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Introduction
In this tutorial combined radiation and natural convection are solved in a two-dimensional
square box on a mesh consisting of quadrilateral elements.
This tutorial demonstrates how to do the following:
• Use the radiation models in FLUENT (Rosseland, P-1, DTRM, discrete ordinates
(DO), and surface-to-surface (S2S)) and understand their ranges of application.
• Set the boundary conditions for a heat transfer problem involving natural convec-
tion and radiation.
• Display velocity vectors and contours of stream function and temperature for flow
visualization.
Prerequisites
This tutorial assumes that you are familiar with the menu structure in FLUENT and that
you have completed Tutorial 1 . Some steps in the setup and solution procedure will not
be shown explicitly.
Problem Description
The problem to be considered is shown schematically in Figure 5.1. A square box of side
L has a hot right wall at T = 2000 K, a cold left wall at T = 1000 K, and adiabatic
top and bottom walls. Gravity acts downwards. A buoyant flow develops because of
thermally-induced density gradients. The medium contained in the box is assumed to be
absorbing and emitting, so that the radiant exchange between the walls is attenuated by
absorption and augmented by emission in the medium. All walls are black. The objective
is to compute the flow and temperature patterns in the box, as well as the wall heat flux,
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
using the radiation models available in FLUENT, and to compare their performance for
different values of the optical thickness aL.
The working fluid has a Prandtl number of approximately 0.71, and the Rayleigh number
based on L is 5 × 105 . This means the flow is inherently laminar. The Boussinesq
assumption is used to model buoyancy. The Planck number k/(4σLT03 ) is 0.02, and
measures the relative importance of conduction to radiation; here T0 = (Th + Tc )/2.
Three values for the optical thickness are considered: aL = 0, aL = 0.2, and aL = 5.
Note that the values of physical properties and operating conditions (e.g., gravitational
acceleration) have been adjusted to yield the desired Prandtl, Rayleigh, and Planck
numbers.
Adiabatic
ρ = 1000 kg/m3
4
cp= 1.1030x10 J/kgK
k = 15.309 W/mK
-3
µ = 10 kg/ms
Tc= 1000 K
T = 2000 K
-5
h
g ➢ β = 10 1/K
➢
-5
g = -6.96 x 10 m/s2
a = 0, 0.2, 5 1/m
y L=1m
5
x Ra = 5 x 10
Pr = 0.71
Pl = 0.02
L τ = 0.2, 5
2. Unzip radiation_natural_convection.zip.
rad.msh can be found in the radiation natural convection folder created after
unzipping the file.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
Step 1: Grid
1. Read the mesh file rad.msh.
File −→ Read −→Case...
As the mesh is read in, messages will appear in the console reporting the progress
of the reading. The mesh size will be reported as 2500 cells.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
Grid
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
(a) Retain the default Angle separation method in the Options list.
(b) Select wall-4 from the Zones selection list.
(c) Enter 89◦ for the Angle.
(d) Click Separate to split the single wall into four zones.
There are now four wall zones for wall-4 listed under Zones in the Separate
Face Zones panel. The new zone information is also reported in the console.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
Step 2: Models
As discussed earlier, in this tutorial you will define each radiation model in turn, obtain
a solution, and then postprocess the results. You will start with the Rosseland model,
then use the P-1 model, the discrete transfer radiation model (DTRM), and the discrete
ordinates (DO) model. At the end of the tutorial, you will use the surface-to-surface
(S2S) model.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
Step 3: Materials
The default fluid material is air which is the working fluid in this problem. However,
since you are working with a fictitious fluid whose properties have been adjusted to give
the desired values of the dimensionless parameters, you must change the default properties
for air. You will use an optical thickness aL of 0.2 for this calculation. (Since L = 1, the
absorption coefficient a will be set to 0.2.) Later in the tutorial, results for an optically
thick medium with aL = 5 and non-participating medium with aL = 0 are computed to
show how the different radiation models behave for different optical thicknesses.
(a) Select boussinesq from the drop-down list for Density and then enter 1000 to
set the density to 1000 kg/m3 .
For details about the Boussinesq model, see the User’s Guide.
(b) Enter 1.103e4 J/kg-K for Cp to set the specific heat.
(c) Enter 15.309 W/m-K for Thermal Conductivity.
