Measurement of radiation in complex geometries and comparison with calculational techniques

During the development of flight tests of a spacecraft, heat exchange occurs among the many physically separated subsystem surfaces through the phenomenon of thermal radiation. Considering the increasing complexity of the geometrical forms and shapes in the design of such systems, the monitoring and control of the radiative heat fluxes taking place in the multi-reflecting, absorbing and emitting heat transfer environment are very critical. Because the analytical solution of thermal radiation in such geometrically complex three-dimensional systems is not practical, extensive numerical modelling techniques are widely used to predict radiative heat fluxes on the many thermally active surfaces. From experience, it is found that this can be very difficult and not at all commensurate with fast feedback unless the analysis is from a simple system layout. Considering that a relatively new approach dedicated to the basic analysis of radiative heat flux has been developed by the heat transfer community as a numerical approximation called the Discrete Ordinates Method (DOM), a first question did arise in terms of how well an enhanced and more comprehensive formulation based on this concept would fulfil the task of achieving faster results whilst still accurately predicting radiative heat transfer in three-dimensional, more complex geometries. [Continues.]