Numerical Analysis of Conduction in a Foam

Porous organic materials are being developed for use as insulation, heat spreaders, and compact heat exchanger cores. The bulk properties of such a porous medium are difficult to determine analytically, particularly for the case of high porosity or when the porous material is not isotropic or homogeneous. Models that predict thermal conductivity of foams often use an empirical parameter to account for the effect of pore shape and material microstructure on the conduction process. A finite element analysis has been developed to calculate the thermal conductivity of a porous medium containing micropores. The effective thermal conductivity and the empirical conduction parameter are evaluated by comparing the results of the analytical and numerical models.