Performance of hemisphere algorithm for fast form factor calculation
Noboru Yamada, Tomoaki Shinoda, Hiroyuki Takizawa · Heat Transfer-Asian Research · 2009
Abstract A fast and accurate algorithm is required for carrying out radiative heat transfer simulations designing thermally efficient devices. This paper describes the performance of the hemisphere algorithm, which was originally developed for fast form factor calculation for obtaining photorealistic three‐dimensional computer graphics. We compare the performance of the hemisphere algorithm with that of two conventional algorithms that are widely used for radiative heat transfer simulations. The hemisphere algorithm is found to be significantly faster than the other algorithms, but it has an absolute error of 1.0×10−5. In addition, the result indicates that the hemisphere algorithm is suitable for simulating the trial and error process in the practical analysis of large‐scale models due to its tolerable visualization of form factor distribution. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20259