Generalized relationships for estimating soil thermal resistivity

Thermal properties of soils are of great importance in view of the subsurfa ce transmission of either heated fluids or high power currents. For these s ituations, it is essential to estimate the resistance offered by the soil m ass in dissipating the heat generated through it. Thermal resistivity of so ils is a complex phenomenon that depends upon various parameters, viz., typ e of the soil, particle size distribution, its compaction characteristics, etc. A laboratory probe has been developed based upon the principle of tran sient method to measure thermal resistivity of different soils for a state of compaction. Based on these results, generalised relationships have been developed, for predicting soil thermal resistivity, and their efficiency ha s been established by comparing the obtained results with those available i n literature. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.