CHAPTER 3

INTRODUCTION TO
RADIATION
HEAT TRANSFER
 INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES

 Explain the basic mechanism of heat transfer by

radiation.
 Define the radiation properties such as absorptivity,
reflectivity, transmissivity, and emissivity.
 Given the spectral dependence of incident power
(from the Planck’s law) and radiation properties,
calculate the total radiation absorbed.
 Determine the view factor and radiative heat
transfer between two bodies of various
configurations.
 Calculate the heat transfer rate by combined
conduction-convection and radiation.
 INTRODUCTION

 Radiation heat transfer is the transfer of heat by

electromagnetic radiation.
 All substances at temperatures above absolute
zero emit radiation.
 Radiation moves through space and vacuum in
straight lines, or beams, and only substances in
sight of a radiating body can intercept radiation
from that body.
 Radiation becomes important mode of heat transfer
when large temp differences occur.
 The basic mechanism of radiant heat transfer
involves three steps:
 1) Thermal energy of hot source, such as wall of a
furnace at T1, is converted into energy in the form
of electromagnetic waves.
2) These waves travel through intervening space in
straight lines and strike a cold object at T2, such
as a furnace tube containing water to be heated.
3) The electromagnetic wave that strikes the body
are absorbed by the body and converted back to
thermal energy or heat.
 If matter appears in its path, the radiation will be
transmitted, reflected, or absorbed. It is only the
absorbed energy that appears as heat.
 Examples: fused quartz transmits practically all the
radiation that strikes it; a polished opaque surface
or mirror will reflect most; a black surface will
absorb most and will transform it to heat.
 The fraction of the radiation falling on a body that is
reflected is called the reflectivity r. The fraction that
is absorbed is called the absorptivity a. The fraction
that is transmitted is called the transmissivity t.
 The sum of these fractions must be unity:
a + r + t = 1.
 A black body is defined as one that absorbs all
radiant energy and reflects or transmits none.
Hence, a = 1.0 for black body.
 EMISSION & ABSORPTION OF
RADIATION
 Bodies, depending on their temperatures, emit and
absorb radiation of different mix of wavelengths.
 The net energy gained or lost by a body is the
difference btw energy emitted and absorbed by it.
 The thermal radiation exists btw wavelengths l of
0.1 and 100 mm of the electromagnetic spectrum.

[Ref 3]
 The total emissive power is the total amount of
radiation energy per unit area leaving a surface with
temperature T over all wavelengths.
 A basic equation for black body radiation is the
Stefan-Boltzmann law, which states that the total
emissive power of a black body is proportional to the
fourth power of the absolute temperature:
Eb  q / A  s T 4 over all wavelengt hs (0  l  ) (1)
where Eb = total emissive power of black body, W/m2
q = heat flow, W
A = surface area of body, m2
s = constant = 5.672x10-8 W/m2 K4
T = temperature of the black body, K
 The ratio of the total emissive power of a surface to
that of a black body at the same temperature is
called emissivity e and is 1.0 for a black body.
 For a body that is not a black body, e < 1.0, and the
total emissive power is reduced by e :
E  q / A  e s T 4 over all wavelengt hs (0  l  ), e  f (l ) (2)

 Substances that have emissivities less than 1.0 are

called gray bodies when the emissivity is the same
for all individual wave lengths.
 Gray bodies do not exist in practice. The gray body
concept is an idealized one.
 For opaque bodies, transmissivity t = 0 a +r = 1.0.
 Kirchoff’s law states that when any body is at
temperature equilibrium with its surroundings, its
absorptivity and emissivity are equal:
a  e at the same temperatu re (3)
 Thus the emissivity, like absorptivity, is low for
polished metal surfaces, and high for oxidized metal
surfaces and most non-metallic substances.
 The emissivity and absorptivity of real surfaces varies
with wavelength of incident radiation.
 The temp of the absorbing surface has only slight
effect on its absorptivity. Thus a of absorber is
evaluated at source temp, not at absorber temp.
 Planck Distribution
The spectral emissive power of a black body is given by,

C1
Eb,l (l , T ) 
l e 
C2 / lT
(4)
5
1
where C1  3.742  108 W  mm 4 / m 2 , C2  1.439  10 4 mm  K

 The emitted radiation varies continuously with wavelength.

