Bidirectional monte carlo method for thermal radiation transfer in participating medium

Abstract

<abstract> A bidirectional Monte Carlo (BDMC) method based on reversibility of bundle trajectory and reciprocity of thermal radiative energy exchange was developed to solve radiative heat transfer in absorbing and scattering medium. Two types of sampling models were introduced into the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, namely the equivalent sampling and the weight sampling, respectively. Mathematical formula for the sampling models and the statistical calculation of sampling bundles were derived. Furthermore, the reciprocity error correlation of radiative exchange factors between the BDMC method and the traditional Monte Carlo (TMC) method were demonstrated and analyzed. Radiative heat transfer in a two-dimensional rectangular domain with absorbing and scattering media was solved by using both the BDMC method and the TMC method. Radiative exchange factors and radiative equilibrium temperature profiles predicted by the BDMC method were compared with those predicted by the TMC method. The performance parameter P, defined to evaluate the performance of MC methods, was computed and compared between the BDMC and the TMC methods. The results showed the superiority of BDMC method compared with the TMC method for radiative heat transfer, in addition, the weight sampling was proved to be more flexible than the equivalent sampling in the BDMC method. </abstract>