A model for transient combined conduction and radiation heat transfer in fibrous material

Abstract

In this paper theory for energy transport by combined conduction and radiation is briefly reviewed and a one-dimensional model for transient combined conduction and radiation heat transfer through a fibrous material is presented. The approach consists of using a Monte Carlo (MC) method to compute the so-called radiative flux distribution (RFD) and a radiative source-term distribution (RSD) function for a fibrous morphology. The functions are analogous to radiative configuration factors and the RSD is used to determine a source/sink term for the energy equation with Neumann boundary conditions. Using this model a solution for the evolving temperature distribution within the material is presented, this is contrasted with a representative conduction only model. Solutions are generated under the assumption of a grey fibrous material; the logical extension to non-grey anisotropic scattering fibrous material is then elucidated.