Radiation: Processes and

Properties
Surface Radiative Properties
Chapter 12
Sections 12.4 through 12.7

Presented by R. Ben-Mansour
Emissivity
Surface Emissivity
• Radiation emitted by a surface may be determined by introducing a property
(the emissivity) that contrasts its emission with the ideal behavior of a blackbody
at the same temperature.

• The definition of the emissivity depends upon one’s interest in resolving

directional and/or spectral features of the emitted radiation, in contrast
to averages over all directions (hemispherical and/or wavelengths (total).

• The spectral, directional emissivity:

I  ,e   , , ,T 
  ,   , , ,T  
I  ,b   ,T 

• The spectral, hemispherical emissivity (a directional average):

E    ,T   02 0 / 2 I  ,e   , , ,T  cos  sin  d  d 
    ,T   
E  ,b   ,T   02 0 / 2 I  ,b   ,T  cos  sin  d  d 
Emissivity (cont)

• The total, hemispherical emissivity (a directional and spectral average):


E T   0     ,T  E  ,b   ,T  d , 
 T   
E b T  E b T 

• To a reasonable approximation, the hemispherical emissivity is equal to

the normal emissivity.
  n
• Representative values of the total, normal emissivity:

Note:
 Low emissivity of polished metals and increasing emissivity for unpolished
and oxidized surfaces.
 Comparatively large emissivities of nonconductors.
Emissivity (cont)

• Representative spectral variations:

Note decreasing   ,n with increasing  for metals and different behavior for nonmetals.

• Representative temperature variations:

Why does n increase with increasing  for tungsten and not for aluminum oxide?
Abs, Ref & Trans

Response to Surface Irradiation: Absorption, Reflection

and Transmission
• There may be three responses of a semitransparent medium to irradiation:

 Reflection from the medium G  ,ref  .

 Absorption within the medium G  ,abs  .

 Transmission through the medium G  ,tr  .

Radiation balance
G   G  ,ref  G  ,abs  G  ,tr

• In contrast to the foregoing volumetric effects, the response of an opaque material

to irradiation is governed by surface phenomena and G  ,tr  0.
G   G  ,ref  G  ,tr
• The wavelength of the incident radiation, as well as the nature of the material,
determine whether the material is semitransparent or opaque.
 Are glass and water semitransparent or opaque?
Abs, Ref & Trans (cont)

• Unless an opaque material is at a sufficiently high temperature to emit visible

radiation, its color is determined by the spectral dependence of reflection in
response to visible irradiation.

 What may be said about reflection for a white surface? A black surface?

 Why are leaves green?

Absorptivity

Absorptivity of an Opaque Material

• The spectral, directional absorptivity: Assuming negligible temperature dependence,
I   , ,  
 ,   , ,    ,i ,abs
I  ,i   , , 
• The spectral, hemispherical absorptivity:
G  ,abs     02 0 / 2  ,   , ,  I  ,i   , ,  cos  sin  d  d 
     
G    02 0 / 2 I  ,i   , ,  cos  sin  d  d 
 To what does the foregoing result simplify, if the irradiation is diffuse?
If the surface is diffuse?

• The total, hemispherical absorptivity:


G abs o    G     d 
 
0 G  d 

G
 If the irradiation corresponds to emission from a blackbody, how may the
above expression be rewritten?

 The absorptivity is approximately independent of the surface temperature,

but if the irradiation corresponds to emission from a blackbody, why does 
depend on the temperature of the blackbody?
Reflectivity
Reflectivity of an Opaque Material
• The spectral, directional reflectivity: Assuming negligible temperature dependence:
I  ,i ,ref   , , 
  ,   , ,  
I  ,i   , , 
• The spectral, hemispherical reflectivity:
2  / 2
G  ,ref     0  0   ,   , ,  I  ,i   , ,  cos  sin  d  d 
  
G   I  ,i   , , 

 To what does the foregoing result simplify if the irradiation is diffuse?

If the surface is diffuse

• The total, hemispherical reflectivity:


G abs  0     G    d 
  
G  0 G    d 
• Limiting conditions of diffuse and
spectral reflection.
Polished and rough surfaces.
Reflectivity (cont)

 Note strong dependence of   and   1    on .

 Is snow a highly reflective substance? White paint?
Transmissivity
Transmissivity
• The spectral, hemispherical transmissivity: Assuming negligible temperature
dependence,
G 
    ,tr
G  

Note shift from semitransparent to opaque conditions at large and small wavelengths.

• The total, hemispherical transmissivity: • For a semitransparent medium,


Gtr  0 G  ,tr    d         1
       1
G 0 G  d 
Kirchhoff’s Law
Kirchhoff’s Law
• Kirchhoff’s law equates the total, hemispherical emissivity of a surface to its
total, hemispherical absorptivity:
 
However, conditions associated with its derivation are highly restrictive:
Irradiation of the surface corresponds to emission from a blackbody at the
same temperature as the surface.

• However, Kirchhoff’s law may be applied to the spectral, directional properties

without restriction:

  ,   ,
Why are there no restrictions on use of the foregoing equation?
Diffuse/Gray Surfaces
Diffuse/Gray Surfaces
• With  02 0 / 2   , cos  sin  d  d 
   2  / 2
 0  0 cos  sin  d  d 

and  02 0 / 2  , I  ,i cos  sin  d  d 

 
 02 0 / 2 I  ,i cos  sin  d  d 

Under what conditions may we equate   to  ?

