This link extends GunnsThermalSource with an interface to an external radiative environment model. It is used to distribute radiated heat onto a surface from a radiation source (sun, light bulb, mutant nuclear puppy, etc.) across multiple nodes in a thermal network. Like GunnsThermalSource, this is a variable-port link, and the proportion of the overall flux that is applied to each specific port is given in a flux-distribution-fraction array.

In a standard GunnsThermalSource, its mDemandedFlux input term is set directly (by the SimBus, etc). In GunnsThermalPanel, the mIncidentHeatFluxPerArea term is set directly, and mDemandedFlux is derived as the product of the following members:

• mIncidentHeatFluxPerArea (W/m2) : Input from an external radiative environment model. Such models will vary, but an example model would take into account such sources as solar, albedo, and infrared radiation. The model would apply those sources against configuration data specific to each panel, such as position and surface normal vector in a vehicle reference frame, and then would publish a single W/m2 value to this link's term.


• mAbsorptivity (--) : a configuration data parameter described below (absorptivity).


• mSurfaceArea (m2) : a configuration data parameter described below (area).

This is a variable port link like GunnsThermalSource, and is connected to nodes the same way.

Port Connection Rules (These are limitations on the port connection to nodes that the link enforces in run-time):

• Same as GunnsThermalSource.

Other Rules (These are extra rules you should always try to follow):

• Same as GunnsThermalSource.

Configuration Data Parameters:

• tuningScalar: Same as GunnsThermalSource.
• fluxDistributionFractions: Same as GunnsThermalSource.
• absorptivity (default = 0.5, must be (0-1)): Fraction of the panel's absorption of environmental radiative heat fluxes (the rest is reflected). This value is assumed to account for the entire optical spectrum, i.e. solar, infrared, earth albedo etc.
• area (default = 1.0 (m2), must >= 0): Surface area of this specific panel. Assumed not to change, and any disruption of line-of-sight from radiation sources is assumed to be incorporated into the mIncidentHeatFluxPerArea term provided by the external environnment model.

Input Data Parameters:

• malfBlockageFlag: Same as GunnsThermalSource.
• malfBlockageValue: Same as GunnsThermalSource.
• demandedFlux: Same as GunnsThermalSource.
• malfFluxOverrideFlag: Same as GunnsThermalSource.
• malfFluxOverrideValue: Same as GunnsThermalSource.

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