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Description
Effective thermal conductivity (ETC) is a key parameter governing heat transfer in multiphase porous materials. This study presents a computational framework based on the space renormalisation technique to estimate ETC from segmented X-ray micro-CT images of porous media. By explicitly accounting for pore-scale heterogeneity, the method enables detailed spatiotemporal evaluation of ETC across different porous structures. The approach is demonstrated through the prediction and analysis of ETC in three porous rock systems undergoing multiphase flow: (i) steady-state two-phase flow in Estaillades carbonate, (ii) sequential flooding in Bentheimer sandstone, and (iii) immiscible three-phase flow in Ketton limestone. The results reveal pronounced directional variations in ETC as phase saturations evolve and redistribute, highlighting the strong influence of pore-scale structure on thermal transport. Compared with conventional finite-difference approaches, the space renormalisation method provides accurate ETC estimates with substantially lower computational cost, making it suitable for large datasets and near-real-time analyses. These findings improve the understanding of dynamic heat transfer processes in heterogeneous porous media and are relevant to applications such as enhanced oil recovery, geothermal energy systems, and thermal management in porous engineering materials.
| References | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2024.108129 |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
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