A finite volume-based model for the hydrothermal behavior of soil under freeze–thaw cycles

by Tianfei Hu, Tengfei Wang

Freeze–thaw cycles in soil are driven by water migration, phase transitions, and heat transfer, which themselves are closely coupled variables in the natural environment. To simulate this complex periglacial process at different time and length scales, a multi-physics model was established by solving sets of equations describing fluid flow and heat transfer, and a dynamic equilibrium equation for phase changes in moisture. This model considers the effects of water–ice phase changes on the hydraulic and thermal properties of soil and the effect of latent heat during phase transition. These equations were then discretized by using the finite volume method and solved using iteration. The open-source software OpenFOAM was used to generate computational code for simulation of coupled heat and fluid transport during freezing and thawing of soil. A set of laboratory freezing tests considering two thermal boundary conditions were carried out, of which the results were obtained to verify the proposed model. In general, the numerical solutions agree well with the measured data. A railway embankment problem, incorporating soil hydrothermal behavior in response to seasonal variations in surface temperature, was finally solved with the finite volume-based approach, indicating the algorithm’s robustness and flexibility.