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Thermal Conductivity Measurements in Porous Mixtures of Methane Hydrate and Quartz Sand
Author(s) -
Waite W. F.,
deMartin B. J.,
Kirby S. H.,
Pinkston J.,
Ruppel C. D.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2002gl015988
Subject(s) - hydrate , methane , clathrate hydrate , quartz , thermal conductivity , porosity , materials science , mineralogy , porous medium , heat transfer , geology , thermodynamics , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics
Using von Herzen and Maxwell's needle probe method, we measured thermal conductivity in four porous mixtures of quartz sand and methane gas hydrate, with hydrate composing 0, 33, 67 and 100% of the solid volume. Thermal conductivities were measured at a constant methane pore pressure of 24.8 MPa between −20 and +15°C, and at a constant temperature of −10°C between 3.5 and 27.6 MPa methane pore pressure. Thermal conductivity decreased with increasing temperature and increased with increasing methane pore pressure. Both dependencies weakened with increasing hydrate content. Despite the high thermal conductivity of quartz relative to methane hydrate, the largest thermal conductivity was measured in the mixture containing 33% hydrate rather than in hydrate‐free sand. This suggests gas hydrate enhanced grain‐to‐grain heat transfer, perhaps due to intergranular contact growth during hydrate synthesis. These results for gas‐filled porous mixtures can help constrain thermal conductivity estimates in porous, gas hydrate‐bearing systems.