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Abstract: Thermal properties of methane hydrate-bearing sediment samples taken from the Nankai Trough, Japan were investigated using the transient plane source method. It was determined that the thermal conductivity of these sediment samples decreased with increasing porosity, but increased with increasing methane hydrate saturation. The thermal diffusivity of the samples increased slightly with increasing porosity, but was almost independent of methane hydrate saturation. It was also found that the specific heat was independent of porosity, but it increased with increasing methane hydrate content. The applicability of various numerical models for the estimation of these properties was also investigated. The effect of temperature on the thermal conductivity was also investigated in a mud layer sample.

Reference: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 119, 11 (2014) 8021-8033

DOI: 10.1002/2014JB011324