On the Entropy Generation Formula of Radiation Heat Transfer Processes

Abstract

Because thermal radiation is a long-range phenomenon, the local radiative heat flux is dependent on the temperature distribution of the entire enclosure under consideration and is not determined by the local temperature gradient. In the community of heat transfer, traditionally, the conduction-type formula of entropy generation rate is used to calculate the entropy generation rate of radiation heat transfer. In the present study, three counterexamples are considered. The discrete ordinates method is employed to solve the radiative transfer equation and then solve the radiative entropy generation rate. The results show that the traditional formulas of entropy generation rate for heat transfer generally cannot be used to calculate the local entropy generation rate of radiation heat transfer. Only in optically extremely thick situations, the traditional formula of entropy generation rate for heat transfer can be approximately used to calculate the local entropy generation rate of radiation heat transfer.