A Spectral Line-Based Weighted-Sum-of-Gray-Gases Model for Arbitrary RTE Solvers

This paper presents an approach for generating weighted-sum-of-gray gases (WSGG) models directly from the line-by-line spectra of H[sub 2]O. Emphasis is placed on obtaining detailed spectral division among the gray gases. Thus, for a given model spectrum, the gray gas weights are determined as blackbody fractional functions for specific subline spectral regions at all temperatures. The model allows the absorption coefficient to be the basic radiative property rather than a transmissivity or band absorptance, etc., and can be used with any arbitrary solution method for the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE). A single absorption cross section spectrum is assumed over the entire spatial domain in order to fix the subline spectral regions associated with a single spectral calculation. The error associated with this assumption is evaluated by comparison with line-by-line benchmarks for problems of nonisothermal and nonhomogeneous media. 28 refs., 7 figs.