NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF DRYING A POROUS MATERIAL USING THE LATTICE BOLTZMANN METHOD

In the present study, a novel method for numerical simulation of drying a porous media is proposed. The lattice Boltzmann method is employed to solve the two-dimensional hydrodynamic, heat, and mass transfer equations in the dryer section. The governing equations for a two-dimensional brick as a porous solid are derived by combining conservation laws, Fourier's law for heat conduction, and Darcy's and Pick's laws for mass diffusion in porous material. These equations are solved numerically using the conventional Computational Fluid Dynamics method, finite difference. As cases in point, the moisture content and temperature distribution, both in the porous material and dryer section, are calculated. In addition, convective heat and mass transfer coefficients along the solid surface are computed, as well as the average temperature and moisture of the porous medium in a 45-h drying period. It was observed that during the initial period of drying, the drying rate is faster than final period; the rate of evaporation in the leading edge is higher than other regions.