Lattice Boltzmann simulation of surface evaporation in porous media

Abstract

In this study, the phase-change lattice Boltzmann method was used to simulate the evaporation phenomenon on the surface of a porous medium. A new wetting boundary scheme was proposed to consider the surface wettability. The effect of surface wettability on the evaporation in the porous medium was studied. It is found that when the porous medium is hydrophilic, the surface evaporation rate can be increased by reducing the contact angle of the porous media skeleton. However, as the contact angle of the skeleton decreases, the benefit of decreasing the contact angle to improve the evaporation rate decreases.