Network model for the numerical simulation of transient radiative transfer process between the thick walls of enclosures

In this work Oppenheim’s idea is extend to enclosures with thick walls that operate under unsteady-state conditions. In many real problems, radiation heat transfer will cause the internal energy and the temperature of a solid to change, making it necessary to incorporate the time-dependent heat conduction in the walls and radiation boundary conditions at the wall surfaces. The heat-transfer rate can then be interpreted as a quasi-steady-state event, for which the network simulation method would seem to be a suitable solution method. The heat flux and temperature variables are equivalent to electric current and voltage, respectively, in this thermo-electric analogy. The solid, the gas medium and the boundary conditions can be included by means of electrical devices connected to the boundary networks. No mathematical manipulation, a common feature of most numerical methods, is required. All enclosure configurations analysed in this study demonstrate an unprecedented articulation between the unsteady conduction in the solid walls and the radiation transfer in the gaseous medium occupying the space between the walls.