Estimation of the radiation field for CPC photocatalytic reactors using a novel six-flux model in two dimensions (SFM-2D)

Abstract

In the present work, we introduced a new Six Flux Model in two dimensions (SFM-2D) for the estimation of the local volumetric rate of photon absorption (LVRPA) in polar coordinates. This novel model was applied on a compound parabolic collector (CPC) photocatalytic reactor using the Ray-Tracing Technique (RTT) and Lambert's cosine law. The volumetric rate of photon absorption per unit reactor length (VRPA/H) and overall volumetric rate of photon absorption (OVRPA), calculated with SFM-2D, were compared with SFM-1-DR (diffuse reflectance) and SFM-HG (Henyey-Greenstein).We obtained an analytical solution of the radiant transfer equation (RTE) based on a novel SFM-2D. The most relevant result was a simple algebraic expression from a detailed mathematical development. In addition, we included Lambert's cosine law and the radiation absorption by the fluid to estimate the radiant field in a compound parabolic photoreactor CPC. The numerical results, obtained with simulations, were compared satisfactorily to those reported in previous works at different operating conditions; the global performance of the new model described discrepancies less than 0.5%.