The Effects of Hydrophobicity and Drainage Velocity on Water Retention Behaviour in Porous Media: A Computational Study

Abstract

The present study investigates the water retention behavior in two different types of porous media, i.e., porous metal — a type of metallic foam and ideal geometry. The present study uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model a decreasing water level in a reservoir consisting of a stationary porous medium beneath the water surface at initial stage. It mimics the setup of dynamics dip-testing which measures the amount of retained water for different types of fins-tubes heat exchangers. The study varies parameters like static contact angle ([Formula: see text]) and drainage velocity ([Formula: see text]). The literature review summarizes the unique water retention behaviors for different types of heat exchangers and the findings of the present study. Furthermore, the present study proposed new parameters for evaluating the structural variations in porous metal that explains the water saturation distribution in detail. The evaluation method could provide an insightful idea for performing the quality control check on metallic foam.