An empirical model for the thermal conductivity of compacted bentonite and a bentonite–sand mixture

Category: Transient Line Source

Author(s): Jae Owan Lee, Sangki Kwon, Won-Jin Cho

Keywords: bentonite, bentonite sand mixture, dry density, nuclear waste buffer, nuclear waste storage, sand fraction, Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Conductivity Measurement, TLS, Transient Line Source, Water content

Abstract: Compacted bentonite and a bentonite–sand mixture have been considered as a potential buffer material for nuclear waste stored underground. The effects of dry density, water content and sand fraction on the thermal conductivity of the mixtures were investigated via data collected with the transient line source technique. With those parameters known, a single expression for the thermal conductivity of the mixture is proposed.

Reference: October 2011Heat and Mass Transfer 47(11):1385-1393

DOI: 10.1007/s00231-011-0800-1

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