Stochastic Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Carbon Fiber Felt for Effective Thermal Conductivity Considering Radiation Heat Transfer

Abstract

Carbon fiber felt (CFF) has excellent thermal insulation ability under high-temperature environments. In this study, an algorithm for generating CFF microstructure models was developed. The heat transfer characteristic of the CFF is studied based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) theory coupling Monte Carlo method. The influence of different temperature variation, porosity, and fiber arrangement on the effective thermal conductivity is investigated. The result indicates that the effective thermal conductivity decreases with the increase of disorder in fiber arrangement. In addition, there is a negative correlation between the effective thermal conductivity and porosity. Furthermore, the impact of radiant heat transfer is evaluated. The radiative thermal conductivity rises in accordance with the augmentation of porosity, which accounts for 13–39% of the total thermal conductivity. The study can provide a theoretical framework for the prediction of the thermal behavior of CFF in thermal environments.