Modeling non-isothermal mutiphase-multicomponent flow and transport in porous media using the two-phase mixture approach

The separate flow model is extensively used in the literature to predict the transport phenomena in porous media. However, this model is not efficient and is also computationally demanding, giving rise to an urgent need for a more sufficient model. A general model is proposed to predict the heat and mass transport in porous media. The model is based on the two-phase mixture approach developed by Wang and Beckermann and Wang and Cheng. The principal application of the model is to investigate the drying phenomenon of liquid saturated porous media. Unified conservation equations are developed for a non-isothermal multiphase-multicomponent system in porous media. The numerical solution of the model is based on the finite volume technique. A one-dimensional test problem of drying liquid saturated porous medium is analyzed to validate the model, and the results are compared with existing results in the literature.;The mixture model is used to predict the convective drying problem of liquid ethanol saturated porous bed of glass beads. The drying problem was selected for it involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer. Results of the mixture model demonstrated the effectiveness of the model to predict the problem, especially in minimizing the number of equations needed to be solved. One more important feature of the mixture model is also demonstrated, namely, the ability of the model to evaluate the individual phase velocities without the need to solve individual phase momentum equations.;Further investigation of the convective drying problem is conducted. Two dimensional drying problem in porous media is predicted. Results of the mixture model prediction of two dimensional drying is documented. These results provided liquid saturation distributions and temperature profiles during the funicular flow region of the drying phenomenon. The flow of individual phases is represented by velocity fields of each phase, as well as the fields of mixture velocity.;Recommended further research includes the utilization of the mixture model to predict convective drying of hygroscopic porous media, and to problems of three dimensional effects such as drying of non-isotropic porous media.