International Journal of Energy Research, Vol.23, No.5, 389-401, 1999
An experimental and theoretical study of the nonlinear heat conduction in dry porous media
Heat transfer in porous media is important in various engineering fields, including contaminated soil incineration. Most heat transfer models are theoretical in nature. Consequently, this study was undertaken to perform both theoretical and experimental studies of heat transfer in two different sand matrices. A mathematical model based on Fourier's law of heat conduction for a one-dimensional system with the variable thermal conductivity was developed. The experimental part included heating sand samples placed in a small reactor within an infrared furnace. The transient temperature profiles of the sand layers were monitored by thermocouples. The bulk thermal conductivity was estimated to be linearly proportional to the temperature. The temperature profiles predicted by the model of heat conduction with a variable bulk thermal conductivity was compared by the observed temperatures in Quartz and Sea sands matrices up to 1300 K.