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The problem of formation of a material, which has the coefficients of attenuations and scattering close or coinciding with the same coefficients for some other predetermined material was considered. A computer processing of values of these coefficients for a big set of various materials has been carried out and their dependence on radiation energy value was studied. The conclusion was drawn about probability of successful solution of the problem in many cases and difficulties, which may occur were pointed out. A set of computer calculations carried out for some specific materials is provided.

Comparative analysis of two numerical methods for simulation of unsteady natural convection and thermal surface radiation within a differentially heated cubical cavity has been carried out. The considered domain of interest had two isothermal opposite vertical faces, while other walls are adiabatic. The walls surfaces were diffuse and gray, namely, their directional spectral emissivity and absorptance do not depend on direction or wavelength but can depend on surface temperature. For the reflected radiation we had two approaches such as: 1) the reflected radiation is diffuse, namely, an intensity of the reflected radiation in any point of the surface is uniform for all directions; 2) the reflected radiation is uniform for each surface of the considered enclosure. Mathematical models formulated both in primitive variables “velocity–pressure” and in transformed variables “vector potential functions – vorticity vector” have been performed numerically using finite volume method and finite difference methods, respectively. It should be noted that radiative heat transfer has been analyzed using the net-radiation method in Poljak approach.

Using primitive variables and finite volume method for the considered boundary-value problem we applied power-law for an approximation of convective terms and central differences for an approximation of diffusive terms. The difference motion and energy equations have been solved using iterative method of alternating directions. Definition of the pressure field associated with velocity field has been performed using SIMPLE procedure.

Using transformed variables and finite difference method for the considered boundary-value problem we applied monotonic Samarsky scheme for convective terms and central differences for diffusive terms. Parabolic equations have been solved using locally one-dimensional Samarsky scheme. Discretization of elliptic equations for vector potential functions has been conducted using symmetric approximation of the second-order derivatives. Obtained difference equation has been solved by successive over-relaxation method. Optimal value of the relaxation parameter has been found on the basis of computational experiments.

As a result we have found the similar distributions of velocity and temperature in the case of these two approaches for different values of Rayleigh number, that illustrates an operability of the used techniques. The efficiency of transformed variables with finite difference method for unsteady problems has been shown.

Reduction of the fire hazard of polymeric materials is one of the important scientific and technical problems. Since complexity of experimental procedures associated with flame spread, establishing reacting flows theoretical basics turned out to be crucial field of modern fundamental science. In order to determine parameters of flame spread over solid combustible materials numerical modelling methods have to be improved. Large amount of physical and chemical processes taking place needed to be resolved not just separately one by one but in connection with each other in gas and solid phases.

Upward flame spread over vertical solid combustible material is followed by unsteady eddy structures of gas flow in the vicinity of flame zone caused by thermal instability and natural convection forces accelerating hot combustion products. At every moment different amount of heat energy is transferred from hot gas-phase flame to solid material because of eddy flow structures. Therefore, satisfactory heat flux and eddy flow modelling are important to estimate flame spread rate.

In the current study we evaluated parameters of numerical method for flame spread over solid combustible material problem taking into account coupled nature of complex interaction between gas phase, solid material and eddy flow resulted from natural convection. We studied aspects of different approximation schemes used in differential equations integration process over space and time, of fields relaxation during iterations procedure carried out inside time step, of different time step values.

Mathematical model formulated allows to simulate flame spread over solid combustible material. Fluid dynamics is modeled by Navier – Stokes system of equations, eddy flow is described by combined turbulent model RANS–LES (DDES), turbulent combustion is resolved by modified turbulent combustion model Eddy Break-Up taking into account kinetic effects, radiation transfer is modeled by spherical harmonics method of first order approximation (P1). The equations presented are solved in OpenFOAM software.

