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An exploratory study of the thermal conductivity of methane hydrate
Author(s) -
Cook J. G.,
Leaist D. G.
Publication year - 1983
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/gl010i005p00397
Subject(s) - permafrost , clathrate hydrate , methane , hydrate , thermal conductivity , natural gas , geology , mineralogy , earth science , materials science , chemistry , composite material , oceanography , organic chemistry
Recent discoveries of natural gas hydrates in permafrost and sub‐oceanic environments have led us to measure the thermal conductivity of methane hydrate. A guarded hot‐plate cell was constructed and tested with various ice specimens. We find the conductivity of methane hydrate near −60°C is 0.45 W/mK, a value close to that obtained for other clathrate hydrates by us and others. It is much lower than for ice (by a factor of about 5), so that a logging tool based on this property should prove to be of use in identification of gas hydrates in permafrost zones.