UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS OF DIFFUSE-GRAY RADIATION ENCLOSURE PROBLEMS

Uncertainty analysis methods, which are adapted from experimental techniques, are applied to diffuse-gray radiation enclosure problems. The propagation of uncertainties in view factors, emissivities, surface areas, and boundary conditions into the computed results is developed along with the required sensitivity analysis. Special considerations of view factor reciprocity and closure are discussed, and it is shown that strict enforcement of these constraints greatly reduces the sensitivity of the results to errors in view factors and surface areas. Illustrative examples are given. The uncertainty analysis gives strong insights into the practical fidelity of diffuse-gray enclosure computations.