 4 — Experimental Validation
Use focused laser heating on material samples to collect thermal response data and compare it against the simulation.
Why This Project Matters
This project matters because it connects directly to the kind of engineering work I want to do in the space industry. Space systems depend on thermal protection, material behavior, simulation, testing, and verification. I want to understand how engineers predict thermal failure, validate designs, and use real data to make simulation results trustworthy.
Right now, I am building the foundations of thermal work within the space industry through learning COMSOL, experimenting, and creating analytical data through the UC Berkeley Laser Thermal Lab, while practicing thermal modeling and comparing simulated results to analytical results. By December 2026, the goal is to have a complete project with calculations, simulation results, material comparisons, and a validation plan or experimental dataset.