Multi-dimensional simulation of radiation using an unstructured finite volume method

Abstract

An unstructured finite volume methodology is presented for simulating radiant heat transfer based on the discrete-ordinate formulation. The methodology is conservative and is applicable to structured, unstructured, or hybrid grids. Based on the conventional Sn discreteordinates method, and the control-angle finite volume method, the spatial and angular discretizations of the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) are described for a general grid topology. Possibilities for accurate and efficient treatment of the truncated solid angles at domain boundaries are discussed. The proposed methodology has been integrated into a general purpose 'Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code. The accuracy, of the present numerical approach is illustrated using 2-D and 3-D benchmark and validation cases. The predictions compare favorably with established numerical and analytical solutions.