Radiative Heat Transfer: Fundamentals and Applications to Solar Energy Conversion (SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology)

Radiative Heat Transfer provides a comprehensive review of radiative heat transfer theory as well as its applications to the development and advancement of solar energy technologies. The macroscopic radiative heat transfer is presented by unifying the surface radiative exchange and radiative transfer in participating media. The equation of radiative transfer is derived and several types of boundary conditions are given. The review of the macroscopic radiative heat transfer is complemented by the review of methods for determining radiative properties of interfaces (surfaces) and participating media. Approaches to solar energy conversion are discussed including thermal and non-thermal paths. The thermal applications covered in the book are low temperature solar heating and cooling, and high-temperature solar thermal and thermochemical cycles for power and fuel production, respectively. The non-thermal applications include photochemical and photovoltaic conversion.