Modelling of an infrared halogen lamp in a rapid thermal system

The heat flux distribution of an infrared halogen lamp in a Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) equipment is studied. An overview of lamp modelling in RTP systems is given and for the first time, the infrared lamp bank is modelled by taking into consideration with accuracy a lamp portion in the bank environment. A three-dimensional (3D) lamp model, with a fine filament representation is largely presented. The model assumptions are in particular exposed with focusing on the thermal boundary conditions. The lamp temperature is calculated by solving the radiative heat transfer equation by means of the Monte-Carlo method for ray tracing. Numerical calculations are performed with the finite volume method. A very good agreement is found with experimental data in steady state. The heat amount provided by the lamp is also determined. As a first development, transient calculations are performed with the validated model and the dynamic behaviour of the lamp during heating process is determined with precision. Lastly, the model is discussed and further developments are proposed.