Monte Carlo modeling of radiative heat transfer in particle-laden flow

• Radiative heat transfer in a dispersed particle phase is predicted using three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations.
• The optically thin approximation over-predicts particle absorption by up to 35%.
• Oxidation increases the absorption efficiency of the particles by 34%.
• Consideration of non-spherical particle shapes changes the absorption and scattering efficiencies by less than 4%.

Three-dimensional numerical simulations are applied to model radiative heat transfer in a dispersed particle phase exhibiting preferential concentration typical of a turbulent, particle-laden flow environment. The dispersed phase is composed of micron-sized nickel particles, and the carrier phase is non-participating. The simulations are performed for a snapshot of the particle field using the Monte Carlo Ray Tracing method, and the spectral dependence of the optical properties is considered. Interaction between the particles and radiation is modeled by projecting the particle locations onto an Eulerian mesh. Results show that the optically thin approximation results in errors in predicted particle heat transfer of up to 35% at some locations in the particle field. Oxidation is shown to change the absorption efficiency of the particles significantly, while consideration of non-spherical particle shapes results in relatively small changes in the predicted optical properties of the particles.