Evaluation of angular quadrature and spatial differencing schemes for discrete ordinates method in rectangular furnaces

Effects of order of approximation (S{sub 2} and S{sub 4}), angular quadrature (S{sub n} and S{sub n}{prime}) and spatial differencing (diamond and variable-weight) schemes, on the predictive accuracy of discrete ordinates method were investigated by predicting the distributions of radiative flux density and source term of a rectangular enclosure problem and comparing the results with exact solutions produced previously. The enclosure problem is based on data reported earlier on a large-scale experimental furnace with steep temperature gradients. It is a black-walled enclosure containing an absorbing-emitting medium of constant properties. Comparisons show that better agreement is obtained in radiative energy source terms than in flux densities and that the order of approximation plays a more significant role than angular quadrature and spatial differencing schemes in the accuracy of predicted radiative flux densities and radiative energy source terms. Only slight improvements are obtained when S{sub n} and variable-weight differencing schemes are employed.