Thermal conductivity determinations on solid rock - a comparison between a steady-state divided-bar apparatus and a commercial transient line-source device

Two apparatuses were used to measure thermal conductivities on pairs of contiguous samples from 17 specimens of solid rock: the USGS divided-bar apparatus, a steadystate comparative method, and the Shotherm "Quick Thermal Meter" (QTM), which employs a transient strip heat source. Both devices were calibrated relative to fused silica. Both devices have a reproducibility of ??5% or better depending, to some extent, on the physical nature of the specimen being tested. For solid rocks, specimen preparation for the divided bar is much more tedious and expensive than for the QTM, which seems insensitive to minor surface roughness. The QTM does, however, require quite large specimens (30 mm ?? 60 mm ?? 100 mm as a minimum for rocks) with even larger specimens (50 mm ?? 100 mm ?? 100 mm) required for higher conductivity material (3.5 W m-1 K-1 and greater). Experimental times are comparable; however, the QTM is a self-contained unit that can be transported easily and set up quickly and requires no more space than a standard desk top. From a formal statistical comparison, it appears that, over a large range of conductivities (1.4 to ???5 W m-1 K-1) and rock types, the two instruments will yield the same value of thermal conductivity for isotropic rocks. ?? 1984.