Development of a finite element model for coupled radiative and conductive heat transfer in participating media

Considering the geometrical applicability, a finite element model (FEM) for coupled radiative-conductive heat transfer has been developed which is applicable to enclosures of arbitrary geometry in present research. The present work provides a solution of coupled heat transfer in a rectangular, cylindrical or annulus enclosure with black or gray walls containing an absorbing-emitting-scattering medium. It is also applied to study the influence of conductive/radiation coefficient, albedo and wall emissivity on the temperature distribution in the medium. Compared with the results available in other references, the present FEM has no limitation with respect to geometry and can predict the coupled radiative-conductive heat transfer in participating media accurately.