Objective function for numerical mean absorption bands optimization

Mean absorption coefficients (MACs) offer great potential for fast numerical calculation of radiation heat transfer. They are based on replacing complex absorption coefficient spectrum by a handful of frequency bands with a single, temperature dependent value assigned to each band. Accuracy of radiation transfer calculation thus depends on the accurate interpretation of the mean value inside each frequency band as well as on the proper band distribution. Yet finding optimal band distribution is not an easy task often requiring numerical optimization process. This contribution focuses on the parameters of such optimization process, namely selection of an objective function and its effect on the optimal band distribution. It demonstrates, that improper objective functions can produce physically unreasonable artifacts in the calculation of radiation heat transfer. Optimal formulation of the objective function is proposed in this contribution.