RADIATION HEAT-TRANSFER PROCEDURE FOR 2-DIMENSIONAL FINITE-ELEMENT MODELS

A finite element procedure to solve plane and axisymmetric radiation heat transfer problems is presented. The two-dimensional algorithm, easily incorporated in existing codes with transient thermal capabilities, can handle radiating bodies with arbitrary geometries and configuration relative to each other and any distribution of the surface temperatures. It accounts also for the radiation exchange in the third dimension, but does not consider the reflected energy. This paper describes the general method, the theoretical background of the view factor expressions, detailed computational steps and user instructions. Finally, solutions to two simple verification problems amenable to hand calculations, and a practical example are presented.