Time shift and superposition method for solving transient radiative transfer equation

Due to the long-time transient response of pulse irradiation, the computational time required for solving transient radiative transfer (TRT) is often very long, especially for the case in which the boundary is subjected to continuous pulse train and the geometry is complicated. In addition, sometimes, before actual experiments are carried out, a suitable pulse shape or type often needs to be selected by numerical simulation and comparison. Because the numerical solution of TRT needs to be repeated many times, the selection processes is very time-consuming. In this paper, by considering that the TRT equation and its initial and boundary conditions are linear, a time shift and superposition method is developed for solving TRT equation in non-emitting media, in which only the transient response of a short square pulse needs to be solved, and the solution of TRT under any pulse shape can be constructed by time shift and then superposition using the basis solution of the short square pulse. Three numerical examples are studied to illustrate the peformance of the superposition method in solving TRT problems. The results show that the superposition is effective, accurate and very suitable for solving TRT in the medium subjected to a series of pulse train.