TRANSPORE : A GENERIC HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER COMPUTATIONAL MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING AND VISUALISING THE DRYING OF POROUS MEDIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this work a sophisticated numerical model is presented that describes the drying of porous media. This model, which is known as TransPore, has evolved over the years through the direct inputs of both authors. Nowadays, TransPore can be used to analyse the drying of media that are of completely arbitrary shape and size, under a variety of drying conditions. The engine of the computational model uses a number of state-of-the-art numerical methods that ensure the simulation results describe the particular drying process accurately, whilst guaranteeing the most efficient and effective usage of computer resources. For example, the numerical discretisation method is based on a completely conservative hybrid finite element control volume technique that uses a finite element mesh for its background gradient interpolation. Furthermore, flux limiting is used to reduce numerical dispersion in the drying kinetics and the generated non-linear system is resolved using the full Newton method for the outer iteration coupled together with a preconditioned conjugate gradient technique for the inner iteration. A graphical interface has been linked to the model to enable online visualisation of the drying process. The mathematical model allows both homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media to be simulated. The resultant software is an extremely powerful and effective tool for investigating existing dryer designs and for proposing new and innovative drying schedules that provide optimal drying quality in minimal drying time.