Numerical Simulation of the Solar Spectral Properties of Filled Polyvinyl Chloride Plastisols

Abstract

Notable efforts have been done to describe the propagation of a solar radiation in a heterogeneous medium containing particles. In the latter case, it is necessary to use the radiative transfer equation (RTE) that describes the propagation of radiations in participating media. Herein, the RTE was solved by using the four-flux method coupled with the T-matrix approach for the determination of effective scattering and absorption coefficients. Consequently, it was possible to understand and to predict the interaction of light with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastisol–based films containing fillers such as alumina, nacre, titanium dioxide, and glass beads. It was shown that the theoretical reflectance and transmittance spectra of the filled PVC plastisol film in the visible and the near-infrared regions are quite close to the experimental ones. The effect of the film thickness, the particle diameter, and the filler concentration on the reflectance and the transmittance of filled PVC plastisol film was investigated, and it was demonstrated that the filler could be well adapted for thermal protection applications.