Numerical Simulation of Heat, Air, and Moisture Transfer Through a Wall of Porous Media

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the results of two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulation of heat, air, and moisture transfer through porous walls, which have important application background in the built environment and other engineering fields. The air flows, heat and moisture transfer in the walls are studied using a transient heat, air, and moisture (HAM) model. This model treats the non-isothermal airflow through two-dimensional porous geometries in a time-dependent format. The model includes the Brinkman equation describes the flow of air and other mathematical equations that calculate the heat and moisture transfer through the porous region. The equations are solved by a finite element method (FEM) using physics-based modeling, which is implemented in the commercial simulation software, COMSOL Multiphysics. The model prediction is first validated by using published benchmark solutions. Eventually, the numerical results are presented to illustrate the complex effects of material porosity and permeability on the heat and moisture transport, and moisture content variation in space and time through the walls, at different humidity and temperature conditions. Within the investigated parameter ranges, it is demonstrated that the relative humidity and temperature difference are the driving forces for the transient heat, air, and moisture transport processes through the porous area in the porous walls.