(d) Enter 0.001 kg/m-s for Viscosity.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
(a) Retain the default selected Equations and the default Under-Relaxation Factors.
(b) Select PRESTO! from the Pressure drop-down list in the Discretization group
box.
(c) Select Second Order Upwind from the Momentum and Energy drop-down lists.
(d) Click OK to set the parameters and close the Solution Controls panel.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
2.11e-04
2.01e-04
1.90e-04
1.80e-04
1.69e-04
1.58e-04
1.48e-04
1.37e-04
1.27e-04
1.16e-04
1.06e-04
9.51e-05
8.45e-05
7.40e-05
6.34e-05
5.28e-05
4.23e-05
3.17e-05
2.11e-05
1.06e-05
3.34e-09
(a) Select Velocity... and Stream Function from the Contours of drop-down lists.
(b) Click Display to view the contours in the graphics display window (Figure 5.4).
5-16
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
7.02e-02
6.67e-02
6.32e-02
5.97e-02
5.62e-02
5.26e-02
4.91e-02
4.56e-02
4.21e-02
3.86e-02
3.51e-02
3.16e-02
2.81e-02
2.46e-02
2.11e-02
1.75e-02
1.40e-02
1.05e-02
7.02e-03
3.51e-03
0.00e+00
Extra: If you want to compute the results without radiation yourself, turn off all
the radiation models in the Radiation Model panel, set the under-relaxation
factor for energy to 0.8 in the Solution Controls panel, and iterate the solu-
tion until convergence. (Remember to reset the under-relaxation factor to 1
(the default value) before continuing with the tutorial). Compare the stream
function contours without radiation (Figure 5.5) to the plot with the Rosseland
radiation model enabled (Figure 5.4).
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
1.97e-02
1.87e-02
1.77e-02
1.67e-02
1.58e-02
1.48e-02
1.38e-02
1.28e-02
1.18e-02
1.08e-02
9.85e-03
8.87e-03
7.88e-03
6.90e-03
5.91e-03
4.93e-03
3.94e-03
2.96e-03
1.97e-03
9.85e-04
0.00e+00
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
(b) Select Temperature... and Static Temperature from the Contours of drop-down
lists.
(c) Click Display to view the filled contours in the graphics display window (Fig-
ure 5.6).
(d) Close the Contours panel.
2.00e+03
1.95e+03
1.90e+03
1.85e+03
1.80e+03
1.75e+03
1.70e+03
1.65e+03
1.60e+03
1.55e+03
1.50e+03
1.45e+03
1.40e+03
1.35e+03
1.30e+03
1.25e+03
1.20e+03
1.15e+03
1.10e+03
1.05e+03
1.00e+03
The Rosseland model predicts a temperature field (Figure 5.6) very different from
that obtained without radiation (Figure 5.7). For the low optical thickness in this
problem, the temperature field predicted by the Rosseland model is not physical.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
2.00e+03
1.95e+03
1.90e+03
1.85e+03
1.80e+03
1.75e+03
1.70e+03
1.65e+03
1.60e+03
1.55e+03
1.50e+03
1.45e+03
1.40e+03
1.35e+03
1.30e+03
1.25e+03
1.20e+03
1.15e+03
1.10e+03
1.05e+03
1.00e+03
4. Create an isosurface at y = 0.5, the horizontal line through the center of the box.
Surface −→Iso-Surface...
(a) Select Grid... and Y-Coordinate from the Surface of Constant drop-down lists.
(b) Click Compute to calculate the extents of the domain.
(c) Enter 0.5 for Iso-Values.
(d) Enter y=0.5 for New Surface Name.
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(a) Retain the default selection of Node Values in the Options group box.
If you prefer to display the cell values, disable the Node Values option. Note,
however, that you will need to ensure that whatever option you choose for Node
Values is used throughout the tutorial for displaying and saving XY plots. This
will enable you to correctly compare the XY plots for different radiation models
in a later step, as they will use identical options.
(b) Retain the default values of 1 for X and 0 for Y in the Plot Direction group
box.
With a Plot Direction vector of (1, 0), FLUENT will plot the selected variable
as a function of x. Since you are plotting the velocity profile on a cross-section
of constant y, the x direction is the one in which the velocity varies.
(c) Select Velocity... and Y Velocity from the Y Axis Function drop-down lists.
(d) Select y=0.5 from the Surfaces selection list.
