InterPore2026

Comparative analysis of numerical methods for coupled conduction-radiation heat transfer in non-homogenizable simulation boxes of porous media

20 May 2026, 15:20

15m

Oral Presentation (MS18) High-temperature heat and mass transfer within porous materials for energy and space (T > 800 °C) MS18

Speaker

Léa Penazzi (Aix-Marseille University)

Description

When it comes to high-temperature processes, coupled conduction–radiation heat transfer plays a critical role in many porous and architectured materials, including ceramic foams, fibrous insulators, lattice structures, or triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) geometries. In such media, strong heterogeneities (high porosity levels, complex solid–void interfaces) frequently prevent standard homogenization approaches, making the numerical resolution of the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) coupled with heat conduction particularly challenging [1]. Despite decades of methodological advancements, significant discrepancies may still arise depending on modeling assumptions, discretization strategies and coupling techniques.
This contribution presents a collaborative benchmark conducted within the French CNRS thematic network TAMARYS, bringing together eight research teams to compare state-of-the-art numerical approaches for solving coupled conduction–radiation heat transfer in heterogeneous, semi-transparent porous media [2]. The objective is not to rank methods, but rather to clarify their relative strengths, limitations and domains of applicability when applied to a shared, highly constrained configuration.
All teams address a common three-dimensional test case based on a non-homogenizable porous domain composed of 8 gyroid-type (TPMS) cells, each cell being composed of an opaque, conducting solid phase and a transparent, non-conducting void phase. The geometry is enclosed between two opaque solid plates (guarded hot plate configuration), with imposed temperatures and adiabatic lateral boundaries. The geometry of the simulation domain is illustrated in Figure 1. Identical thermophysical properties, radiative parameters, boundary conditions and reference geometry files are shared across teams to ensure strict comparability.
The benchmark covers a wide spectrum of numerical strategies, including deterministic methods (finite element and finite volume formulations combined with discrete ordinates, voxel-based two-flux models, block-based radiative exchange factor approaches), commercial solvers relying on surface-to-surface radiation models, fully stochastic Monte Carlo techniques, and a hybrid finite element–Monte Carlo ray tracing method. This diversity provides a unique opportunity to investigate how mesh type, angular treatment, interface modeling and coupling strength influence predicted temperature and heat flux fields.
Results are compared in terms of temperature profiles and conductive, radiative and total heat flux distributions along the main transfer z-direction. While temperature fields show reasonable agreement across methods, significant discrepancies are observed in radiative and total heat fluxes. These differences highlight the sensitivity of coupled simulations to modeling choices and coupling methodologies.
Beyond the specific case study, this work provides a structured overview of current numerical practices for conduction–radiation coupling in porous media, emphasizing the importance of method selection based on the underlying physical question, scale of interest and intended use of the results. The benchmark constitutes the first milestone of an ongoing collective effort, paving the path for more systematic validation exercises and extended configurations relevant to porous materials research.