On the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of highly compacted bentonite

The first part of the report describes the testing method used, which is called the Transient Hot Strip method (THS). The measuring unit was a small metal strip, which was placed in the center of the tested bentonite sample. Due to the short measuring time (10-15 sec), the risk of water redistribution due to thermal gradients was reduced to a minimum. The second part of the report, describes the experiments, which were performed on bentonite bodies, mostly cylindrical in shape with a diamter of 50 mm and a height of 20 mm. From the tests of the air dry samples it was found that the thermal conductivity increased as the pressure on the sample increased. The determined conductivities were compared with the values obtained from a theoretical model for the prediction of the thermal conductivity of moist geological materials. The agreement was good and the model was then used to calculate the thermal conductivity of the bentonite as water was taken up by the sample. At low pressures, the thermal conductivity was found to be 0.83-1.08 W/m,K at a water content of 4.1percent and a bulk density of 1.96-2.17 t/m3. At complete water saturation, the conductivity was estimated at 1.35-1.45 W/m,K at the bulk density of 2.0-2.1 t/m3, being representative for the ultimate conditions in a repository. The mass heat capacity of the bentonite was found to be 0.96-1.05 J/g,K which was slightly higher than the expected value that can be derived on values from the literature. The successfully increasing volumetric heat capacity during water uptake was also determined and this was predicted by the model used. (author)