Numerical modeling of temperature-dependent effective thermal conductivity of two-phase porous system using square and circular geometries

Abstract

Two-phase porous materials are extensively employed in industries and their thermal characteristics decide on the overall efficiency of the system. Several dependent parameters such as geometry, its structure, heat transfer mechanism, and contact ratio, strongly influence the effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of the two-phase system. There are various literatures on analytical and experimental prediction of ETC of two-phase porous materials such as packed beds, foams, and sponges. However, numerical studies are limited with the consideration of few influential parameters. This present study has attempted to investigate the thermal behavior of two-phase porous materials numerically using square and circular geometries with the consideration of all primary and secondary criterions at different pressures and elevated temperatures. The numerical results are correlated against the experimental data of different porous insulation materials and packed bed materials. Further, the square and circular models are assessed for their stability in predicting the ETC at higher temperatures. Even at elevated temperatures, the present models hold better accuracy and consistency in prediction.

Keywords:

• Alumina
• contact ratio
• contour plots
• porous materials
• silica
• temperature
• temperature distribution