A transient heat transfer analysis is used to determine the temperature distribution and heat flow within an object having time-dependent temperature conditions. The specific heat constant and the density of the material are required to perform a transient analysis.
Transient heat transfer includes the ability to simulate a phase change from solid to liquid (melting) or from liquid to solid (freezing) by setting the material model of the part. Since heat transfer is only concerned with the transfer of heat, the effects that occur due to motion of the liquid are not considered. For example, the processor calculates that ice cubes change from solid to liquid water. They do not model the flow of the resulting water (such as if the ice cube is sitting on a table) and they do not calculate the transport of the heat through buoyancy effects.