Three-scale approach for fluid transport through plant cell assemblies: Model development and measurement of properties

Understanding transport of fluid across plant cell assembly is one of the key subjects in modeling of various engineering processes of biomaterials. A unique feature of biomaterial is that the phenomena observed at macroscale are a manifestation of phenomena at smaller scale structures. To account for this unique hierarchical multiscale characteristic of biomaterials, various multiscale approaches were investigated to develop a model for fluid transport in plant cell assembly. As a result, hybrid mixture theory (HMT) was identified as a most promising approach and used in formulation of governing equations for fluid transport in plant cell assemblies. HMT formulation utilizes scale-up of balance equations from microscale to macroscale; whereas constitutive equations are formulated at macro scale using entropy inequality relation. For simulating fulid transport using developed formulation, novel and innovative devices to measure material properties related to the fluid transport are also developed and used in determination of those properties for hybrid poplar. For water transport, open column was developed. Open column measures water transport in steady state with cylindrical shaped hybrid poplar sample. For heat transfer related properties' determination, capped column was developed, which uses with cylindrical shaped hybrid poplar sample. Results of these experiments are presented, as well.