A new computational algorithm for the solution of radiation heat transfer problems

A new computational algorithm is developed for solving the integrodifferential equation of radiative heat transfer. Traditionally the equation has been solved using either the discrete ordinate method or the spherical harmonic method. This algorithm is a radical departure from all the existing techniques to date. A psuedo-time is added to the equation and the new equation is solved using the Crank-Nicolson finite-difference/finite-volume technique. The method offers three distinct advantages: (1) it is easily integrated with existing finite-difference/finite-volume CFD codes for thermal radiation analysis, (2) it is easily extended to 3-D in contrast to existing methods, and (3) it is significantly more efficient than the existing methods. The method is shown to be accurate, efficient and robust by comparing the calculations with known solutions.