From Pore Scale Numerical Simulation of Conjugate Heat Transfer in Cellular Material to Effectives Transport Properties of Real Structures

Pore scale numerical simulation of heat and mass transfer in several foams are realized. 3D geometry is reconstructed from X-Ray tomographic images and fully characterized using the iMorph software. Microscale quantities such as temperature, pressure and velocity fields are computed using commercial software (StarCCM+) based on finite volume method. Macroscale properties are then deduced from numerical data and compared to experimental ones. Impact of foam topology and material as well as fluid nature (Fluid dynamic viscosity, solid thermal conductivity …) on transfer properties are systematically studied. We discuss correlations of these results with geometrical characteristics of the samples by scaling the metal foam in order to change pore diameter.