A two-energy equation model for conduction and convection in porous media

A two-energy equation model is proposed for analyzing conduction and convec tion within porous media in local thermal non-equilibrium. Hsu's closure mo del for the tortuosity effect has been extended to treat not only conductio n but also convection in porous media. The two energy equations for the ind ividual phases are combined into a fourth-order ordinary differential equat ion, so as to treat one-dimensional steady-state problems. Then, the exact solutions are obtained for two fundamental cases, namely, one-dimensional s teady conduction in a porous slab with internal heat generation within a so lid, and also thermally developing unidirectional flow through a semi-infin ite medium. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.