Mathematical simulation of unsteady natural convection and thermal surface radiation within a rotating square enclosure was performed. The considered domain of interest had two isothermal opposite walls subjected to constant low and high temperatures, while other walls are adiabatic. The walls were diffuse and gray. The considered cavity rotated with constant angular velocity relative to the axis that was perpendicular to the cavity and crossed the cavity in the center. Mathematical model, formulated in dimensionless transformed variables “stream function – vorticity” using the Boussinesq approximation and diathermic approach for the medium, was performed numerically using the finite difference method. The vorticity dispersion equation and energy equation were solved using locally one-dimensional Samarskii scheme. The diffusive terms were approximated by central differences, while the convective terms were approximated using monotonic Samarskii scheme. The difference equations were solved by the Thomas algorithm. The approximated Poisson equation for the stream function was solved by successive over-relaxation method. Optimal value of the relaxation parameter was found on the basis of computational experiments. Radiative heat transfer was analyzed using the net-radiation method in Poljak approach. The developed computational code was tested using the grid independence analysis and experimental and numerical results for the model problem.

Numerical analysis of unsteady natural convection and thermal surface radiation within the rotating enclosure was performed for the following parameters: Ra = 10³–10⁶, Ta = 0–10⁵, Pr = 0.7, ε = 0–0.9. All distributions were obtained for the twentieth complete revolution when one can find the periodic behavior of flow and heat transfer. As a result we revealed that at low angular velocity the convective flow can intensify but the following growth of angular velocity leads to suppression of the convective flow. The radiative Nusselt number changes weakly with the Taylor number.

The question on improvement of quality of images obtained in a tomography problem is considered. The problem consists in finding of boundaries of inhomogeneities (inclusions) in a continuous medium by results of X-ray radiography of this medium. A nonlinear integral transformation of a special kind is proposed which allows to improve quality of images obtained earlier at a set of papers. The method is realized numerically by the use of computer modelling. Some calculations are carried out with use of data for concrete materials. The results obtained are presented by drawings and graphic images.

We consider two versions of the maximum cross section method for the solutions of the stationary equation of radiative transfer in dimensional inhomogeneous medium. Both are based on the application Monte-Carlo method to the summation of the Neumann series for the solution transport equation. First modification is traditional and second is based on the use of branching Markov chains. We carried out numerical comparison of these algorithms.

The article considers the mathematical aspects of the problem of identifying a multicomponent scattering medium based on pulsed multienergy X-ray irradiation data. X-ray diagnostics problems are of considerable interest from both theoretical and practical points of view, and radiographic methods are indispensable in non-destructive testing of products.

Within the framework of a mathematical model based on a non-stationary integro-differential equation of radiation transfer, the inverse problem of finding the attenuation coefficient for radiation known at the boundary of the region and the problem of identifying a substance based on the found values of the attenuation coefficient on a discrete set of irradiation energies of the medium are formulated.

A preliminary processing of a wide list of substances of interest in computed tomography was carried out to determine the possibility of their identification by an approximately specified radiation attenuation coefficient characterizing the medium. When analyzing the degree of proximity of substances in a certain norm, it was found that the set of all possible substances potentially contained in the medium is divided into a finite number of non-intersecting clusters. For a sufficiently short duration of the probing signal, the scattering component of the radiation leaving the medium is asymptotically small. This circumstance allows us to reduce the inverse problem for the radiation transfer equation to the problem of inverting the Radon transform from the attenuation coefficient. The possibility of unambiguous or partial identification of a substance by varying the duration of the probing pulse and the number of energy levels of irradiation of the medium is analyzed using numerical modeling methods on a specially developed digital phantom.

This paper analyzes some issues in developing numerical methods for solving problems with a Boltzmann-type linear kinetic transport equation. Existing applications of this type of equation are listed. The focus is on the problem of radiative transfer in a flat layer, which are important for experimental research practice. Key definitions and traditional limitations applied to radiative transfer problems are presented. Some features of formulating radiative transfer problems for flat layers of irregular heterogeneous composite materials that are partially transparent to electromagnetic radiation are considered. The main approaches to the numerical and numerical-analytical solution of the linear kinetic transport equation are outlined.

