Effect of water saturation and temperature in the range of 193 to 373 K on the thermal conductivity of sandstone

The thermal conductivity of porous media is crucial for many geological and engineering projects. Although the thermal conductivity at low temperatures is often overlooked, it is of great significance to calculate the amount of heat that the ice sheet absorbs from the Earth. In this study, the thermal conductivity of dry and water-saturated sandstone was measured in the temperature range of 193 to 373 K using a transient hot wire method. All samples were collected from East China, with a sample porosity distribution of 5 to 13%. The effects of temperature, water saturation and phase transition of fluid in the pores were investigated. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity decreases with an increase in temperature and that the decrease is steeper when the temperature is below 273 K. Moreover, it is found that the thermal conductivity of the saturated sandstone is larger than that of the dry sandstone. With an increase in porosity, the thermal conductivity significantly increases in saturated sandstone but remains almost the same or even decreases in dry sandstones. Finally, it is revealed that the effect of phase transformation on the thermal conductivity is significant. When the water in pores becomes ice, the thermal conductivity increases significantly and increases further as the temperature decreases. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.