An approximate expression for room view factors

Abstract Calculation of the exchange of heat by radiation between the surfaces of a room involves the use of view factors. The algebraic forms for the view factors are somewhat cumbersome, as is also the network of conductances with which they are associated. The network can be simplified with some loss of accuracy to a star form, which in turn leads to the simplified expression for view factors given in this paper. View factors lie between 0 and 1. The standard deviation of the difference between their exact and approximate values is less than 0.03.