(e) Click Plot to display the x-y plot in the graphics display window (Figure 5.8).
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
y=0.5
2.50e-04
2.00e-04
1.50e-04
1.00e-04
5.00e-05
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
(m/s) -5.00e-05
-1.00e-04
-1.50e-04
-2.00e-04
-2.50e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position (m)
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
The velocity profile reflects the rising plume at the hot right wall, and the
falling plume at the cold left wall. Compared to the case with no radiation,
the profile predicted by the Rosseland model exhibits thicker wall layers. As
discussed before, the expected profile for aL = 0.2 is similar to the case with
no radiation.
(f) Enable Write to File in the Options group box and save the plot data to a file.
(g) Click Write... to open the Select File dialog box.
(h) Enter rad ross.xy for XY File and click OK.
This will save the xy plot file named rad ross.xy to your working folder.
(i) Close the Solution XY Plot panel.
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7. Save the case and data files (rad ross.cas and rad ross.dat).
File −→ Write −→Case & Data...
Thus far in this tutorial, you have learned how to set up a natural convection problem
using the Rosseland model to compute radiation. You have also learned to postprocess the
results. You will now enable the P-1 model, run a simulation, and compare the results to
the Rosseland model.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
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2.86e-04
2.72e-04
2.58e-04
2.43e-04
2.29e-04
2.15e-04
2.00e-04
1.86e-04
1.72e-04
1.58e-04
1.43e-04
1.29e-04
1.15e-04
1.00e-04
8.60e-05
7.17e-05
5.74e-05
4.31e-05
2.88e-05
1.45e-05
1.94e-07
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
8. Plot the y velocity along the horizontal centerline y = 0.5 (Figure 5.10) and then
save the plot data to a file called rad p1.xy.
Plot −→XY Plot...
You may need to reselect Velocity... and Y Velocity in the Y Axis Function drop-down
lists. Also, remember to deselect the Write to File option so that you can access the
Plot button to generate the plot.
y=0.5
2.50e-04
2.00e-04
1.50e-04
1.00e-04
5.00e-05
0.00e+00
Y
Velocity -5.00e-05
(m/s) -1.00e-04
-1.50e-04
-2.00e-04
-2.50e-04
-3.00e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position (m)
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
Notice how different the velocity vectors and y-velocity profile are from those obtained
using the Rosseland model. The P-1 velocity profiles show a clear momentum boundary
layer along the hot and cold walls. These profiles are much closer to those obtained from
the non-radiating case (Figures 5.11 and 5.12). Though the P-1 model is not appropriate
for this optically thin limit, it yields the correct velocity profiles since the radiation source
in the energy equation, which is proportional to the absorption coefficient, is small. The
Rosseland model uses an effective conductivity to account for radiation, and yields the
wrong temperature field, which in turn results in an erroneous velocity field.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
2.16e-04
2.05e-04
1.94e-04
1.83e-04
1.72e-04
1.62e-04
1.51e-04
1.40e-04
1.29e-04
1.19e-04
1.08e-04
9.70e-05
8.62e-05
7.55e-05
6.47e-05
5.39e-05
4.31e-05
3.24e-05
2.16e-05
1.08e-05
3.93e-08
y=0.5
2.50e-04
2.00e-04
1.50e-04
1.00e-04
5.00e-05
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
(m/s) -5.00e-05
-1.00e-04
-1.50e-04
-2.00e-04
-2.50e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position (m)
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
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iii. Enter rad dtrm.ray for the Ray File in the Select File dialog box.
iv. Click OK to write the ray file.
FLUENT will report on the status of the ray tracing in the console.
7. Plot the y velocity along the horizontal centerline y = 0.5 (Figure 5.14), and save
the plot data to a file called rad dtrm.xy.
Plot −→XY Plot...
You may need to reselect Velocity... and Y Velocity from the Y Axis Function drop-
down lists. Also, remember to deselect the Write to File option so that you can
access the Plot button to generate the plot.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
2.88e-04
2.73e-04
2.59e-04
2.44e-04
2.30e-04
2.16e-04
2.01e-04
1.87e-04
1.73e-04
1.58e-04
1.44e-04
1.30e-04
1.15e-04
1.01e-04
8.64e-05
7.21e-05
5.77e-05
4.33e-05
2.90e-05
1.46e-05
2.41e-07
y=0.5
2.50e-04
2.00e-04
1.50e-04
1.00e-04
5.00e-05
0.00e+00
Y
Velocity -5.00e-05
(m/s) -1.00e-04
-1.50e-04
-2.00e-04
-2.50e-04
-3.00e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position (m)
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
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when you are modeling semi-transparent media. Since you are not mod-
eling semi-transparent media here you can simply click OK in the dialog
box to acknowledge this information.
