Measurement of thermal conductivity of Green River oil shales by a thermal comparator technique

✍ Scribed by Richard Nottenburg; Krishnan Rajeshwar; Robert Rosenvold; Joel DuBow

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 857 KB
• Volume: 57
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-2361(78)90141-2

✦ Synopsis

A thermal comparator method has been developed for the measurement of the thermal conductivity of oil shales from the Green River formation. Oil shales from two locations in the above formation were studied. Measurements were carried out in the temperature range 25-35O'C on oil shales assaying between 28.3 and 333.0 ml/kg (6.8 and 79.9 U.S. gal/short ton). Predictive equations showing the variation of thermal conductivity with temperature and shale grade are presented. A simple model is proposed to explain the anisotropic effects observed in the thermal-conductivity values for heat flowing in directions parallel and perpendicular to the shale bedding planes. The relative merits of the thermal comparator technique are discussed in the light of techniques previously employed for the measurement of thermal-conductivity factors of Green River oil shales.