Solutions of Luikov equations of heat and mass transfer in capillary porous bodies through matrix calculus: a new approach

In this paper an eigenvalue analysis approach is employed to obtain the sol utions of the Luikov system of linear partial differential equations addres sed to the most general type of boundary conditions. The Luikov equations p rovide a well established model for the analysis of various simultaneous he at and mass diffusion problems in capillary porous bodies. However, analyti cal methods to achieve a complete and satisfactory solution of these equati ons is still lacking in the literature because of noninclusion of the exist ence of a countable number of complex roots in almost all the solutions. A specific example on contact drying of a moist porous sheet with uniform ini tial temperature and moisture distribution is considered. The influence of the complex roots on the dimensionless temperature, moisture content, and t he local rate of drying is demonstrated. A set of benchmark results is obta ined for reference purposes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.