Heat transfer in porous media with fluid phase changes

A one-dimensional experimental apparatus was built to study the heat pipe phenomenon. Basically, it consists of a 25 cm long, 2.5 cm I.D. Lexane tube packed with Ottawa sand. The two ends of the tube were subjected to different temperatures, i.e., one above the boiling temperature and the other below. The tube was well insulated so that a uniform one-dimensional heat flux could pass through the sand pack. Presence of the heat pipe phenomenon was confirmed by the temperature and saturation profiles of the sand pack at the final steady state condition. A one-dimensional steady state theory to describe the experiment was developed which shows the functional dependence of the heat pipe phenomenon on liquid saturation gradient, capillary pressure, permeability, fluid viscosity, latent heat, heat flux and gravity. Influence of the heat pipe phenomenon on wellbore heat losses was studied by use of a two-phase two-dimensional cylindrical coordinate computer model.