# Heat Transfer Solvers - Comparison

Source: https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/heat-transfer-solvers-comparison
Last updated: 2026-10-14

## Heat Transfer Solvers

Heat Transfer Solvers In this group, we have included solvers that are designed to model: **Heat Transfer**, **Radiation**, **Natural** and **Forced Convection**, **Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT)**.

**Heat Transfer, Single Fluid**

- [buoyantSimpleFoam](https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/buoyant-simple-foam) steady-state, compressible, buoyancy-driven flow
- [buoyantPimpleFoam](https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/buoyant-pimple-foam) transient, compressible, buoyancy-driven flow

**Heat Transfer, Single Fluid - Boussinesq**

- [buoyantBoussinesqSimpleFoam](https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/buoyant-boussinesq-simple-foam) steady-state, incompressible, buoyancy using Boussinesq approximation
- [buoyantBoussinesqPimpleFoam](https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/buoyant-boussinesq-pimple-foam) transient, incompressible, buoyancy using Boussinesq approximation

**Heat Transfer, Single Solid**

- [laplacianFoam](https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/laplacian-foam) steady-state and transient, thermal conduction in solid
- [overLaplacianDyMFoam](https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/over-laplacian-dym-foam) extension of laplacianFoam with Overset

**CHT, Multiple Fluids / Solids**

- [chtMultiRegionSimpleFoam](https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/cht-multi-region-simple-foam) steady-state, compressible, arbitrary fluid and solid regions
- [chtMultiRegionFoam](https://help.sim-flow.com/solvers/cht-multi-region-foam) transient, compressible, arbitrary fluid and solid regions

- CHT - Conjugate Heat Transfer
- MRF - Multiple Reference Frame
- Overset - also known as Chimera Grid (Method)

1. 1. These solvers are capable of handling buoyancy-driven flows by incorporating gravity effects, which are not present in the Compressible solvers group (described in the section above).
2. 2. CHT solvers allow for the modeling of heat transfer between different fluids and solids (multiple mesh regions).
3. 3. In this group, both compressible and incompressible (pressure-based) solvers are available which support:
   - Different fluid models:
     - using various equations of state, such as perfect gas or constant density for compressible solvers
     - Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid models for incompressible solvers
   - RANS/LES turbulence models
   - Porosity models
   - MRF (excluding CHT solvers)
   - Passive scalar
   - Custom source term