Some variants of the simplest grid numerical methods for solving of nonstationary kinetic problems of transport a flat layer of a medium with strong attenuation are considered. Problems with one- and two-step variants of these iterative methods are analyzed, for some of them the causes of instability and convergence absence in some of them are investigated and established. It is shown that in the explicit conservative one-step method for a layer of a homogeneous absorbing, but neither radiating nor scattering, medium, unstable modes always exist in the spectrum of harmonic solutions. These modes arise in the region of radiation propagating almost parallel to the layer boundaries, and their instability increases with increasing attenuation effects and is caused by the presence of a small coefficient before the spatial derivative in the transport equation. To limit the undesirable influence of this component, various variants of splitting the equation into two and three fractional steps are considered.

It is shown that the most preferable options are those with explicitly organized fractional steps, for which a proof of their stability and convergence, that based on the Lax’s equivalence theorem is presented. It is demonstrated that the correct building of the fractional step sequence in explicit schemes for numerical solving of the nonstationary linear kinetic transport problems can provide additional stabilization, with the scattering integral plays an important role in stabilizing them. So, when solving kinetic transport problems in media with high scattering albedo, the explicit grid method of settling with splitting the iterations into three fractional steps, that were based on physical processes proved to be the simplest and most effective. The method is implemented as Matlab code, which performs quality control during the generation of the numerical solution process. The most significant modeling results are presented, confirming that the three-step method imposes relatively moderate requirements on resources and numerical integration accuracy, and ensures conditional convergence of iterations. Its mathematical correctness is confirmed by the behavior of the equation residuals and direct control of the convergence of numerical solutions. Its physical correctness is confirmed by ensuring, for ergodic systems, the property of convergence to an invariant steady state independent of the initial conditions. Some discovered and possible limitations of the method are listed.

The work will be useful to specialists in the field of mathematical modeling, numerical methods, kinetic theory, combined heat and mass transfer, dealing with issues of interpretation of experimental data, graduate students and senior students specializing in the indicated areas.

The paper presents the methodology of «line-by-line» calculations of the Earth and atmosphere thermal radiation. Intensity of radiation is computed by numerical integration of the radiative transfer kinetic equation and the system of the angular momentum equations using quasi-diffusion method. Data from HITRAN molecular spectroscopic database [Rothman et al., 2009] are used to calculate the atmosphere optical parameters.

The viscoelastic fluid flow model across a porous medium has captivated the interest of many contemporary researchers due to its industrial and technical uses, such as food processing, paper and textile coating, packed bed reactors, the cooling effect of transpiration and the dispersion of pollutants through aquifers. This article focuses on the influence of variable viscosity and viscoelasticity on the magnetohydrodynamic oscillatory flow of second-order fluid through thermally radiating wavy walls. A mathematical model for this fluid flow, including governing equations and boundary conditions, is developed using the usual Boussinesq approximation. The governing equations are transformed into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using non-similarity transformations. The numerical results obtained by applying finite-difference code based on the Lobatto IIIa formula generated by bvp4c solver are compared to the semi-analytical solutions for the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles obtained using the homotopy perturbation method (HPM). The effect of flow parameters on velocity, temperature, concentration profiles, skin friction coefficient, heat and mass transfer rate, and skin friction coefficient is examined and illustrated graphically. The physical parameters governing the fluid flow profoundly affected the resultant flow profiles except in a few cases. By using the slope linear regression method, the importance of considering the viscosity variation parameter and its interaction with the Lorentz force in determining the velocity behavior of the viscoelastic fluid model is highlighted. The percentage increase in the velocity profile of the viscoelastic model has been calculated for different ranges of viscosity variation parameters. Finally, the results are validated numerically for the skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number profiles.