  Open cell foams have diverse industrial applications e.g. heat exchangers,
structured reactors, filtration due to their unique properties such as high
porosity and high specific surface area. In order to theoretically determine
the geometric specific surface area and relationships between geometrical
parameters of isotropic open cell foams, a generalized mathematical correlation
was developed. For this purpose the tetrakaidecahedron geometry was used and
different shapes of strut cross-sections of foam structures were taken
explicitly into account. The derived correlation to predict geometrical
properties can be easily extended to different strut shapes. 3-D numerical
simulations at pore scale were performed to study the pressure drop
characteristics and effective thermal conductivity. Fluid flow through open
cell foam was performed in three different regimes: Darcy regime, transition
regime and inertia regime. Importance of geometrical properties on fluid flow
characteristics and their inclusion in the proposed correlations for predicting
pressure drop is discussed. Can Ergun parameters have constant numerical values
or not is also extensively discussed. Three different correlations were derived
to predict the effective thermal conductivity for both, isotropic and
anisotropic open cell foams. Geometrical parameters of foam matrix were
introduced in the correlations to predict effective thermal conductivity.
