A Finite-Volume Method for Predicting a Radiant Heat Transfer in Enclosures With Participating Media

A new “finite-volume” method is proposed to predict radiant heat transfer in enclosures with participating media. The method can conceptually be applied with the same nonorthogonal computational grids used to compute fluid flow and convective heat transfer. A fairly general version of the method is derived, and details are illustrated by applying it to several simple benchmark problems. Test results indicate that good accuracy is obtained on coarse computational grids, and that solution errors diminish rapidly as the grid is refined.