MMIJ Annual Meeting

Rocks interact with heat in complex ways, influenced by their formation, deformation, and hydrothermal processes. Classified as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic, rocks undergo chemical and physical changes due to temperature, pressure, and fluids, with temperature being the dominant factor. Their thermal behavior is crucial for applications like geothermal energy, radioactive waste disposal, and deformation studies, necessitating precise measurement of thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity (TC), diffusivity, and heat capacity. Laboratory methods for measuring TC include steady-state (e.g., divided-bar) and transient techniques. This study used a custom divided-bar apparatus with continuous temperature monitoring. A major limitation is heat loss (40–50%) from the vertical Sample assembly, traditionally mitigated by calibration with standard samples. The thermal conductivity of Sharma sandstone core samples was measured and subsequently validated against established reference values to assess potential limitations in the custom-designed experimental setup.