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Estimating the Long-waves Emittance of Plastic Shading Nets under

Natural Conditions

Article · May 2014

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A. M. Abdel-Ghany I. M. Al-Helal
Aswan University King Saud University
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 7th International Conference on Thermal Engineering: Theory and Applications
May 6-8, 2014, Marrakesh-Morocco

Estimating the Long-waves Emittance of Plastic Shading Nets under

Natural Conditions

Ahmed M Abdel-Ghany*, Ibrahim M Al-Helal

Department of Agricultural Engineering, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P O box 2460,
Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Abstract

The perforated nature of nets, and the effects of solar and thermal radiation, during the daytimes, make it is
impossible to measure the net emittance (  n ) correctly by using any measuring device. Therefore,  n has never been
theoretically estimated or experimentally measured for plastic nets under natural conditions.
In this study, a theoretical model was developed and validated to predict  n precisely via solving a set of equations
simultaneously. The net was tacked onto a wooden frame; thermal radiation balance was applied below and above the
net surfaces and above a black substrate underneath the frame. The downward and upward thermal radiation fluxes were
measured below and above the net to be used as input parameters to the simulation. Nets with different porosities (  )
and colors were used for the study. The results showed that the estimated  n ranged from 0.43 to 0.70 for the nets
tested. The color and porosity together strongly affects the value of  n . Even though, under equilibrium conditions of a net
with the surrounding environment, the emittance of the net is equal to its absorptance to thermal radiation. However, this
does not always means that the absorbed thermal radiation by the net is equals to the emitted radiation.

Keywords: Plastic net, emittance, thermal radiation, simulation model, measurements

previous studies [5, 6] as: the white net (  =0.28), green

1. Introduction (  =0.51), beige (  =0.12), and dark-green (  = 0.21).

The low cost plastic nets are extensively used for
shading in hot regions such as the Arabian Peninsula.
Plastic nets have many economical and environmental
advantages over other shading methods [1-4]. In order to
investigate the heating or cooling load and the ventilation
rate for a structure covered with nets, the energy balance
needs to be analyzed. The net emittance (  n ) is an
essential parameter needed for such energy analysis.
Because of the perforated nature of nets (porous media)
and the reflected and emitted thermal radiation from the
net can not be separated, it was impossible to measure
 n correctly. Accordingly, the objective of this study was
to develop an algorithm (thermal radiation balance) aided
with measured input parameters (i.e., downward and
upward thermal radiation fluxes) to simulate  n correctly
under natural conditions of solar and thermal radiation.
Nets with different colors and porosities (white, beige,
green and dark green) were selected for the study.
2. Materials and Methods
The nets tested were high-density polyethylene; their
threads are colored and opaque to transmit solar and
thermal radiation; their porosities (  ) were measured in
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +966541374952
Fax: +966 1 4675802; E-mail: aghany@ksu.edu.sa
2.1 Measuring the required parameters
Experiments were conducted on clear sunny days
on the roof of the building of the Agricultural Research
and Experiment Station at King Saud University (46o 47`
E, longitude and 24o 39` N, latitude). A wooden frame
was used (Fig. 1), its base was covered with black cloth
having an emissivity (  w ) of 0.93. The frame in Fig. 2
was oriented longitudinally in the E-W direction and
mounted horizontally at 1 m above the roof of the
building. Un-stretched net samples were tacked onto the
frame; the measured parameters were: (i) Net thermal
radiation above ((L 1 -L 2 ) and below (L 3 -L 4 ) the net using
net radiometers CNR-2 (Kipp & Zonen). (ii) Downward
thermal radiation flux above and blow the net (L 1 and L 3 )
using CGR-3 pyrgeometer (Kipp & Zonen). (iii) Average
temperature of the substrate (T w ) using type-T copper
constantan thermocouples of 0.3 mm in diameter. The
junction reading was corrected to eliminate the effect of
solar and thermal radiation according to [7]. Each of the
above parameters was recorded at 1-minute intervals,
averaged every 15 minutes and saved in a data logger
®
(CR3000 Micrologger , Campbell Scientific).
2.2 Modeling analysis to estimate  n , E n and A n
Thermal radiation balance was applied below and
above the net sample; and above the black substrate
(Fig. 2) assuming: (i) The net sample is sufficiently large

