Chapter 13:
Radiation Exchange Between
Surfaces
The View Factor
The view factor Fij is defined as the fraction of the radiation leaving
surface i that is intercepted by surface j.
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View Factor Relations
• The reciprocity relation:
It is useful in determining one view factor from knowledge of the
other.
• The summation rule:
This is an important view factor
relation that affects surfaces of an
enclosure.
It may be applied to each of the N
surfaces in the enclosure.
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View Factor Relations (continued)
• The term Fii appearing in the summation rule represents the fraction
of the radiation that leaves surface i and is directly intercepted by i.
If the surface is concave, it sees itself and Fii is nonzero. However,
for a plane or convex surface, Fii = 0.
• To calculate radiation exchange in an enclosure of N surfaces, only
N(N–1)/2 view factors need be determined directly. The rest could
be determined using the reciprocity relation and the summation
rule.
For example, in a three-surface enclosure this requirement
corresponds to only 3(3 - 1)/2 = 3 view factors.
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View Factor Relations (continued)
• Example: Consider the simple, two-surface enclosure involving the
spherical surfaces of the figure below.
The enclosure is characterized by
N2 = 4 view factors F11, F12, F21, F22
The view factor needed to be determined
directly are only N(N - 1)/2 = 1
All radiation leaving the inner surface must reach the outer surface,
therefore F12 = 1.
From the reciprocity relation:
From the summation rule:
and
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Sample View Factors for Two-Dimensional Geometries
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Sample View Factors for Three-Dimensional Geometries
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View Factor For Aligned Parallel Rectangles
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View Factor Relations (continued)
• Considering radiation from surface i to surface j, which is divided
into n components, one can conclude that:
This expression simply states that
radiation reaching a composite surface
is the sum of the radiation reaching its
parts.
• Multiplying by Ai and applying the reciprocity relation to each of
the resulting terms,
or
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Blackbody Radiation Exchange
• In general, radiation may leave a surface due to both reflection and
emission, and on reaching a second surface, experience reflection as
well as absorption. For surfaces that are approximated as
blackbodies, there is no reflection.
• Consider radiation exchange
between two black surfaces of
arbitrary shape.
• The rate at which radiation leaves surface i and is intercepted by
surface j, could be expressed as:
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Blackbody Radiation Exchange (continued)
• For a black surface, radiosity equals emissive power (Ji = Ebi):
Similarly:
• The net radiative exchange
between the two surfaces is then:
where qij the net rate at which radiation leaves surface i as a result
of its interaction with j, which is equal to the net rate at which j
gains radiation due to its interaction with i.
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Blackbody Radiation Exchange (continued)
• The foregoing result may also be used to evaluate the net radiation
transfer from any surface in an enclosure of black surfaces. With N
surfaces maintained at different temperatures, the net transfer of
radiation from surface i is due to exchange with the remaining
surfaces and may be expressed as
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Radiation Exchange Between
Opaque, Diffuse, Gray Surfaces in an
Enclosure
• Radiation may leave an opaque surface due to both reflection and
emission, and on reaching a second opaque surface, experience
reflection as well as absorption.
• Each surface of the enclosure is
assumed to be isothermal and to
be characterized by a uniform
radiosity and a uniform irradiation.
Also, they are assumed to be
opaque and to have emissivities,
absorptivities, and reflectivities that are independent of direction
(diffuse) and independent of wavelength (the surfaces are gray).
Under these conditions the emissivity is equal to the absorptivity
ε = α (Kirchhoff’s law).
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Net Radiation Exchange at a Surface
• The net rate at which radiation leaves surface i is equal to the
difference between the surface radiosity and irradiation:
• Using the definition of the radiosity:
Therefore, the net radiative transfer from the surface may be
expressed as:
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Net Radiation Exchange at a Surface (continued)
• Noting that for an opaque, diffuse, gray surface Ei = εi Ebi and
ρ = 1 – αi = 1 – εi , the radiosity may also be expressed as:
• Solving for Gi and substituting into the equation below:
Therefore a convenient representation for the net radiative heat
transfer rate from a surface could be expressed as:
(1 – εi)/εi Ai is the surface radiative resistance.
• A surface which is large relative to all other surfaces
under consideration can be treated as if it were a blackbody.
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Radiation Exchange Between Surfaces
• The total rate at which radiation reaches surface i from all surfaces,
including i, is:
(reciprocity relation)
• Therefore:
(summation rule)
The equation above equates the net rate of radiation transfer from
surface i, qi, to the sum of components qij related to radiative
exchange with the other surfaces.
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Radiation Exchange Between Surfaces (continued)
• Each component may be represented by a network element:
(AiFij)-1 is a space or geometrical resistance.
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The Two-Surface Enclosure
• The simplest example of an enclosure is one involving two surfaces
that exchange radiation only with each other.
• One approach to solve this problem consists of applying the
equation below to surfaces 1 and 2 and solving the resulting two
equations for J1 and J2.
• The results could then be used with the equation below to determine
q1 (or q2).
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The Two-Surface Enclosure (continued)
• Another approach to solve this problem consists of working with
the network representation of the enclosure shown below:
The foregoing result may be used for any two isothermal diffuse,
gray surfaces that form an enclosure and are each characterized by
uniform radiosity and irradiation.
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The Two-Surface Enclosure (continued)
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Radiation Shields
• Radiation shields constructed from low emissivity (high
reflectivity) materials can be used to reduce the net radiation
transfer between two surfaces.
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