7. Plot the y velocity along the horizontal centerline y = 0.5m (Figure 5.16), and save
the plot data to a file called rad do.xy.
Plot −→XY Plot...
You may need to reselect Velocity... and Y Velocity in the Y Axis Function drop-down
lists. Also, remember to disable the Write to File option so that you can access the
Plot button to generate the plot.
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2.89e-04
2.75e-04
2.60e-04
2.46e-04
2.31e-04
2.17e-04
2.03e-04
1.88e-04
1.74e-04
1.59e-04
1.45e-04
1.30e-04
1.16e-04
1.01e-04
8.69e-05
7.25e-05
5.80e-05
4.36e-05
2.91e-05
1.47e-05
2.23e-07
y=0.5
3.00e-04
2.00e-04
1.00e-04
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
(m/s)
-1.00e-04
-2.00e-04
-3.00e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position (m)
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
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Extra: You can click Curves... to open the Curves panel, where you can define
different styles for different plot curves. In Figure 5.17, different symbols
have been selected for each curve.
(c) Close the File XY Plot panel.
Extra: You can resize and move the legend box in the XY plot displayed in the
graphics window so that you can read the information inside it. To resize the
box, press any mouse button on a corner and drag the mouse to the desired
position. To move the legend box, press any mouse button anywhere else on
the box and drag it to the desired location.
Y Velocity
Y Velocity
Y Velocity (rad_dtrm.xy)
3.00e-04
Y Velocity (rad_p1.xy)
Y Velocity (rad_ross.xy)
2.00e-04
1.00e-04
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
-1.00e-04
-2.00e-04
-3.00e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
Notice in Figure 5.17 that the velocity profiles for the P-1 model, DTRM, and DO model
are nearly identical even though the reported wall heat transfer rates are different. This
is because in an optically thin problem, the velocity field is essentially independent of the
radiation field, and all three models give a flow solution very close to the non-radiating
case. The Rosseland model gives substantially erroneous solutions for an optically thin
case.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
1. Read in the case and data file saved earlier (e.g., rad ross.cas and
rad ross.dat).
File −→ Read −→Case & Data...
4. Save the new case and data files using a different file name (e.g., rad ross5.cas and
rad ross5.dat).
File −→ Write −→Case & Data...
6. Plot the y velocity along the horizontal centerline, and save the plot data to a file
(e.g., rad ross5.xy).
Plot −→XY Plot...
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7. Compare the computed heat transfer rates for the four models by plotting the
y-velocity profiles in a single plot (Figure 5.18).
The wall heat transfer rates predicted by the four radiation models range from 3.50×
105 to 3.98 × 105 W.
Plot −→File...
Note: Click Delete in the File XY Plot panel to remove the old XY plot data files.
Y Velocity
Y Velocity
Y Velocity (rad_dtrm5.xy)
5.00e-04
Y Velocity (rad_p15.xy)
Y Velocity (rad_ross5.xy)
4.00e-04
3.00e-04
2.00e-04
1.00e-04
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
-1.00e-04
-2.00e-04
-3.00e-04
-4.00e-04
-5.00e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
The XY plots of y velocity are nearly identical for the P-1 model, DO model, and
DTRM. The Rosseland model gives somewhat different velocities, but is still within
10% of the other results. The Rosseland and P-1 models are suitable for the opti-
cally thick limit; the DTRM and DO models are valid across the range of optical
thicknesses. Consequently, they yield similar answers at aL = 5. For many ap-
plications with large optical thicknesses, the Rosseland and P-1 models provide a
simple low-cost alternative.
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1. Define the S2S model and the view factor and cluster parameters.
Define −→ Models −→Radiation...
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
(b) Click Set... for Parameters in the View Factors group box to open the View
Factor and Cluster Parameters panel.
You will define the view factor and cluster parameters.
i. Click OK to accept the default settings and close the View Factor and
Cluster Parameters panel.
