Optical Design Using Ray Tracing Simulations

Optical Design Using Ray Tracing Simulations!

We have spoken before on the importance of CFD in effective reactor design and the benefits in shortening the design cycle"CFD and why it is a must have"Optical modelling is the other part of the equation, describing how UV power is used within a system and has similar benefits to CFD analysis.

There are many approaches to optical modelling, though Ray Tracing has emerged as the preferred method for novel system designs and complex 3D targets. Ray Tracing is a method bolstered by the computer gaming and cinematic CGI industries, where custom light sources must interact with bespoke ‘scenes’ in a physically realistic manner.

Figure 1. Rays projected from an LED source in a photometric model; note the lower intensity of radiation emitted at wider angles and ‘secondary’ rays generated from quartz window interactions.

The basic principle is to ‘launch’ millions of light rays from the source and track their reflections, refractions, and absorption; the result is a 3-dimensional ‘fluence rate field’ or ‘irradiance map’, depending on the target of the system.

Ray Tracing allows engineers and designers to visualize how UV power is delivered to the target volume or surface, quantify…