Multi-scale thermo-fluid transport in porous media

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop an empiricism free, first principle-based model to simulate fluid flow and heat transfer through porous media. Design/methodology/approach - Conventional approaches to the problem are reviewed. A multi-scale approach that makes use of the sample simulations at the individual pore levels is employed. The effect of porous structures on the global fluid flow is accounted for via local volume averaged governing equations, while the closure terms are accounted for via averaging flow characteristics around the pores. Findings - The performance of the model has been tested for an isothermal flow case. Good agreement with experimental data were achieved. Both the permeability and Ergun coefficient are shown to be flow properties as opposed to the empirical approach which typically results in constant values of these parameters independent of the flow conditions. Hence, the present multi-scale approach is more versatile and can account for the possible changes in flow characteristics. Research limitations/implications - Further validation including non-isothermal cases is necessary. Current scope of the model is limited to incompressible flows. The methodology can accommodate extension to compressible flows. Originality/value - This paper proposes a method that eliminates the dependence of the numerical porous media simulations on empirical data. Although the model increases the fidelity of the simulations, it is still computationally affordable due to the use of a multi-scale methodology.