The S2S radiation model is computationally very expensive when there are
a large number of radiating surfaces. The number of radiating surfaces is
reduced by clustering surfaces into surface “clusters”. The surface clus-
ters are made by starting from a face and adding its neighbors and their
neighbors until a specified number of faces per surface cluster is collected.
For a small 2D problem, the default value of 1 for Faces Per Surface Cluster
is acceptable. For a large problem you can increase this number to reduce
the memory requirement for the view factor file that is saved in a later
step. This may also lead to some reduction in the computational expense.
However, this is at the cost of some accuracy.
Using the Blocking option ensures that any additional surface that is block-
ing the view between two opposite surfaces is considered in the view factor
calculation. In this case there is no obstructing surface between the oppo-
site walls so selecting either the Blocking or the Nonblocking option will
produce the same result. The default setting for Smoothing is None which
is appropriate for small problems. The Least Square option is more accu-
rate, but also more computationally expensive.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
See Section 13.3.12 of the User’s Guide for details about view factors and
clusters for the S2S model.
(c) Click Compute/Write... for Methods in the View Factors group box to open the
Select File dialog box and to compute the view factors.
You will specify a file name where the cluster and view factor parameters will
be stored.
This step is required if the problem is being solved for the first time, only. For
subsequent calculations you can read the view factor and cluster information
from an existing file (by clicking Read... instead of Compute/Write...).
i. Enter rad s2s.gz as the file name for S2S File and click OK in the Select
File dialog box.
Note: The size of the viewfactor file can be very large if not compressed.
It is highly recommended to compress the view factor file by providing
.gz or .Z extension after the name (i.e. rad s2s.gz or rad s2s.Z).
For small files, you can provide the .s2s file after the name.
FLUENT will print an informational message describing the progress of
the view factor calculation in the console.
(d) Click OK to close the Radiation Model panel.
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2.48e-04
2.35e-04
2.23e-04
2.11e-04
1.98e-04
1.86e-04
1.73e-04
1.61e-04
1.49e-04
1.36e-04
1.24e-04
1.12e-04
9.92e-05
8.69e-05
7.45e-05
6.21e-05
4.97e-05
3.74e-05
2.50e-05
1.26e-05
2.28e-07
7. Plot the y velocity along the horizontal centerline (Figure 5.20), and save the plot
data to a file called rad s2s.xy.
Plot −→XY Plot...
You may have to reselect Y Velocity from the Y Axis Function drop-down lists. Also,
remember to deselect the Write to File option to access the Plot button to generate
the plot.
y=0.5
2.50e-04
2.00e-04
1.50e-04
1.00e-04
5.00e-05
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
(m/s) -5.00e-05
-1.00e-04
-1.50e-04
-2.00e-04
-2.50e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position (m)
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
1. Read in the case and data files saved earlier for the DTRM and DO models (e.g.,
rad dtrm.cas and rad dtrm.dat).
File −→ Read −→Case & Data...
4. Save the new case and data files using a different file name (e.g., rad dtrm0.cas
and rad dtrm0.dat).
File −→ Write −→Case & Data...
6. Plot the y velocity along the horizontal centerline, and save the plot data to a file
(e.g., rad dtrm0.xy)
Plot −→XY Plot...
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
7. Compare the computed heat transfer rates for the three models.
For the S2S model, the total heat transfer rate on the right wall was 6.77 × 105 W.
This is about 5% higher than that predicted by the DTRM and 1.5% higher than DO.
Although the S2S, DO, and DTRM values are comparable to each other, this problem
involves enclosure radiative transfer without participating media. Therefore, the
S2S model provides the most accurate solution.
Y Velocity
2.50e-04 Y Velocity
Y Velocity (rad_dtrm0.xy)
2.00e-04
Y Velocity (rad_do0.xy)
1.50e-04
1.00e-04
5.00e-05
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
-5.00e-05
-1.00e-04
-1.50e-04
-2.00e-04
-2.50e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
In Figure 5.21, the velocity profiles for the DTRM, DO, and S2S models are almost
identical even though the wall heat transfer rates are different.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
Step 14: S2S Definition, Solution and Postprocessing with Partial Enclosure
As mentioned earlier, when the S2S model is used, you also have the option to define
a “partial enclosure”; i.e., you can disable the view factor calculation for walls with
negligible emission/absorption, or walls that have uniform temperature. Even though the
view factor will not be computed for these walls, they will still emit radiation at a fixed
temperature called the “partial enclosure temperature”. The main advantage of this is to
speed up the view factor and the radiosity calculation.
