MODELING THE THERMAL-CONDUCTIVITY OF FROZEN SOILS

This paper describes the computerized extended version of the De Vries model for predicting the thermal properties of frozen field soils. Th e extended model generally requires a limited data input and can be ap plied to a full range of soil moisture (dryness to saturation) and a w ide range of soil temperatures (from -30 to 90-degrees-C). Predicted r esults are in good agreement with published experimental data provided that default data of mineral composition closely follow the experimen tal results. A user-friendly computer program has been developed to ca lculate thermal properties of soils below and above 0-degrees-C. The p rogram offers two modes of input data, default and self-entered. The l atter requires the following data: grain size distribution, bulk densi ty or porosity, mineral composition including semi-quantitative analys is of clay mineral composition, shape of minerals. The model can be us ed for the quick estimation of thermal conductivity of practically any soil having lognormal grain size distribution and for computer simula tion of heat transfer in soils above and below the freezing point.