Moistureheat

Moistureheat is a concept used in hygrothermal science to describe the coupled transport of moisture and heat in porous materials. It refers to the interaction between moisture movement, which can occur as liquid water, water vapor, or adsorbed moisture, and thermal processes that transport or store heat. The term emphasizes that moisture and heat transfer are not independent: moisture content affects thermal conductivity and heat capacity, while temperature gradients drive moisture flow and induce phase changes such as evaporation and condensation.

Key mechanisms include diffusion of water vapor, capillary movement of liquid water, sorption/desorption in hygroscopic materials, and phase-change latent heat exchange. As moisture content changes, the material’s thermal properties change, altering heat flux. Condensation can release latent heat, while evaporation consumes heat, creating nonlinear, location-dependent behavior in indoor environments, greenhouses, soils, and textiles.

Modeling moistureheat typically involves coupled conservation equations for energy and mass, with constitutive relations linking moisture content to relative humidity and temperature. Numerical methods solve these equations under boundary and initial conditions, often using material-specific sorption isotherms and permeability data. Experimental characterization uses sensors for temperature, relative humidity, and moisture content to calibrate models and assess hygrothermal performance.

Applications span building physics, where moistureheat influences insulation, drying, and mold risk; agriculture and horticulture, where greenhouse climate control depends on humidity and heat exchange; textiles and packaging, where comfort and barrier properties are affected; and soil physics, where energy balance interacts with moisture dynamics. While widely used in practice, moistureheat remains an area of active research due to material heterogeneity and scale dependence.