Lecture No.

21 Lecture Name:
Thermal Characterization

Sub-topics
• Importance
• Methodologies
• Thermal properties
• Influence of Various soil specific Parameters
• Centrifuge Modelling

1
 Importance
(Real-life Situations)

High Level Radioactive Waste Disposal

High Voltage Underground Power Cables

Roads, Pipelines, Structures In Cold Regions

Agri- & Aqua-culture Fields/ Solar Ponds

Ground Improvement Techniques (Soil Heating & Freezing)

Energy Conservation Schemes
Transmission of Hot Fluids (Chemicals/Gas)
Heat Loss From The Basements of Buildings

Energy Geotechnics
(Gas Hydrates, Geothermal, Enhanced Oil Recovery, CCUS/CCU…
SFCC, Heating & cooling front migration, moisture/vapor phase
transport..)
2
 THERMAL PROPERTIES

THERMAL RESISTIVITY (inverse of Conductivity, kT) =RT

THERMAL DIFFUSIVITY ()

SPECIFIC HEAT (Cp)

Cp=(RT..)-1  is the density of the media

kT CAN BE CORRELATED TO HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY

3
 Factors Influencing Thermal properties of
Geomaterials

Type of the Geomaterial

Moisture Content
Distribution and Size of the Grains
Density of the Geomaterial
Temperature and Pressure
Presence of Contaminants
Method of Measurements

Cp, RT, and  can be used for geomaterial characterization

4
 The Transient Method
Thermocouple
Power supply leads
leads (T-type)

95 mm Thermocouple

Thermocouple leads
Nichrome wire

6mm dia copper tube

Stainless steel tube of dia 1.2mm

Thermal probe
Insulated T-type Thermocouple

Grounded junction

T-type thermocouple
5
Thermal probes and thermocouples

6
 A.C. Power Supply
•
Constant Power Supply Unit
Set Off on 0 300 600 900 1200 1500

Switch
• • • •
0000
000.0 big small S
0 Current
Timer Temperature indicator

000.0 000.0 000.0

Temperatures
Field Thermal Probe
Fine tuning
Coarse tuning

7
Various Devices used for Thermal Property Determination
Laboratory thermal probe Field thermal probe

THERMODET

DDTHERM (software)
8
 Transient Method

r
Governing Equation for
Line Heat Source in an Infinite Medium
   2 1  
=   2 + 
t  r r r  Initial and boundary conditions:
 = 0 , for t = 0, r = 
θ
lim 2π .k.r =− Q
r →0 r
Solution of the Differential Equation:

Q   (− 1)n (u )n 
(θ − θ 0 ) = − lnu − γ − 
2
 r
4π k  n =1 n.n!  u=
4α t
 is the Euler’s constant and is equal to 0.5772. 9
 For r→0 and t→,
the higher order terms of u can be neglected

100
(a)
Q t2 80
(θ 2 − θ 1 ) = ln
4π k t1 60
s
40
−1
Q
R T = s.  
 ( C)
20
0.1 1 10 100
 4π  0 100
(b)
80

60

40

20
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
t (min)
10
 Details of the thermal property detector
(THERMODET)

Power leads
Thermocouple leads
Cap of the probe
Rubber washer Top cap
25 mm thick Styrofoam
5 mm thick Perspex disk

220 mm long SS tube

Compacted soil
140 mm
Thermocouple

Thermal probe

25 mm thick Perspex disk

20 mm thick Styrofoam
Rubber washer Bottom cap
70 mm
11
Variation of temperature with time for
THERMODET

70 (a)

60

50

40

30

20
 ( C)

1 10 100
0

70 (b)

60

50

40

30

20
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
t (min)
12
 Percentage change in temperature versus time factor curves

20

40

 (%)
=
60
2
D T 80

t 50 100 H=
H=2D
120
0.01 0.1 1

where  is the thermal diffusivity

D is the diameter of the soil sample
T is the time factor corresponding to 50% change in temperature
t50 is the time corresponding to 50% change in temperature

13
 Variation of thermal resistivity with dry-density
1200
WC SS BC WS
1000 (a)

800

600
Variation of thermal resistivity
400
with moisture content
200
RT ( C-cm/W)

400 600
3
SG1 SG2 SG3 d (g/cm ) Soil
(b)

{
WS
500
350 SS
1.3
BC
0

400 WC

RT( C-cm/W)
300 FA-3

300
250 1.6

0
200

1400 FA-1 FA-2 FA-3 BFS SF 100

1200 (c)
0
1000 0 10 20 30 40
w (%)
800
600

0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7
3 14
d (g/cm )
 Generalized Relationships
Generalized thermal resistivity relationships, termed as DDTHERM,
have been proposed by Singh and Devid (2000)

Dry (single-phase) soils

1/RT = [a.10(0.6243 d - 3)]

Moist (single-phase) soils

Clays and silts
1/RT = [b.10(0.6243 d - 3)]

1/RT = [1.07log(w)+c].[10.(0.6243 d-3)]

where RT is the soil thermal resistivity (C.cm/W), w is the moisture content

(%) and d is the dry-density of the soil (g/cm3).
a, b and c depend on the % fraction of the soil and its moisture content and
determining these parameters is a big challenge

