The Effects of Moisture Content on the Temperature of Some Selected Soil Samples in the Presence of Internal Heat

Abstract

The effect of moisture content on the temperature of some selected soil samples in the presence of internal heat was studied. The governing equation was modeled using Bosenneque’s approximation base on some necessary assumptions by which the transfer occurred. These equations were non-dimensionalized by employing some standard dimensionless parameters and later reduced to ordinary differential equations using perturbation method. This was then solved analytically. The various effects of the physical parameters that materialized were examined on the unsaturated and saturated forms of some selected soil samples. With the aid of Matlab software, the numerical results were graphed for visual examination. It was observed that the presence of moisture content in these soils helped in boosting their temperatures as the solar radiation and internal heat increase.