Pore-scale simulation of diffusion characteristics inside the bi-dispersed pore structure

Abstract

The classical diffusion models fail to predict the diffusivity of bi-dispersed porous materials, particularly at low macro-porosity. In this work, a pore-scale simulation is carried out to investigate the diffusion process inside ordered and random bi-dispersed pore structures under different growth phases and shapes. The applicability of existing models is evaluated. The results reveal that Maxwell and Nield models are inadequate to predict the diffusivity of the ordered macropore structure under different growth phase types and shapes. Meanwhile, the ordered distribution of microporous spherical particles is superior to that of macropores. For random pore structure, the macropore-macropore diffusion path contributes to the error of the random pore model, which depends on the ratio of the micropore-macropore diffusivity.