Chapter 2 - Radiative Property Predictions From Electromagnetic Wave Theory

Abstract

The basic radiative properties of surfaces forming an enclosure, i.e., emissivity, absorptivity, reflectivity, and transmissivity, must be known before any radiative heat transfer calculations can be carried out. Many of these properties vary with incoming direction, outgoing direction, and wavelength, and must usually be found through experiment. However, for pure, perfectly smooth surfaces these properties may be calculated from classical electromagnetic wave theory. 1 These predictions make experimental measurements unnecessary for some cases, and help interpolating as well as extrapolating experimental data in many other situations.