MOSCOW, 14 Jun. Scientists of the Samara Polytechnic University have created a method for modeling the processes of mass transfer and heat transfer in porous materials. According to the authors, the development will help to simulate the properties of heat-insulating and structural materials, while not requiring large computing power and expensive software. The results of the study are published in the International Journal of Thermophysics.
Today, most structural materials are cement-based composites. Depending on the shape of the pores or filler, all porous materials can be divided into two groups. In the first group, materials have a regular structure — for example, spherical or cylindrical fragments of reinforcement or pores. In the second group, materials have internal cavities with a disordered structure.
A team of researchers from the Samara State Technical University (SamSTU) presented a technique that can be used to calculate the course of mass transfer and heat transfer processes in porous or composite materials with the correct structure. The scientists were able to experimentally confirm theoretical calculations when measuring the thermal conductivity of cement with a reinforcing cage.
“We study how the size, shape, and number of pores of a material affect how well it conducts heat. We also conduct hydrodynamic studies in porous materials with complex geometric shapes, where we determine the speed and pressure of fluid flows inside the structure. This process can be compared with the flow of exhaust gases through a car catalyst having a cellular structure,» said Anton Eremin, one of the authors of the publication, Vice-Rector of the Samara Polytechnic University for Integration Projects, Head of the Department of Industrial Heat and Power Engineering at the Faculty of Thermal Power Engineering.
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Such research is essential, he said, in material selection to improve the energy efficiency of heating and cooling systems, as well as in the development of more efficient filters and catalysts. Also, the results of the study can be used to design buildings. The new technology can be used for structures of any size and in any country in the world, the scientist noted.
Anton Eremin said that the main goal of the researchers was to use the new development for modeling physical processes in materials with a complex ordered structure.
«Research and development of porous materials with a complex structure, as well as devices based on materials with a complex shape of cavities is a new scientific direction. Relatively recently, powerful software systems have been developed that allow modeling complex processes in porous materials. And our research team is engaged in research and modeling of one of the most complex processes — the interconnected process of heat and mass transfer in such materials» , — the researcher explained.
In the future, the research team plans to produce materials with a complex ordered structure using 3D printing technologies using plastic and various metals. According to scientists, this will make it possible to move from theoretical models to physical objects and introduce the development into industry.