Contribution of Thermal Radiation to the Temperature Profile of Ceramic Composite Materials

The steady energy transfer equation by simultaneous conduction and radiation in an absorbing, emitting and non-scattering gray planar medium is studied theoretically. For extremely high-temperature applications, where radiative transfer plays an important role, ceramic-matrix composites, considered as semitransparent materials, are being explored for potential use in turbine and compressors components, spacecraft structures, engine control systems and nuclear reactors. Exact solution of the above mentioned radiative problems is seldom possible and large-time consuming numerical approximations are then used. A technique combining an accurate physical formulation, the two-flux model, coupled to a fast numerical procedure for the calculation of the temperature and heat fluxes is described.