Using a heated needle probe to investigate the dynamics of heat and vapor transport in snow

4 à 6 mois entre Janvier et Juin 2023

Heat transport is one of the fundamental physical processes at play in a snowpack. In dry snow, heat transport can occur through two physical mechanisms : heat conduction and latent heat transport. Indeed, due to the release/absorption of latent heat during deposition/sublimation, the energy budget of snow is fundamentally coupled to the transport of water vapor and the kinetics of water vapor sublimation/deposition.
To this day, several mathematical models have been proposed to describe the coupled transport of heat and its coupling with water vapor. However, being derived under different hypotheses, these various models have different formulations and different regimes of validity. It remains unclear which one is best suited to model snow.

The goal of this internship is to investigate the ability of these different mathematical models to accurately simulate the transient heating of dry snow. It will rely on the comparison between experimental data, more precisely temperature curves obtained with a heated probe, and finite element simulations.

For this purpose, the internship will be organized around (i) the acquisition of specific experimental data in the cold laboratory, (ii) the use of finite element tools to model the coupled heat and vapor transport in dry snow, and (iii) an extensive comparison between the experimental data and the simulations.

As one of the main part of the project revolves around the use of finite element modeling tools, the applicant is expected to have a general interest and some experience in programming and in the numerical simulation of physical systems. Prior knowledge of the finite element method is not required, as specific formation will be provided during the internship. The selected candidate will join the collaborative working environment of the ERC IVORI team. She/he will also have the opportunity to take part to a few fieldwork days to collect data at Col De Porte.