Comparison of the new formulation of the Radiation Network Method with the Radiosity Method in the analysis of radiative heat transfer

The paper contains a comparative research of radiative heat transfer in enclosures using the newly reformulated (modified) the Radiation Network Method (RNM) and the Radiosity Method (RM). Both approaches have been applied to two distinct enclosures: (a) filled with transparent gas and (b) absorbing/emitting medium.An in-depth analysis includes, among other things, the step-by-step study of procedures for preparing systems of equations in RNM and RM. The analysis of the structure of RNM and RM was conducted by comparing the sizes of the matrices used to obtain unknown radiosities, heat fluxes and temperatures. Moreover, the execution time of both algorithms, implemented in Python 3 language, has been evaluated. In addition, the paper estimates the accuracy of RNM and RM algorithms by validating the generated temperatures and heat fluxes against the data calculated by means of the Discrete Ordinates Method (DOM) and Surface-to-surface (S2S) model.This thorough examination aims to verify the performance and applicability of RNM and RM across distinct problems of radiative heat transfer. The paper enhances the understanding of their respective efficiencies in engineering applications.