Heat and mass transfer between air and porous materials: a benchmark experiment

CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) can be used to calculate air flows in and around buildings. By linking CFD with a HAM-model (Heat, Air and Moisture), heat and mass transfer between air and porous materials is incorporated into the calculations. This paper presents experimental data for the validation of these newly developed CFD-HAM models. To conduct the experiments, a climate chamber representing a small room of 1.8 meter high, 1.8 meter wide and 1.89 meter long was built. Air enters the room as a jet of which the temperature and relative humidity are closely controlled. A sample of calcium silicate was placed in one of the walls of the chamber. During the experiment the relative humidity of the jet was altered from 50% during 16 hours to 70% during 8 hours. This cycle was repeated several times. Meanwhile temperature and relative humidity in the chamber and in the calcium silicate sample were monitored.