1
that the end effects can be neglected in the radiation L2  E n   n E w  L1  n (1)
exchange. (ii) The substrate and net surfaces are gray,
The downward thermal radiation flux (L 3 ) that was
that is their radiative properties (i.e., transmittance,  n , measured underneath the net surface is given by:
reflectance,  n and emittance,  n ) are independent of L3  E n   n E w  L1 n (2)
the wavelength.  n is for the whole net as a translucent The upward thermal radiation flux above the substrate
(L 4 ) was calculated from the measured values of L 3 and
material; whereas,  n and  n are for the texture (L 3 -L 4 ) and can be expressed as:
structure itself (i.e., opaque for thermal radiation L4  E w   w E n  L1 n  w (3)
transmission). (iii) The entire surfaces are diffuse
The absorbed thermal radiation by the net (A n ) can be
reflectors and diffuse emitters; both the reflected and the
expressed as:
An   n L1 1     L 4 1   
emitted energy are diffuse, having the same directional
characteristics. (iv) Thermal radiation exchanges between (4)
the lower surface of the net and the black- substrate (Fig. The emissive power of the substrate (E w ) was estimated
2) undergo multiple reflections. In general, value of  n based on  w and T w . Thus, the total hemispherical
for plastic (HDPE) nets is very low [8]; therefore, value of reflectance of the substrate (  w ) was estimated as:
 n to higher power (  n2 ,  n3 , etc) will be even lower. To  w  L 4  E w  L3 (5)
simplify the analysis, the first reflection of thermal In Equations (1)-(5), the instantaneous values of L 1 , L 2 ,
radiation on the lower surface of the net and on the L 3 and L 4 are determined from measurements. The
substrate was considered and the multiple reflections
were neglected. In such cases, neglecting the multiple
unknowns A n , E n ,  n and  n were determined by solving
reflections did not jeopardize the accuracy of solution. (v) the equations simultaneously. Once the values of  n ,  n
During a small time interval, the net is at thermal and E n were determined, the corresponding value of  n
equilibrium, so that Kirchhoff’s identity can be applied.
The radiation balance equations, per unit area of the net (  n =1-  n -  n ) can also be determined.
or substrate surfaces can be described as follows:
The downward and the net thermal radiation fluxes were
measured above the net surface (L 1 and L 1 -L 2 ), then the
upward thermal radiation above the net surface (L 2 ) was
calculated and can be expressed as follows:

S N

Solar radiation
Thermal radiation

Psychrometer 0.75
Albedometer
L2 0.25

Pyranometer Sn1
L1 Net sample Radiometers
Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of the
0.25

L4 Albedometer Supporters
experimental set up and the Sn2 Thermocouples
0.5

locations of the measuring L3

devices used to measure
the required parameters, Wooden frame 1.5 m X 2 m X 0.5 m
1.5 Black cloth
dimensions in m, not to scale.

L1
L2
= En +Ew n + L1  n
Net sample

L 3 = En + Ewn +L1 n

Fig. 2 Simplified illustration of thermal L4 = Ew +En w + L1nw

radiation exchanges among the sky Black cloth
dome, the net sample and the substrate.

2
 3. Results and Discussion
The estimated total hemispherical emittance (  n ) for 500

the nets tested is illustrated in Fig. 3 during 24-h period.

400
Unlike the homogeneous materials, color of the net
showed no strong effect on the value of  n . However, the
300 En
net temperature, porosity and the texture structure The Beige net
An
showed the significant effects on  n . 200

1.0 500

0.9 400

0.8
300 En
The dark green net
The net emittance, n

0.7 An
200
0.6
400
0.5 300
0.4 200
The white net En

En, An, (W m-2)

0.3 Beige net (=0.12) 100 An
Dark green net (=0.21)
0.2 0
400
Green net (=0.51)
0.1 White net (=0.28) 300
0.0
2:0 200
6:0 10:0 14:0 18:0 22:0 6:0
The green net En
Local time (h) 100 An
Fig. 3 Time courses of the total hemispherical
0
emittance (  n ) for the net tested. 6:0 10:0 14:0 18:0 22:0 2:0 6:0
The absorbed and emitted thermal radiation by the Local
Localtime (h)
time(h)
-2
nets tested (A n and E n in W m ) are illustrated in Fig. 4.
This figure showed that E n does not equal to A n for all Fig. 4 Time course of the absorbed and emitted
the nets tested. Nets as gray surfaces, energy by the nets tested.
 n   n according to Kirchhoff’s identity; however, A n References
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