The directional distribution of radiant flux reflected from roughened surfaces is analyzed on the basis of geometrical optics. The analytical model assumes that the surface consists of small, randomly disposed, mirror-like facets. Spec ular reflection from these facets plus a diffuse component due to multiple reflections and/ or internal scattering are postulated as the basic mechanisms of the reflection process. The effects of shadowing and masking of facets by adjacent facets are included in the analysis. The angular distributions of reflected flux predicted by the analysis are in very good agreement with ex periment for both metallic and nonmetallic surfaces. Moreo ver, the analysis successfully predicts the off-specular maxima in the reflection distribution which are obser ved ex perimentally and which emerge as the incidence angle in creases. The model thus affords a rational ex planation for the off-specular peak phenomenon in terms of mutual masking and shadowing of mirror-like, specularly reflecting surface facets.
Computational fluid dynamic techniques have been applied to the determination of drag on oceanographic devices (expendable bathythermographs). Such devices, which are used to monitor changes in ocean heat content, provide information that is dependent on their drag coefficient. Inaccuracies in drag calculations can impact the estimation of ocean heating associated with global warming. Traditionally, ocean-heating information was based on experimental correlations which related the depth of the device to the fall time. The relation of time-depth is provided by a fall-rate equation (FRE). It is known that FRE depths are reasonably accurate for ocean environments that match the experiments from which the correlations were developed. For other situations, use of the FRE may lead to depth errors that preclude XBTs as accurate oceanographic devices. Here, a CFD approach has been taken which provides drag coefficients that are used to predict depths independent of an FRE.
The concepts of fully developed flow and heat transfer have been generalized to accommodate ducts whose cross-sectional area varies periodically in the streamwise direction. The identification of the periodicity characteristics of the velocity components and of a reduced pressure function enables the flow field analysis to be confined to a single isolated module, without involvement with the entrance region problem. A similar modular analysis can be made for the temperature field, but the periodicity conditions are of a different nature depending on the thermal boundary conditions. For uniform wall temperature, profiles of similar shape recur periodically. On the other band, for prescribed wall heat flux which is the same for all modules, the temperature field itself is periodic provided that a linear term related to the bulk temperature change is subtracted. The concepts and solution procedure for the periodic fully developed regime were applied to a heat exchanger configuration consisting of successive ranks of isothermal plate segments placed transverse to the mainflow direction. The computed laminar flow field was found to be characterized by strong blockage effects and massive recirculation zones. The fully developed Nusselt numbers are much higher than those for conventional laminar duct flows and show a marked dependence on the Reynolds number.
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