A numerical simulation method for aircraft infrared imaging

Numerical simulation of infrared (IR) emission from aircraft is of great significance for military and civilian applications. In this paper, the narrow band k-distribution (NBK) model is used to calculate radiative properties of non-gray gases in the hot exhaust plume. With model parameters derived from the high resolution spectral database HITEMP 2010, the NBK model is validated by comparisons with exact line by line (LBL) results and experimental data. Based on the NBK model, a new finite volume and back ray tracing (FVBRT) method is proposed to solve the radiative transfer equations and produce IR imaging. Calculated results by the FVBRT method are compared with experimental data and available results in open references, which shows the FVBRT method can maintain good accuracy while producing IR images with better rendering effects. Finally, the NBK model and FVBRT method are integrated to calculate IR signature of an aircraft. The IR images and spatial distributions of radiative intensity are compared and analyzed in both 3–5μm band and 8–12μm band to provide references for engineering applications.