ABSTRACT
Understanding the directional and spectral principles of radiative transfer is key to the design and operation of efficient fossil-fuel burning combustion systems, which means less energy use and minimum effects on the environment. Radiative transfer needs to be determined after accounting for all directional effects, making the governing equation a complicated one. While the equations governing conductive, convective, and radiative transfer are all derived from the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics, the equations that describe radiation are distinct from those that govern conduction and convection, reflecting the fundamental differences in the underlying physics. Thermal radiation is also used to monitor and control the temperature of these processes via sensing by infrared cameras and pyrometers. Thermal radiation is also important in many engineering applications, particularly at high temperatures. Radiative energy propagation is often considered from one of two viewpoints: The flow of discrete quanta of energy, or the propagation of electromagnetic waves.
