Learning Forum

[KumarVaibhav]

Can i use ansys to look at the profile/locus of how light rays travel after getting reflected from an object?Say similar to a case as internal reflection in a box.Pls let me know if any tutorial for the same

[Rob]

What are you trying to find out? Ie what is the purpose of the simulation? 

[peteroznewman]

Are you interested in specular reflection, like a mirror, or diffuse reflection like white paint?

[KumarVaibhav]

peter an wool i just wanted to see how sunrays falling inside a rectangular box get reflected within.To see that effect so that i can use the ray locus for making anything to retain sunlight heat for long say as a solar cooker or dryer whatever.is it somehow possible.pls tell me how should i proceed.i have just made a box with a hole for sunlight to seep in and then see hoew the sunrays get reflected after incident on the bottom

 

[Rob]

Do you want to study the heating effect? What about any flow? 

[KumarVaibhav]

yes i do want to study how much the rays are getting trapped?

[peteroznewman]

You have to identify what it is that you want to heat up, and were that is in the box.  If you want the walls of the box to heat up, then you paint the walls black. If you want a piece of meat inside the box to heat up, like a solar cooker, then you want the walls of the box to be mirrors, but those walls should be angled to reflect the direct rays toward the meat.

I have used Ray Tracing software (not ANSYS) to do both diffuse reflections and specular reflections toward a sensor entrance.

[KumarVaibhav]

Yes i want that piece of meat to heat up!

Tell me the name of the software sir pls will be interesting to learn.Tell me how well can i reach ahead of it

[Admin] Please stick to ANSYS software topics in our community - Use ANSYS Fluent for this application. See reply below.  

[pgl]

There is actually a really good solution to this available with Fluent: The Fluent Solar loading model. 

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  From the Fluent Online help, section 12.3.11: ANSYS Fluent provides a solar load model that can be used to calculate radiation effects from the sun’s rays that enter a computational domain. Two options are available for the model: solar ray tracing and DO irradiation. The ray tracing approach is a highly efficient and practical means of applying solar loads as heat sources in the energy equations. In cases where you want to use the discrete ordinates (DO) model to calculate radiation effects within the domain, an option is available to supply outside beam direction and intensity parameters directly to the DO model. The solar load model includes a solar calculator utility that can be used to construct the sun’s location in the sky for a given time-of-day, date, and position. Solar load is available in the 3D solver only, and can be used to model steady and unsteady flows.

  
  


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  Here's a really good (but older) tutorial.

  
  

By using ANSYS Fluent you will also be able to account for the convection and conduction effects.   

[AhmedAli]

Can you mention Name of solar ray tracing program as metioned above

thank you

[AhmedAli]

 can you tell me a name of program of solar ray tracing that you used as mentioned above 

thank you