Open AccessFinite-volume model for chemical vapor infiltration incorporating radiant heat transfer. Interim report
Author(s) -
A.W. Smith,
Thomas L. Starr
Publication year - 1995
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/70762
Subject(s) - heat transfer , finite volume method , thermal conduction , convection , radiative transfer , mechanics , thermal radiation , thermal conductivity , materials science , convective heat transfer , thermodynamics , heat flux , optics , physics
Most finite-volume thermal models account for the diffusion and convection of heat and may include volume heating. However, for certain simulation geometries, a large percentage of heat flux is due to thermal radiation. In this paper a finite-volume computational procedure for the simulation of heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation in three dimensional complex enclosures is developed. The radiant heat transfer is included as a source term in each volume element which is derived by Monte Carlo ray tracing from all possible radiating and absorbing faces. The importance of radiative heat transfer is illustrated in the modeling of chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) of tubes. The temperature profile through the tube preform matches experimental measurements only when radiation is included. An alternative, empirical approach using an {open_quotes}effective{close_quotes} thermal conductivity for the gas space can match the initial temperature profile but does not match temperature changes that occur during preform densification