562 IVd. Heat Transfer: Thermal Radiation
Shown in Figure IVd.1.1 is the electromagnetic wave spectrum in terms of
wavelength (
µ
m = 1E-6 m) ranging from about 1E-10
µ
m for high energy cosmic
rays to 1E9
µ
m for low energy electric power. On this spectrum,
γ
rays follow the
cosmic rays. The
γ
rays are emitted directly from the atomic nucleus and their en-
ergy is measured in MeV. For example bombardment of oxygen, O
16
with neu-
trons results in the appearance of unstable nitrogen N
16
, which then decays by
emitting energetic
γ
-rays on the order of 6.13 MeV and 7.12 MeVs. X-rays are
generally less energetic than
γ
-rays and are emitted by atoms while in the excited
state. This is subsequent to an electron dropping to a lower orbit. The ultraviolet
light is much less energetic than X-rays and is harmful only to sensitive tissue.
Generally
γ
-rays, X-rays, and ultraviolet light are of interest to nuclear physicists
and engineers. The visible light covers the small region between 0.4 to 0.7
µ
m.
The monochromatic distribution of visible light is highlighted in figure IVd.1.1.
The region pertinent to heat transfer falls in the 0.1 to 100
µ
m range. This region
includes the low energy portion of ultraviolet, visible light, and entire infrared
spectrum. Microwaves consist of such waves as radar, television, and radio.
Generally, low frequency waves outside the band of thermal radiation are catego-
rized as Hertzian waves and are of interest to electrical engineers.
Wavelength,
λ
in terms of the wave frequency is given as
λ
= c/f where c is the
speed of light and f is the wave frequency. In vacuum the speed of light is c =
2.998E8 m/s. Wavelength is usually expressed in
µ
m.
Planck’s constant, ƫ is the proportionality factor to express wave energy in
terms of the wave frequency. The plank constant is given as ƫ = 6.6256E-34 J·s.
Hence, the wave energy is E = ƫ f, where E is in joules. For example, to find the
radiation energy having a frequency of 0.01
µ
m, we first calculate the wave fre-
quency f = c/
λ
= (2.998E8 m/s)/(0.01E-6 m) = 2.998E16·s
-1
. We then find energy
as E = 6.6256E-34 × 2.998E16 = 1.986E-17 J.
1.2. Definitions Pertinent to Directions and Coordinates
Thermal radiation variables refer to the dependency of the emitted radiation
on the wavelength (referred to as the spectral distribution) and on the direction (di-
rectional distribution).
Spectral distribution refers to the fact that the magnitude of radiation is a
function of wavelength. This is shown in Figure IVd.1.2(a).
Monochromatic radiation emission refers to a radiation at a specific wave-
length.
Directional distribution expresses the fact that surfaces may emit radiation in
preferred directions as shown in Figure IVd.1.2(b). Figure IVd.1.2(c) shows an
isotropic distribution of radiation.