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Application of infrared thermography for temperature distributions in fluid-saturated porous media

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Abstract

Infrared thermography has increasingly gained importance because of environmental and technological advancements of this method and is applied in a variety of disciplines related to non-isothermal flow. However, it has not been used so far for quantitative thermal analysis in saturated porous media. This article suggests infrared thermographic approach to obtain the entire surface temperature distribution(s) in water-saturated porous media. For this purpose, infrared thermal analysis is applied with in situ calibration for a better understanding of the heat transfer processes in porous media. Calibration is achieved with a combination of invasive sensors which are inserted into the medium and non-invasive thermal sensors in which sensors are not inserted to measure temperatures but it works through the detection of infrared radiation emitted from the surface. Thermocouples of relatively thin diameter are used to minimize the disturbance for flow. Thermocouples give the temperature values at specified positions inside the porous medium, and these values are compared with the values suggested by the infrared thermographic device at the same positions, in the calibration exercise. The calibration process was repeated for different temperatures and flow rates to get the temperature distributions of the whole material inside the system. This technique enables us to measure accurate two-dimensional temperature distributions, which is not possible by using thermocouples only. Continuous point heat sources at different flow rates and temperatures are studied experimentally. Additionally, it offers numerical simulations of the experiments utilizing a finite element-based model. A two-dimensional density and viscosity-dependent flow and transport model accounting for thermal dispersion is utilized to simulate the experimental results. Possible small heat losses from the surface are incorporated in the model according to the properties and thickness of the Plexiglass material used for the construction of the experiment tank. The numerical results agree well with the experimental observations.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to gratefully acknowledge the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and the International Research Training Group NUPUS for their financial assistance. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Peter Koschitzky and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rainer Helmig from University of Stuttgart Germany agratefully acknowledged for their cooperation in arranging the infrared camera for our experimental facility. We appreciate and acknowledge the technical support of Pieter Kleingeld and Randlph van Kasteren at Utrecht University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Vehari, 61100, Pakistan

    Muhammad Imran

  2. Environmental Hydrogeology Research Group, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Muhammad Imran & Ruud J. Schotting

  3. The Danish Hydrocarbon Research and Technology Centre, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

    Hamidreza M. Nick

  4. Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Hamidreza M. Nick

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  1. Muhammad Imran
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  2. Hamidreza M. Nick
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Correspondence to Muhammad Imran.

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Imran, M., Nick, H.M. & Schotting, R.J. Application of infrared thermography for temperature distributions in fluid-saturated porous media. Arab J Geosci 9, 318 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2353-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2353-6

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