Proposal of radiation fluxmeter for asymmetric thermal radiation field measurement

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) radiation fluxmeter is proposed for measuring an asymmetric radiation field such as that in an urban outdoor environment with strong solar radiation in summer. The proposed CPC fluxmeter, which consists of multiple sets of a CPC mirror and a radiation flux sensor, can measure directional radiation from a solid angle limited by the acceptance half‐angle of the CPC. Using the data measured by the CPC radiation fluxmeter, a methodology to estimate the incident radiation flux distribution on an arbitrary three‐dimensional body was described in detail. A prototype CPC fluxmeter was fabricated and its essential parameters were calibrated based on the heat balance at the radiation flux sensor. Finally, actual field measurement and estimation of the radiation flux distribution on a human body model were demonstrated in a summer urban outdoor environment. Results show the validity and advantage of the proposed CPC radiation fluxmeter as compared with the conventional globe thermometer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 37(5): 259–274, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20209