15
 Fraction a W Fraction b
(%)
Clay 0.219
4>w2 Clay 0.243
Silt
Silt 0.254
Silty sand 0.385 5w>4 Clay 0.276
Fine sand 0.340
Silt 0.302
Coarse sand 0.480
Gravel 0.21 Fraction c w
(%)
Clay -0.73 >5
Silt -0.54
Silty sand 0.12
Fine sand 0.70
1
Coarse sand 0.73
Gravel 0.8
For clay and silt phase:
Weight = (phase %), when 5  w(%)  2.
Weight = Minimum of the (Absolute c value or phase %), when w (%) >5

Silty-sand, fine-sand coarse-sand and gravel:

Weight = (phase %c of the phase)+ phase %, when w (%)>1
16
Weight = a of the phase, when w (%)<1 (dry soils)
 Effect of the type of soil

It is quite difficult to state the 1400 Black Cotton Soil

Silty Sand
quantitative value of resistivity Fine Sand
of any soil mainly due to the 1200 Coarse Sand
fact that the type of the soil is Fly Ash

Thermal Resistivity (deg C-cm/watt)

not clearly defined in most of 1000

the practical situations.

800

600

For instance, the word clay 400

can cover a wide variety of
soils.
200

0
1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8
Dry density (g/cc)
17
 Effect of moisture content
Heat conduction through soil is largely 1400
electrolytic, the quantity of water present plays
Dry density
an important role. 1.0g/cc
1200
1.1g/cc
The amount of water present is dependent on 1.2g/cc
1.3g/cc
a number of factors viz. weather, time of the

Thermal Resistivity (deg C-cm/watt)

1000 1.4g/cc
year, nature of the sub-soil and the depth of
permanent water table.
800

Dry soils depict low conductivity. It is mainly

due to the presence of air, a poor conductor 600
(4000°C-cm/watt), separates the solid grains
(4°C-cm/watt) of the soil. If the moisture
400
content (Resistivity of water 165°C-cm/watt) of
the soil increases, then conductivity also
increases. 200

Saturated soil has high conductivity as

0
compared to the water. The moisture content, 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
from where rate of decrease of resistivity is Moisture Content ( % )
less, is known as critical moisture content
for the soil. 18
 Determination of Thermal Properties
in a Geotechnical Centrifuge

Though, several analytical and numerical models are available to model

heat migration in geomaterials they lack simulation of the prototype
conditions in terms of in-situ stresses.

To overcome this, field tests, which are relatively costly, time consuming
and difficult to perform, are found to be of immense help.

Under these circumstances, a geotechnical centrifuge should be used

for studying heat migration in geomaterials.

19
 Summary of scaling factors

PARAMETER SCALING FACTOR

Length 1/N
Void ratio 1
Acceleration N
2
Force 1/N
Stress 1
Strain 1
Velocity N
3
Mass 1/N
Mass density 1
2
Time (diffusion) 1/N
Hydraulic Conductivity N
Thermal conductivity ?
Thermall diffusivity ?
Specific heat ?
Heat flux ?
20
 Centrifuge Setup

Data logger
Rheostat
Micro switch Switch-on

Switch-off

Axis of rotation

Test setup
Batteries
Thermocouple leads
Power supply leads
Geomaterial

21
22
 Mathematical Modelling
(Using ANSYS 6.0)
Test
setup Perspex mold
Thermocouple (TC)
Thermal probe
r

Soil sample
θ (°C)

Descritization Results
23
 Validation of ANSYS results with experimental
results

80
ANSYS 6.0 Experimental
70

60
 ( C)

50
0

40 r=1.5 cm
2
30 3
4

20
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
t (min)

24
 Thermal flux For Creating
Unsaturated state
➢ Can be applied by line heat of source of soils
➢ Complex phenomenon

➢moisture content Set up used for thermal flux studies

➢density
➢soil type and {
Thermocouple leads } Power leads
➢thermal properties of the soil SS electrode

10 Cover plate
Inner cylinder

Outer cylinder
T = f(θ, ψ) Thermocouple
Perforations
60 Soil Sample
Nichrome wire
50
Filter paper
7 mm OD late
Thermal probe
copper tube
10 Base plate
15 10
100
@10 140
 Perspex mold
Thermocouple (TC)
Stainless steel electrode (SSE)
Thermal probe
y
x

Top cover plate

Plan view of setup for location of SSE and TC’s in the sample
 Thermal Flux Method (TFM)

Applications
Heat flow from the hot air gun
(hg)
▪ Soils bearing
foundation of thermo-
50 Soil active structures
A 1 B
Perspex mould ▪ Boiler unit
40
C 2 D ▪ Furnaces and
40
Forging unit
E 3 F
Thermo Couple ▪ Brick kilns
40
G 4 Flux Sensor ▪ Rocket launching
H
30
pad
Aluminum base ▪ Buried electrical
150 cables
All dimensions in mm ▪ Underground storage
Figure not to scale
tank
▪ Barrier system of
Nuclear waste disposal
facility
Experimentally obtained thermal regime for dry state of the soil
temperature profile
flux profile

120 FS1 TC1

70
FS2 TC2
FS3 TC3
100
FS4 TC4
60
80 hg=80C hg=80C

60
50

 ( C)
 (W/m )
2

o
40

40
20

0
30
-20
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 t (min)
t (min)