Numerical analysis of simultaneous heat and mass transfer during infiltration into frozen ground

This paper concerns heat transfer and water infiltration into a homogeneous, unsaturated, frozen soil. A numerical analysis of the processes, which is based on the local volume averaging formulation of transport phenomena in porous media, is described. Simultaneous heat and mass transfers with phase changes are considered. The results of the simulations provide an insight into the mechanics of the infiltration process. They suggest that infiltration involves primarily two flow regimes, a transient regime and a quasi-steady-state regime. Once the quasi-steady-state regime is reached, the energy needed to increase soil temperature at depth is supplied by latent heat released from freezing of water in the upper layers of soil. The effects of surface saturation, initial soil saturation and initial soil temperature on infiltration are examined.