For this problem, specify the left wall boundary as the non-participating wall in S2S
radiation. Consequently, you need to specify the partial enclosure temperature for the wall
boundary that is not participating in S2S radiation. Note that if multiple wall boundaries
are not participating in S2S radiation and each has a different temperature, then the
partial enclosure option may not yield accurate results. This is because the same partial
enclosure temperature is specified for each of the non-participating walls.
1. Read in the case and data file saved earlier for the S2S model (rad s2s.cas and
rad s2s.dat).
File −→ Read −→Case & Data...
(a) Enter 1000 for Temperature in the Partial Enclosure group box.
(b) Click OK to close the Radiation Model panel.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
Previous radiation model setups for this problem specified the left wall temperature
as 1000 k. Therefore set the partial enclosure to this temperature.
(a) Click the Radiation tab and disable Participates in S2S Radiation in the S2S
Parameters group box.
(b) Click OK to close the Wall panel.
(c) Close the Boundary Conditions panel.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
(a) Click Compute/Write... under Methods to open the Select File dialog box.
You will specify a file name where the view factor parameters are stored.
i. Enter rad s2spe.gz as file name for S2S File and click OK.
(b) Click OK to close the Radiation Model panel.
FLUENT will print an informational message describing the progress of the
view factor calculation.
10. Plot the y velocity along the horizontal centerline (Figure 5.23), and save the plot
data to a file called rad s2spe.xy.
Plot −→XY Plot...
You may have to reselect Y Velocity from the Y Axis Function drop-down lists. Also,
remember to deselect the Write to File option to access the Plot button to generate
the plot.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
2.47e-04
2.35e-04
2.22e-04
2.10e-04
1.98e-04
1.85e-04
1.73e-04
1.61e-04
1.48e-04
1.36e-04
1.24e-04
1.11e-04
9.90e-05
8.66e-05
7.43e-05
6.19e-05
4.96e-05
3.73e-05
2.49e-05
1.26e-05
2.27e-07
Figure 5.22: Velocity Vectors for the S2S Model with Partial Enclosure
y=0.5
2.50e-04
2.00e-04
1.50e-04
1.00e-04
5.00e-05
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
(m/s) -5.00e-05
-1.00e-04
-1.50e-04
-2.00e-04
-2.50e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position (m)
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
Figure 5.23: XY Plot of Centerline y Velocity for the S2S Model with Partial Enclosure
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
Step 15: Comparison of S2S Models with and without Partial Enclosure
1. Compare the computed heat transfer rates for the two S2S models.
Y Velocity
2.50e-04 Y Velocity
Y Velocity (rad_s2s.xy)
2.00e-04
1.50e-04
1.00e-04
5.00e-05
Y 0.00e+00
Velocity
-5.00e-05
-1.00e-04
-1.50e-04
-2.00e-04
-2.50e-04
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Position
Y Velocity
FLUENT 6.3 (2d, pbns, lam)
In Figure 5.24, the velocity profiles for the S2S model without partial enclosure and the
S2S model with partial enclosure are almost identical.
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Modeling Radiation and Natural Convection
Summary
In this tutorial you studied combined natural convection and radiation in a square box
and compared the performance of four radiation models in FLUENT for optically thin
and optically thick cases, and the performance of three radiation models for a non-
participating medium.
• For the optically thin case, the Rosseland and P-1 models are not appropriate and
the DTRM and DO model are applicable and yield similar results.
• In the optically thick limit, all four models are appropriate and yield similar results.
In this limit, the less computationally-expensive Rosseland and P-1 models may be
adequate for many engineering applications.
• The S2S radiation model is appropriate for modeling the enclosure radiative transfer
without participating media whereas the methods for participating radiation may
not always be efficient.
See Section 13.3 of the User’s Guide for more information about the applicability of the
different radiation models.
Further Improvements
This tutorial guides you through the steps to reach an initial solution. You may be able
to obtain a more accurate solution by using an appropriate higher-order discretization
scheme and by adapting the grid. Grid adaption can also ensure that the solution is
independent of the grid. These steps are demonstrated in Tutorial 1.
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