Modelling of Mass Transport in Porous Materials: Analytical Solutions and Analysis

Abstract

The pioneering works in the area of mass transport in porous media go back to the end of last century. The partial differential equations governing the mass and heat transfer can be solved using numerical techniques, and in this paper we solve them analytically under different boundary conditions including time-periodic boundary conditions. The nature of these solutions is discussed. Analytic solutions provide valuable physical insight and are usually easier to compute. In addition,these solutions may help to experimentally determine the parameters in a setting where both the mass and temperature gradients are present, without resorting to a simplified set of equations that govern heat and mass transfer separately.