Modeling Radiative Heat Transfer in an Absorbing, Emitting, and Scattering Medium

Abstract

A two-dimensional computer model was developed to determine the heat flux distribution within the metal plasma formed above a metal target irradiated by a laser beam. The P-1 and P-3 spherical harmonics approximations were used to solve the radiative transfer equation. The P-1 approximation reduced the radiative transfer equation to one elliptic partial differential equation. The higher order P-3 approximation reduced the radiative transfer equation to four elliptic partial differential equations. The resulting equations were then solved for the radial and axial heat fluxes using a finite difference algorithm. Comparisons were made and found to be in good agreement with available analytical results. The model confirmed that the P-1 approximation yielded more reliable results when the medium was optically thick. In cases where the medium was optically thin, the P-3 approximation provided the best results. Although many solutions to the radiative transfer equation have been obtained by means of the P-N approximation, the bulk of these have focused on the heat transfer rates for a variety of surface radiative properties in rectangular and cylindrical enclosures . Only limited efforts have been directed toward study of an external collimated beam incident upon an enclosure surface. This study is unique in that the spherical harmonics approximation is used to examine the heat transfer rates within a cylindrical enclosure irradiated at the top surface by a laser beam.

Notes

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Graduation Date

1990

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Bishop, Patricia

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Engineering

Department

Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Sciences

Format

PDF

Pages

183 p.

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Identifier

DP0027268

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Engineering; Engineering -- Dissertations, Academic

Accessibility Status

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