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Thermal conductivity of polyhalite and anhydrite from the site of the proposed waste isolation pilot plant

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6335997

The study of the thermal conductivity of rocksalt and other geologic materials by Sweet and McCreight has been extended to include polyhalite and anhydrite from the WIPP 28 and AEC 7 wells, respectively, located at the site of the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, NM. The anhydrite changed to a lighter color upon heating, and exhibited a lower conductivity when measured again. The data were fitted to an expression for thermal conductivity, lambda = lambda/sub 300/(300/T)/sup ..gamma../, in which lambda/sub 300/ is the cnductivity at 300/sup 0/K and T the temperature in K. For polyhalite lambda/sub 300/ = 1.3 W/m K, and ..gamma.. = 0.35 in the range 300 to 528/sup 0/K. For fresh anhydrite lambdalambda/sub 300/ = 4.5 W/m K and ..gamma.. = 1.15 in the range 300 to 630/sup 0/K. A rerun on the same anhydrite sample yielded lambda/sub 300/ = 3.5 W/m K and ..gamma.. = 1.00 in the range 300 to 725/sup 0/K. Another anhydrite sample, heated for 24 h at 723/sup 0/K, had an even lower conductivity - 2.5 and 2.1 W/m K at 328 and 348/sup 0/K, respectively. The recommended thermal conductivity parameters for thermal modeling are: polyhalite, ..gamma.. = 0.35, lambda/sub 300/ = 1.4 +- 0.2 W/m K; anhydrite, ..gamma.. = 1.15, lambda/sub 300/ = 4.7 +- 0.2 W/m K.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
6335997
Report Number(s):
SAND-81-0856; ON: DE81024046
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English