Porous Media Analysis
Simulating Flow and Heat Transfer in Complex Permeable Structures
Porous materials are integral to a wide range of engineering systems—acting as filters, flow resistors, thermal insulators, or reactive zones. Accurately modeling flow and heat transfer through porous media is essential for predicting system performance and reliability. At ENA2, we perform advanced Porous Media Analysis using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to simulate flow, thermal, and reactive behavior in complex porous structures under steady and transient conditions.
Simulation Capabilities
Anisotropic and Heterogeneous Porosity
ENA2 models complex porous structures by incorporating:
- Anisotropic permeability, where flow resistance varies with direction due to fiber alignment, geological layering, or foam structure.
- Heterogeneous porosity fields, allowing spatially varying material properties to simulate real-world variability in filters, soils, or composites.
- Support for both Darcy and Forchheimer flow regimes, enabling simulation across low and high Reynolds number flows through porous media.
This allows for accurate assessment of pressure drop, flow distribution, and media effectiveness in industrial and environmental applications.
Heat Transfer in Porous Media
Coupled simulations of conduction in the solid matrix and convection in the fluid phase provide reliable thermal predictions:
- Simulation of multi-mode heat transfer in systems like catalytic converters, regenerators, and porous insulation.
- Evaluation of thermal conductivity tensor in fibrous and ceramic media.
- Inclusion of thermal dispersion effects, critical for high-speed or multidirectional flows.
These capabilities are particularly useful in combustion chambers, packed bed reactors, battery thermal management, and heat exchanger internals where porous structures influence thermal gradients.
Transient and Saturation-Dependent Behavior
ENA2 supports time-dependent simulations of fluid transport through partially saturated or multi-phase porous systems, including:
- Capillary-driven saturation fronts in soil, rock, or porous membranes.
- Evaporative and condensation phenomena in cooling pads, fuel cells, and breathable walls.
- Simulation of desaturation/re-wetting cycles and their impact on performance and material integrity.
Our models are applicable to systems such as infiltration/exfiltration zones, evaporative cooling towers, green roofs, oil recovery, and hydrogeologic simulations.
Applications and Industry Use
Applications of Porous Media Modeling
We support the simulation needs of diverse industries by modeling porous zones in:
Filters and Packed Beds
Pressure drop, particle retention, and fouling effects
Heat Exchangers
Finned or foam-based extended surfaces with high surface area
Insulation and Fireproofing
Thermal resistance and hot spot formation in porous thermal barriers
Catalytic Reactors
Flow, heat transfer, and reaction modeling through reactive porous beds
Soil and Groundwater Systems
Flow resistance, saturation, and heat transport through permeable media
Porous Liners and Flow Conditioners
Flow homogenization, noise attenuation, and resistance control in ducts and exhausts
Biomedical Systems
Flow through biological tissue or porous scaffolds for implant and drug delivery studies
Evaluation Metrics and Deliverables
Our porous media simulations offer insights critical for performance optimization:
- Pressure drop and flow resistance across porous domains
- Temperature profiles across insulating and conducting porous layers
- Permeability effects on global system performance
- Optimization of pore structure, porosity, and flow distribution
Applications and Industry Use
With ENA2’s porous media modeling expertise, clients gain accurate predictions of complex multi-physics behavior—enabling better design of systems involving flow through granular, fibrous, and permeable structures.