• With 
  E  d 
  0   ,b
E b T 

and   G  d 
 0  
G
Under what conditions may we equate  to  ?

• Conditions associated with

assuming a gray surface:
Problem: Surface Emissivity and Absorptivity

Problem 12.49: Determination of the solar absorptivity and total emissivity

of a diffuse surface from knowledge of the spectral
distribution of     and the surface temperature.

KNOWN: Spectral, hemispherical absorptivity of an opaque surface.

FIND: (a) Solar absorptivity, (b) Total, hemispherical emissivity for T s = 340K.
Problem: Surface Emissivity and Absorptivity (cont)
SCHEMATIC:

ASSUMPTIONS: (1) Surface is opaque, (2)  = , (3) Solar spectrum has G = G,S
proportional to E,b (, 5800K).

ANALYSIS: (a) The solar absorptivity may be expressed as

 
S       E ,b   ,5800K  d /  E ,b   ,5800K  d.
0 0

The integral can be written in three parts using F(0  ) terms.

S  1 F 00.3  2  F 01.5  F00.3   3 1  F01.5  .
   

From Table 12.1,

T = 0.3  5800 = 1740 mK F(0  0.3 m) = 0.0335
T = 1.5  5800 = 8700 mK F(0  1.5 m) = 0.8805.
Problem: Surface Emissivity and Absorptivity (cont)

Hence,
S  0  0.0355  0.9 0.8805  0.0335  0.11  0.8805  0.774.
(b) The total, hemispherical emissivity for the surface at 340K may be
expressed as

       E ,b   , 340K  d / E b  340K  .
0

With  = , the integral can be written in terms of the F(0  ) function. However, it is readily
recognized that since
F 01.5 m,340K   0.000 at T  1.5  340  510 m  K

there is negligible emission below 1.5 m.

It follows that
       0.1
COMMENTS: The assumption  =  is satisfied if the surface is
irradiated diffusely or if the surface itself is diffuse. Note that for this
surface under the specified conditions of solar irradiation and surface
temperature, S  . Such a surface is spectrally selective.
Problem: Energy Balance for an Irradiated Surface

Problem 12.90: Determination of the emissivity and absorptivity of a coated

vertical plate exposed to solar-simulation lamps and the magnitude
of the irradiation required to maintain a prescribed plate
temperature.

KNOWN: Vertical plate of height L  2 m suspended in

quiescent air. Exposed surface with diffuse coating of prescribed
spectral absorptivity distribution subjected to simulated solar
irradiation, GS,. Plate steady-state temperature Ts  400 K.
Problem: Energy Balance for an Irradiated Surface (cont)

FIND: Plate emissivity, , plate absorptivity, , and plate

irradiation, G.
SCHEMATIC:

ASSUMPTIONS: (1) Steady-state conditions, (2) Ambient air is

extensive, quiescent, (3) Spectral distribution of the simulated solar
irradiation, GS, , proportional to that of a blackbody at 5800 K, (4)
Coating is opaque, diffuse, and (5) Plate is perfectly insulated on the
edges and the back side, and (6) Plate is isothermal.

PROPERTIES: Table A.4, Air (Tf  350 K, 1 atm):   20.92  10-6

m2s, k = 0.030 W/mK,  = 29.90  10-6 m2/s, Pr  0.700.
Problem: Energy Balance for an Irradiated Surface (cont)

ANALYSIS: (a) Perform an energy balance on the plate as shown in the

schematic on a per unit plate width basis,

Ein  Eout  0

 G   T 4  h  T  T   L  0
 s s  

where  and  are determined from knowledge of  and h

is estimated
from an appropriate correlation.
Plate total emissivity: Expressing the emissivity in terms of the band
emission factor, F(0 - T),

  1F 0 T   2 1  F 0 T  

1 s  1 s 

  0.9  0  0.11  0  0.1 <

where, from Table 12.1, with ,Ts  1m  400 K  400 mK, F(0-T)  0.000.
Problem: Energy Balance for an Irradiated Surface (cont)

Plate absorptivity: With the spectral distribution of simulated solar irradiation proportional to
emission from a blackbody at 5800 K,

  1F 0 T   2 1  F 0 T  

1 s  1 s 

  0.9  0.7202  0.1 1 0.7202  0.676 <

where, from Table 12.1, with 1Ts  5800 mK, F(0 -T)  0.7202.

Estimating the free convection coefficient, h : Using the Churchill-Chu correlation with
properties evaluated at Tf  (Ts + T  )2  350 K,

g  Ts  T  L3
Ra L 


9.8 m s2 1 350 K   100 K  2 m 

3
Ra L   3.581  1010
6 2 6 2
20.92  10 m s  29.90  10 m s

2
 
 0.387Ra L1/ 6 
Nu L  0.825   =377.6
8 27
 1   0.492 Pr 9 16  
   

hL  Nu L k L  377.6  0.030 W m  K 2 m  5.66 W m2 K <

Problem: Energy Balance for an Irradiated Surface (cont)

Irradiation on the Plate: Substituting numerical values into

Eq. (1),
8 4
0.676G  0.1  5.67  10 W m K 2
 400 K 4 5.66 W m2  K  400  300  K  0

G  1052 W m2