Effect of temperature and humidity on the permeability of porous materials

Abstract

The permeability of a porous material represents the ability of the material to be crossed by a fluid stream. An experimental study in the Darcy regime allows us to measure the permeability of two different porous materials. Measurements were performed by using two gases: air and helium. Experiments were performed at ambient temperatures ranging from 293 to 315 K and humidities ranging from 30 to 96%. The way how the effect of air temperature and humidity on permeability affects the flow within porous media is discussed with the help of the pertinent equations.