SPICE Modeling of Phase Change Materials for Coupled Thermo-Electrical Simulation

Abstract

We examined the SPICE model of phase change materials (PCM) suitable for the coupled analysis of heat and electricity. When a PCM is modeled by a switch, the model becomes complicated and unsuitable due to calculation speed. On the other hand, modeling with a dependent current source enables fast calculation with a simple model, but there are unstable factors in the analysis. Therefore, a dependent current source model is desirable if stability can be ensured. In this report, using the SPICE model of PCM with a dependent current source, it was shown that by carrying out calculation at a time step of 1/100 or less of the PCM thermal time constant, it could be stably analyzed without increasing errors, and it could be used for the thermal analysis of a cooling system for electronic equipment.