Radiation Heat Transfer: A Statistical Approach

Thermal radiation plays a critical role in our everyday lives, from heating our homes and offices to controlling the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere. Radiation Heat Transfer presents a comprehensive foundation in the basics of radiative heat transfer with focused coverage of practical applications. This versatile book is designed for a two-semester course, but can accommodate one-semester courses emphasizing either traditional methods of radiation heat transfer or a statistical formulation, specifically the Monte Carlo ray-trace (MCRT) method. Radiation Heat Transfer enables the uninitiated reader to formulate accurate models of advanced radiative systems without neglecting the complexity of the systems. The traditional methods covered here, including the net-exchange formulation, are mainstays in the industry. Also included is a step-by-step presentation of the more modern and technically accurate MCRT method, which has become increasingly relevant with today’s availability of inexpensive computing power. As part of this book’s comprehensive coverage of the MCRT formulation, it is packaged with a CD-ROM that includes: * The student version of FELIX–The essential program for this book, it computes the exchange coefficients needed to solve problems of radiative heat transfer analysis using both the traditional and statistical methods * A Mie scattering program–This program solves classic problems in radiative heat transfer by particles such as atmospheric aerosols An invaluable book for undergraduate and graduate students in courses on radiative heat transfer, as well as engineers and researchers in areas related to power generation, solar power, refrigeration, and cryogenics, including general mechanical, chemical, electronics, and materials engineering. J. ROBERT MAHAN is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Preface. Acknowledgments. FUNDAMENTALS OF THERMAL RADIATION. Introduction to Thermal Radiation. Basic Concepts; the Blackbody. Description of Real Surfaces; Surface Properties. Radiation Behavior of Surfaces. Wave Phenomena in Thermal Radiation. Radiation in a Participating Medium. TRADITIONAL METHODS OF RADIATION HEAT TRANSFER ANALYSIS. Solution of the Equation of Radiative Transfer. The Net Exchange Formulation for Diffuse, Gray Enclosures. Evaluation of Configuration Factors. Radiative Analysis of Nondiffuse, Nongray Surfaces Using the Net Exchange Formulation. THE MONTE CARLO RAY-TRACE (MCRT) METHOD. Introduction to the Monte Carlo Ray-Trace (MCRT) Method. The MCRT Method for Diffuse-Specular, Gray Enclosures: An Extended Example. The Distribution Factor for Nondiffuse, Nongray, Surface-to-Surface Radiation. The MCRT Method Applied to Radiation in a Participating Medium. Statistical Estimation of Uncertainty in the MCRT Method. Appendix A: Radiation from an Atomic Dipole. Appendix B: Mie Scattering by Homogeneous Spherical Particles: Program UNO. Appendix C: A Functional Environment for Longwave Infrared Exchange (FELIX). Appendix D: Random Number Generators and Autoregression Analysis. Index.