Computational Modeling of Laser Induced Heating

Lasers are increasingly being used as a heat source in industrial applications due to their ability to deliver energy at a distance. In order to properly design systems that involve laser heating, accurate information about heat up rates is required. In complex systems, the rate of heating is a function of the laser parameters; such as spot size, beam intensity and beam profile; surface treatments and their characteristic coupling coefficient; and fluid convection adjacent to the surface being heated. This paper will describe recent efforts to simulate the heating of an enclosed container using a laser. The model complexity required to achieve good results, relative to test data, will be discussed.