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SFES – Salisbury Fire Engineering Software
TRA – Thermal Radiation Analysis

UserManual
June 2012
 SFES - Salisbury Fire Engineering Software

TRA – Thermal Radiation Analysis

User Manual

 SFES
Matthew Salisbury BEng CEng MIFireE
England
www.fire-engineering-software.com
Table of Contents

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1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 2

1.1 Scope and limitations ......................................................................................................... 2

1.2 Design approach ................................................................................................................. 2

2 THEORY............................................................................................. 4
3 ANALYSIS ......................................................................................... 6

3.1 Input parameters ................................................................................................................ 6

3.2 Results ................................................................................................................................. 7

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Preface
This guide describes how to use TRA Version 1.6 and the theory on which it is based.
The software is designed to analyse complex or simple thermal radiation problems
normally associated with fire engineering design, including fire spread between
buildings and egress via evacuation routes. It may also be used to verify
configuration factors used within heat transfer calculations.
The user should be familiar with radiation heat transfer to use this software.

Disclaimer
The author of TRA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, to users of this software
and accepts no responsibility for its use. Users of TRA assume sole responsibility
under national and local law for: determining the appropriateness of its use in any
particular application; for any conclusions drawn from the results of its use; and, for
any actions taken or not taken as a result of analyses performed.
Users are warned that TRA is intended for use only by those competent in the field of
radiation heat transfer and is intended only to supplement the informed judgment. All
results should be evaluated by an informed user and cross checked by other users and
approaches to ensure a consistent conclusion is made.

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Chapter

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1 INTRODUCTION
Thermal Radiation Analysis (TRA) has been developed to support the need to provide a simple
and visible method to calculate thermal radiation between surfaces. The software is focused on
fire engineering design and analyses radiation between hot emitter surfaces such as fires or
compartment fire windows to cool receiver surfaces such as boundary walls or evacuation
routes.
The software provides two fundamental differentiators:
• It assesses any number of hot or cool surfaces at prescribed temperatures; and
• It allows the surfaces to be located at any orientation or angle to one another.
The results provide both hot spot radiation fluxes and the average radiation flux across a
surface. All receiver surfaces can be set to shadow one another from emitter surfaces.

1.1 Scope and limitations

The software has been developed to provide flexible assessments of complex scenarios. The
scope of the software covers steady state radiation fluxes only any further heat transfer
calculations based on either material or convective properties are neglected.
The traditional high level of computation required to solve the radiation fluxes between surfaces
is resolved with limiting the surfaces to sub panels. The number of dividers each panel is
assigned will control the resolution; however the model does remain accurate if very few
divides are set per panel. The model is therefore limited by the time required to undertake the
case described and the level of resolution required. In most cases, if a very refined solution is
sought, the model should solve the case within minutes.
Version 1.6 does not assess:
• Reflection – no surface reflects any radiation incident upon it.

1.2 Design approach

Users of TRA should assess the problem, with the design and approval team, to determine the
objective of the assessment and the acceptance criteria required. Key input parameters such as
geometry, fire & plume temperatures and emissivity should be agreed. Following this process
the problem should sketched out in 3D, noting the input requirements for each surface. The
model should then be run with a course divider grid to determine the broad heat fluxes apparent.
The model should then be re run with a refined grid divider size until the required resolution is
found.

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2 THEORY
TRA solves the following equation between surfaces:

(
Q = F12 × ε × σ × T1 − T2
4 4
)
Where
Q Heat Flux kW/m2
#
F12 View Factor: The fraction of energy leaving an emitter incident
on a receiver.

Shown as:

ε Emissivity: The ratio of radiation emitted by a surface to the #

theoretical radiation predicted by Planck’s Law.
σ The Stephan Boltzmann constant = 5.67E 11 kWm 2K 4

T1 Temperature of emitter (Surface 1) K

T2 Temperature of receiver (Surface 2) K

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Chapter

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3 ANALYSIS

3.1 Input parameters

Each panel or surface is specified by a single line entered into the input text box. Each input
line is recognised by the program only if it is enclosed within the < > characters. Carriage
returns should not be used within the input line but may be used outside it. Each input line
should be followed with a carriage return.
The standard input line is defined as follows:
Add any comments here < Type=Emitter, geometry=0:0:0*0:0:1*1:0:1*1:0:0, temp=1298 > add comments here

The input parameters are not case sensitive and values may be entered in any order, however
the first input parameter should always be Type. The input parameters must be separated with a
comma i.e. ‘,’ and each parameter and its evaluated value must be separated with an equals
sign, i.e. ‘=’.
The input parameters that may be set are:

Parameter Expression Comment

Type Emitter This is an emitter, radiating energy in all
directions it faces.
Receiver This is a receiver, receiving radiation
from all emitters incident on it (in the
direction it faces).

Geometry X1:Y1:Z1 * X2:Y2:Z2 * X3:Y3:Z3 * The geometry of the panel is set. Four
X4:Y4:Z4 points are required generating a square
or rectangular flat surface. The asterisk
Where X1, Y1, Z1 etc are numeric values. (*) is a required separator. It is not a
multiplier. Each coordinate X,Y,Z is
separated with a colon (:).

Name Any text expression This is the name of the emitter or

receiver. It is an important parameter if
multiple receivers of the same geometry
are set. A number of receiver panels
may have the same name, for example a
curved wall.

Temp 1000 This is the temperature of the surface

T in degrees Kelvin. DO NOT USE
Temperature
CELCIUS.

Emissivity 0.8 This is the emissivity of the emitter

E less than or equal to one.

Divider 20 This is the number of vertical and

D horizontal separators used to divide
the panels. Higher values provide
greater resolution.

It would be very unusual to use more

than 100 dividers.

Reverse TRUE The program allows panels facing one

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Parameter Expression Comment

R FALSE direction to be flipped to radiate or
receive energy in the opposite
direction.

Where a value above it not set the program uses a number of defaults. For example the Divider
value does not need to be set if you would like to use the default value. Please edit the default
values as necessary within the Options dropdown menu.
Additional notes:
• All surfaces are always flat and defined by four coordinates.
• The surfaces may be rectangular or trapezoidal. 3D geometry should be created by using a
number of smaller panels, such as for fires or plumes.
• If very long thin panels are need you should split them into more separate panels.
• The panels only radiate or receive radiation in the direction they are created. The back of
the panel is always black and will not receive or emit radiation.
• The panel temperature is assumed to be uniform throughout its size.
• Select an input line (use a double click or select drag) and the ‘Insert’ command button
changes to ‘Edit’. You may edit the values using the panel input form. This provides a
quick and straight forward method of editing panels. You may want to copy and paste
panels created with Excel or another software package.
o Use the mouse to move about the centre axis.
o Use the shift button and mouse to move left and right.
o Use the ctrl button and mouse to move left and right and zoom in and out.
o Use the Alt button and mouse to move up and down.
o Use the shift & ctrl button and mouse to move left and right and up and down.
A simple temperature to equivalent radiation function is provided, so you can quickly set the
radiation flux if you know the temperature. This is based on the following:

(
Q = σ × T1 − T2
4 4
)
Where T1 is the temperature provided and T2 is the default ambient temperature.
Please note these values (located directly beneath the input box) must be deleted and then typed.
It is not possible to type over values already provided.

3.2 Results
The results are provided both graphically and via the output box.
Use the scroll bar located at the right to highlight radiation fluxes in black. The radiation
received is shown. The average and maximum radiation received over the named receivers is
also shown in the output box.
Please note receivers with a common name are calculated as one receiver for average and
maximum radiation purposes.

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The following shows the radiation flux incident on a wall in close proximity to a fire and plume.