Effects of Moisture on Temperature During Drying of Consolidated Porous Materials

A one-dimensional model for simultaneous heat and moisture transfer in consolidated porous materials is solved for homogeneous brick and mortar slabs. It is validated by comparing numerically predicted moisture content and temperature evolutions with corresponding measured values. It correctly predicts that initially saturated slabs at 20°C which are suddenly placed in contact with air at 20°C and a relative humidity of 50 percent undergo a rapid transient reduction of their temperature down to 13°C due to the evaporation of excess water content. The model is used to study the effets of the initial moisture content and convection transfer coefficients on the minimum temperature of the slabs and on the duration of the transient.