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Simulation of phase change during the freezing of unsaturated porous media by using a coupled lattice Boltzmann model

Fei Xu (College of Metrology Measurement and Instrument, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China)
Zheng Wang (Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China)
Wei Hu (College of Metrology Measurement and Instrument, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China)
Caihao Yang (College of Metrology Measurement and Instrument, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China)
Xiaolong Li (China Special Equipment Inspection and Research Institute, Beijing, China)
Yaning Zhang (School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China)
Bingxi Li (School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China)
Gongnan Xie (School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China)

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow

ISSN: 0961-5539

Article publication date: 7 March 2024

Issue publication date: 29 March 2024

232

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a coupled lattice Boltzmann model for the simulation of the freezing process in unsaturated porous media.

Design/methodology/approach

In the developed model, the porous structure with complexity and disorder was generated by using a stochastic growth method, and then the Shan-Chen multiphase model and enthalpy-based phase change model were coupled by introducing a freezing interface force to describe the variation of phase interface. The pore size of porous media in freezing process was considered as an influential factor to phase transition temperature, and the variation of the interfacial force formed with phase change on the interface was described.

Findings

The larger porosity (0.2 and 0.8) will enlarge the unfrozen area from 42 mm to 70 mm, and the rest space of porous medium was occupied by the solid particles. The larger specific surface area (0.168 and 0.315) has a more fluctuated volume fraction distribution.

Originality/value

The concept of interfacial force was first introduced in the solid–liquid phase transition to describe the freezing process of frozen soil, enabling the formulation of a distribution equation based on enthalpy to depict the changes in the water film. The increased interfacial force serves to diminish ice formation and effectively absorb air during the freezing process. A greater surface area enhances the ability to counteract liquid migration.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52276056), the National Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (No. 12102418), Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No. LQ21A020007) and Youth Science and Technology Innovation Personnel Training Project (Category B) (No.2021YW48).

Citation

Xu, F., Wang, Z., Hu, W., Yang, C., Li, X., Zhang, Y., Li, B. and Xie, G. (2024), "Simulation of phase change during the freezing of unsaturated porous media by using a coupled lattice Boltzmann model", International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, Vol. 34 No. 4, pp. 1631-1657. https://doi.org/10.1108/HFF-08-2023-0501

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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