 At any wavelength the emitted radiation increases with temp.
 At any temp, there is a wavelength at which max radiation
occurs.
 The radiation is more concentrated at short wavelengths as the
temp increases.
[Ref 3]
Equation (4) can be rewritten as,
Eb ,l (lT ) C1 W
 (5)
T 5
 
lT 5 eC2 / lT  1 m 2 mm K 5
Eb , 0l 1
lT
Eb ,l (lT ) C1
lT
d (lT )
and Fb ( λT ) 
Eb

s 
0
T 5
d (lT ) 
s 0 lT 5 eC2 / lT  1
 
(6)
where
Eb,l (lT )  monochroma tic emissive power of black body, W/m 2  mm
Fb (lT )  fraction of total black body energy found below lT

In the hand-out Figure, the L.H.S’s of Equations (5) and (6) are
plotted against lT.
Example 1: Transmission of band radiation [Ref 5]
Fused quartz transmits 90% of the incident thermal radiation
between 0.2 and 4 mm. Suppose a certain heat source is viewed
through a quartz window. What heat flux in watts will be
transmitted through the material from black body radiation
sources at (a) 800°C and (b) 250°C.
Solution: l1 = 0.2 mm, l2 = 4 mm, (q/A)transmit = 0.9 Eb,l1-l2
(a) T = 800+273 = 1073 K, l1 T = (0.2)(1073) = 214.6 mm-K
l2 T = (4)(1073) = 4292 mm-K
Eb = sT4 = (5.672x10-8)(1073)4 = 75,185 W/m2
From Figure, Fb(l1 T) = Eb,0-l1/Eb = 0, Fb(l2 T) = Eb,0-l2/Eb = 0.53
Fb,l1-l2 = Eb,l1-l2/Eb = (Eb,0-l2/Eb) – (Eb,0-l1/Eb) = 0.53 – 0 = 0.53
Eb,l1-l2 = 0.53 Eb = 0.53(75,185) = 39,848 W/m2
(q/A)transmit = 0.9 Eb,l1-l2 = 0.9(39,848) = 35,863 W/m2 
Example 2: Transmission and absorption in a glass plate
A glass plate 30 cm square is used to view radiation from a
furnace. The emissivity of the glass is 0.3 up to 3.5 mm
wavelengths and 0.9 above that. The transmissivity of the glass
is zero, except that it is 0.5 in the range from 0.2 to 3.5 mm.
Assuming that the furnace is a black body at 2000°C, calculate
the energy absorbed and energy transmitted by the glass.
Solution: Given:
T  2000C  2273 K, l1  0.2 mm, l2  3.5 mm
A  (0.3) 2 m 2 , t l1 l2  0.5, t 0l1  t l2   0
a 0l  e 0l  0.3, a l   e l   0.9
2 2 2 2

l1T  (0.2)( 2273)  454.6 mm  K, l2T  (3.5)( 2273)  7955.5 mm  K

 Eb,0l2
From the Figure, E b,0l1  0,  0.85
Eb
E b  s T 4  (5.672x10 -8 )( 2273) 4  1514 kW/m 2
E b,0l2  0.85E b  0.85(1514 )  1287 kW
E b,l1 l2  E b,0l2  E b,0l1  1287  0  1287 kW/m 2

Total radiation transmitt ed  A t E b 0l1  t E b l1 l2  t E b l2  
 0.090  (0.5)(1287)  0
 58 kW 
E b,l2   E b  E b,0l2  1514  1287  227 kW

Total radiation absorbed  A a Eb 0l2  a E b l2  
 0.09(0.3)(1287)  (0.9)( 227)
 53 kW 
Example 3 (Example 4.10-1/Geankoplis): Radiation to a small
object from surroundings
Solution: Since the furnace is very large compared to the small
enclosed tube, the surroundings appear black.
T1  588 K, Tb  1088 K, e 1,Tb  0.6, e 1  0.46
A1  DL   (0.0254)(0.61)  0.0486 m 2
Radiation emitted by the tube  A1e 1s T14
Total emissive power of furna ce, Eb  s Tb4
Radiation absorbed by the tub e  A1a1b Eb  A1e 1,Tb s Tb4
Net heat absorbed by the tube  A1e 1,Tb s Tb4  A1e 1s T14

