Numerical modelling of heat and mass transfer during vapour condensation in porous media: Insights from neutron tomography
Abstract
Moisture condensation in porous media influences heat and mass transport in natural and engineered systems, with implications for energy, environmental, and material applications. This study presents a new framework for analysing coupled heat and mass transfer during vapour condensation in porous materials. The Darcy-scale model, formulated under local thermal equilibrium, incorporates multiphase flow, phase change, and heat transport through standard capillary and permeability relationships. A finite-volume solver was implemented in OpenFOAM to couple heat and vapour transport via a temperature-dependent vapour saturation relationship. An analytical solution for the immobile case, where the condensed liquid remains stationary, defines an effective Péclet number that quantifies the competition between advective and diffusive transport of both heat and vapour. Together with the capillary number (relevant in mobile regimes), representing the balance between pressure and capillary forces, these parameters help classify the condensation regimes. Simulation results reveal that near the condensation front, water flux is driven by capillarity, while farther behind, pressure gradients from vapour injection dominate. Higher effective Péclet numbers yield sharper condensation fronts, while higher capillary numbers enhance liquid spreading near the front. Validation using timeresolved neutron tomography and prior numerical results confirms the ability of the model to capture key condensation mechanisms. The framework also extends to heterogeneous media with fractures, where condensation concentrates near the fracture and gradually diffuses into the surrounding matrix.
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BibTeX
@article{nemati2026numerical,
title = {{Numerical modelling of heat and mass transfer during vapour condensation in porous media: Insights from neutron tomography}},
author = {Arash Nemati and Philippe Séchet and Bratislav Lukić and Matthieu Briffaut},
journal = {International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2026.110293},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05758653v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Numerical modelling of heat and mass transfer during vapour condensation in porous media: Insights from neutron tomography
AU - Arash Nemati
AU - Philippe Séchet
AU - Bratislav Lukić
AU - Matthieu Briffaut
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
JO - International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow
DO - 10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2026.110293
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05758653v1
AB - Moisture condensation in porous media influences heat and mass transport in natural and engineered systems, with implications for energy, environmental, and material applications. This study presents a new framework for analysing coupled heat and mass transfer during vapour condensation in porous materials. The Darcy-scale model, formulated under local thermal equilibrium, incorporates multiphase flow, phase change, and heat transport through standard capillary and permeability relationships. A finite-volume solver was implemented in OpenFOAM to couple heat and vapour transport via a temperature-dependent vapour saturation relationship. An analytical solution for the immobile case, where the condensed liquid remains stationary, defines an effective Péclet number that quantifies the competition between advective and diffusive transport of both heat and vapour. Together with the capillary number (relevant in mobile regimes), representing the balance between pressure and capillary forces, these parameters help classify the condensation regimes. Simulation results reveal that near the condensation front, water flux is driven by capillarity, while farther behind, pressure gradients from vapour injection dominate. Higher effective Péclet numbers yield sharper condensation fronts, while higher capillary numbers enhance liquid spreading near the front. Validation using timeresolved neutron tomography and prior numerical results confirms the ability of the model to capture key condensation mechanisms. The framework also extends to heterogeneous media with fractures, where condensation concentrates near the fracture and gradually diffuses into the surrounding matrix.
SN - 0142-727X
ER -