Some novel techniques for the finite element analysis of heat and mass transfer problems

The coupled heat and mass transfer partial differential equations as derived by Luikov are used to analyse freezing problems in porous media. A numerical model is subsequently developed to depict the frost heave mechanism in a freezing soil system. An example is given of the application of the model and the results are compared with those achieved from field experiments. Also, a novel application of the coincident node technique is presented for the coupled heat and mass transfer problem. This circumvents the numerical problems usually associated with flow through thin layers, in this case a vapour barrier, sandwiched between materials of greater thickness.