 A1s e 1,Tb Tb4  e 1T14 

 (0.0486)(5.672x10 -8 ) (0.6)(1088) 4  (0.46)(588) 4 
 2166 W 
 Radiative Heat Transfer
between Two Surfaces
 The radiative exchange between two or more
surfaces depends not only their temperatures and
radiative properties, but also strongly on the
surface geometries and orientations which is
described by view factors.
 The view factor Fij is defined as the fraction of the
radiation leaving surface i that is intercepted by
surface j.
 Simplest type of radiation between two surfaces
occurs where each surface can see only the other.
E.g., two very large parallel black planes.
 View Factor for Two Black Planes
T1, T2 = temperatures of plane 1 and plane 2, resp.
A1, A2 = surface areas of plane 1 and plane 2, resp.
Radiation leaving surface 1 and arriving at surface 2 is
F12 A1sT14 , which is all absorbed by 2.

Radiation leaving surface 2 and arriving at surface 1 is

F21 A2sT24 , which is all absorbed by 1.

Net radiation from plane 1 to 2: q12  F12 A1sT1  F21 A2sT2

4 4

For T1 = T2, q12  0  F12 A1  F21 A2 (Reciprocity relation)

Thus, q12  F12 A1s T14  T24  (7)
For two infinitely large parallel black planes, F12  F21  1
 Combined Radiation and
Convection Heat Transfer
 Radiation is usually accompanied by conduction-
convection heat transfer.
E.g., a hot pipeline in a room loses heat nearly
equally by the two mechanisms.

q  qc  qr  hc A(Tw  T )  Ase w Tw4  T 4  (8)
where q  total heat trans fer rate
qc  heat trans fer by conduction - convection
qr  heat trans fer by radiation
hc  convective heat trans fer coefficien t
e w  emissivity of surface
Tw  temperatu re of surface
T  temperatu re of surroundin gs
 Eq. (8) can be rewritten as:
q  (hc  hr ) A(Tw  T ) (9)
where hr  radiation heat trans fer coefficien t
e ws Tw4  T 4 
 (10)
Tw  T

Example 4: Heat loss from a pipe by radiation + natural

convection
A bare stainless-steel tube having an outside diameter of 76.2
mm and an e of 0.55 is placed horizontally in air at 294.2 K. The
pipe surface temperature is 366.4 K. Calculate the value of hc +
hr for convection plus radiation and the heat loss for 3 m of pipe.
Tw  366.4 K, T  294.2 K, A  DL   (0.0762)(3)  0.7181 m 2
e ws Tw4  T 4  (0.55)(5.672 108 )(366.44  294.24 )
hr    4.55 W/m 2  K
Tw  T 366.4  294.2

For natural convection from horizontal cylinder

Tw  T 366.4  294.2
 
m
N Nu  a N Gr N Pr , T f 
2

2
 330.3 K

At 330.3 K, from Appendix,

k  0.029 W/m  K, gr 2 / m 2  0.77 108 1/K  m 3 , N Pr  0.703
L3 r 2 gT
N Gr   (0.0762) 3 (0.77  108 )(366.4  294.2)  11.65 10 6
m2
N Gr N Pr  (11.65 10 6 )(0.703)  8.19  106
Thus, From Table 4.7 - 1 (Geankopli s), a  0.53, m  1 / 4

So, N Nu 
hc D
k
 
1/ 4
 0.53 N Gr N Pr  hc  12 W/m 2  K

 hc  hr  12  4.55  16.55 W/m 2  K 

 REFERENCES
1. Geankoplis, C. J. Transport Processes and Unit
Operations, 4th Edition. Prentice-Hall, 2003.
2. McCabe W. L., Smith, J. P., and Harriott, P. Unit Operations
of Chemical Engineering, 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill, 2005.
3. Incropera, F. P., Dewitt, D. P., Bergman, T. L., and Lavine,
A. S. Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 6th Edition.
John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
4. Dutta, B. K. Heat Transfer - Principles and Applications.
Prentice-Hall of India, 2001.
5. Holman, J. P. Heat Transfer, 10th Ed. McGraw-Hill, 2009.
6. Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, 8th Edition.
McGraw-Hill, 2007.