FINITE-ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF A MOVING BOUNDARY-VALUE PROBLEM

A finite element formulation and the solution of a set of nonlinear coupled heat and mass transfer equations for a two-phase system with a moving evaporation interface is presented. The interface condition takes into account the moisture transfer balance at the moving boundary. The finite element results were compared with existing results for a single phase system for model validation. In the two-phase system, the movement of evaporation front has an appreciable effect on the temperature and moisture distribution inside the porous medium during drying. The effect of the nondimensional heat of vapourization parameter gamma on the evaporation front, temperature and moisture distribution in porous medium was studied. The higher the value of gamma, the slower is the movement of the evaporation front. The temperature decreased and the moisture content increased as the nondimensional vapourization parameter gamma increased. This model has potential applications in studying the heat and mass transfer characteristics in food and biomaterials.