Thermal Conductivity of Biocemented Graded Sands
- 1 October 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Vol. 147 (10), 04021106
- https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)gt.1943-5606.0002621
Abstract
This paper includes an investigation of the thermal conductivity of biocemented soils to better understanding the regimes of heat transmission through soils treated by microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). A series of thermal conductivity tests using the transient plane source method (TPS) was performed on biocemented silica sand specimens with different gradations, void ratios, and MICP treatment cycles. The results showed that MICP treatment greatly improved the thermal conductivity of sand specimens. An increase in uniformity coefficient or a decrease in void ratio of the sand resulted in an increase in the thermal conductivity of MICP-treated specimens for a given MICP treatment cycle. The increment of thermal conductivity of MICP-treated specimens with respect to that of untreated specimens was also affected by gradation, void ratio, and content of calcium carbonate. The greatest improvements in thermal conductivity were achieved for sands having an initial degree of saturation between 0.82 and 0.85. An empirical equation was established to predict the thermal conductivity of MICP-treated silica sand with different variables, which may be useful in designing energy piles in biocemented sand layers.Keywords
This publication has 76 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effect of chemical treatment used in MICP on engineering properties of cemented soilsGéotechnique, 2013
- Dynamic response of liquefiable sand improved by microbial-induced calcite precipitationGéotechnique, 2013
- Cementation of sand soil by microbially induced calcite precipitation at various degrees of saturationCanadian Geotechnical Journal, 2013
- Effects of environmental factors on microbial induced calcium carbonate precipitationJournal of Applied Microbiology, 2011
- Laboratory study on the liquefaction resistance of sand-silt mixtures: effect of grading characteristicsGranular Matter, 2011
- Bio-mediated soil improvementEcological Engineering, 2010
- Fundamental study of thermal conduction in dry soilsGranular Matter, 2007
- Energy foundations and other thermo-active ground structuresGéotechnique, 2006
- Experimental and numerical investigations of the behaviour of a heat exchanger pileInternational Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 2006
- Preparing Test Specimens Using UndercompactionGeotechnical Testing Journal, 1978