Non-Fourier heat conduction with radiation in an absorbing, emitting, and isotropically scattering medium

This article numerically analyses the combined conductive and radiative heat transfer in an absorbing, emitting, and isotropically scattering medium. The non-Fourier heat conduction equation, which includes the time lag between heat flux and the temperature gradient, is used to model the conductive heat transfer in the medium. It predicts that a temperature disturbance will propagate as a wave at finite speed. The radiative heat transfer is solved using the P-3 approximation method. In addition, the MacCormack's explicit predictor-corrector scheme is used to solve the non-Fourier problem. The effects of radiation including single scattering albedo, conduction-to-radiation parameter, and optical thickness of the medium on the transient and steady state temperature distributions are investigated in detail. Analysis results indicate that the internal radiation in the medium significantly influences the wave nature. The thermal wave nature in the combined non-Fourier heat conduction with radiation is more obvious for large values of conduction-to-radiation parameter, small values of optical thickness and higher scattering medium. The results from non-Fourier-effect equation are also compared to those obtained from the Fourier equation. Non-Fourier effect becomes insignificant as either time increases or the effect of radiation increases. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.