Finite Element Model of Thermal Transport in Carbon Foams

Abstract

A number of carbon foam products are being developed for use as insulation, heat spreaders, and compact heat exchanger cores. The bulk properties of such a porous medium are difficult to determine analytically, particularly for the case of high concentration of non-spherical pores, or when the porous material is anisotropic or non-homogeneous. Models that predict thermal conductivity of foams often use an empirical parameter to account for the effect of pore shape and material microstructure on the conduction process. A finite element analysis has been developed to calculate the thermal conductivity of carbon foams containing micropores of different shapes. The effective thermal conductivity is then evaluated by comparing the results of the analytical and numerical models.