  We define a \emph{thermal network}, which is a network where the flow
functionality of a node depends upon its temperature. This model is inspired by
several types of real-life networks, and generalizes some conventional network
models wherein nodes have fixed capacities and the problem is to maximize the
flow through the network. In a thermal network, the temperature of a node
increases as traffic moves through it, and nodes may also cool spontaneously
over time, or by employing cooling packets. We analyze the problems of
maximizing the flow from a source to a sink for both these cases, for a
holistic view with respect to the single-source-single-sink dynamic flow
problem in a thermal network. We have studied certain properties such a thermal
network exhibits, and give closed-form solutions for the maximum flow that can
be achieved through such a network.
