Proposal to Revise IEEE 442 Guide for Soil Thermal Resistivity Measurements

Gaylon S. Campbell, Ph.D. Decagon Devices, Inc. Pullman, WA

PES-ICC Spring Meeting May 17-20, Orlando, FL C20 Soil Thermal Stability

IEEE 442 History

First published: 1981 Last reaffirmed: 2003 Electronic publication 1998 The content is essentially as originally published

Applicable Standards
IEEE 442: Gude for Soil Thermal Resistivity Measurements (1981) SSSA Methods of Soil Analysis: Thermal Conductivity (2002) ASTM D 5334-08 Standard Test Method for Determination of Thermal Conductivity of Soil and Soft Rock by Thermal Needle Probe Procedure (2008)

Stated Purpose
Enable user to: Select useful commercial test equipment Manufacture equipment which is not readily available on the market Make meaningful resistivity measurements with the equipment

Sections of the Guide

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Scope Purpose References Factors influencing soil thermal resistivity Test equipment Test methods Analysis of test results

Sections in blue are those in need of revision

Sections needing revision

3. References
Update to newest versions of standards

5. Test equipment
Update to give performance requirements

6. Test methods
Minor revisions for consistency

7. Analysis of test results

Update to reflect current knowledge and practice

Recommended revision: Section 5.Test Equipment

Guide describes 30-40 year old technology Appropriate technology is now commercially available The Guide should state performance requirements rather than dimensions and construction details (which can be given in an appendix)

ASTM D5334-08 describes relevant information

Thermal needle probe (linear heat source with temperature measuring element at center; sample design in an appendix) Constant current source Temperature readout unit or recorder (0.1 to 0.01 K resolution) Voltage-ohm-meter (0.01 volt and amp resolution) Timer (0.1 s resolution)

Recommended revision: Section 7. Analysis of test results

This section should be rewritten to
Show a more correct analysis for a line heat source during heating and cooling Specify regression, rather than arbitrary eye-fits to data Better specify the time periods over which data are valid Provide more representative data for actual soils

Equations used to determine resistivity should be:

Correct Resistant to experimental error As easy to use as possible The following slides show the assumptions for the currently used equation and give a basis for improvements

Complete equations for an infinite line heat source

r 2C Ei T = 4 k 4k t 2 r 2C r C q T = Ei 4k (t t ) Ei 4kt 4 k 0 q is heat input (W / m) r is heater radius Reference: to is heating time q
Ei is exponential integral
Heating curve

Cooling curve

Carslaw, H. S. and J. C. Jaeger 1959 Conduction of Heat in Solids p. 258-262, Oxford

Looking just at the heating phase equation:

r 2C q T = Ei 4k t 4 k

Ei ( a ) = (1 / u ) exp( u ) du
a

= ln a + a a / 4 + ...
2

Approximate equations for heating and cooling

heating
Temperature Rise (C)

q ln t + C T 4 q t ln T t t +C 4 0
4 slope = q

0.4

y = 0.09x + 0.0564 R2 = 0.9998 =153 C cm/W

0.3

cooling

0.2 y = 0.0853x + 0.008 R2 = 0.9996 =144 C cm/W 0 0 1 2 ln t or ln t/(t-to) heating cooling heating, excluded cooling, excluded 3 4

0.1

Important observations about probes

IEEE 442 probes are not infinite line heat sources But, a semi-log plot of temperature response vs. time (ignoring early time data) produces a straight line even for these large probes The slope of the semi-log plot is proportional to thermal resistivity, Unfortunately, the proportionality factor is not the one given by ILS theory But the correct proportionality factor for these probes can be obtained by calibration

Recommend:
Continued use of semi-log approximation, excluding early time data Use cooling as well as heating data to minimize temperature drift errors Calibration of probes in recognized resistivity standards to minimize effects of non-ideality and assure high quality results Regression analysis of data rather than eyefits

Sample Temperature drift cause large errors with heating-only analysis

1 Apparent Conductivity (W/mC) 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 -0.001 -0.0005 0 0.0005 0.001

Stabilized Water, 30 s heating

____ heating only Log fit

Exp Int

------- heat/cool

Tem perature Drift (C/s)

Large probes overestimate conductivity unless calibrated

Cond. W/(mK) Water (stabilized) glycerol 0.6 0.29

uncalibrated 1.27 mm Needle 0.579 0.006 0.277 0.007

uncalibrated 2.4 mm Needle 0.852 0.005 0.427 0.002

Guide Fig. 3: Thermal Property Characteristics of Soils

An improved version of Fig. 3 showing both soils and engineered materials

10000
Thermal Resistivity (C cm/W)

1000

Palouse A Palouse B Volkmar

100

Peat moss Quartz sand Crushed stone Ottowa sand

10 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Water content % dry wt.

IEEE should be updated for continued use in the industry

It contains valuable information specific to proper underground cable installation Only two sections require extensive revision to be brought up to date The ASTM and SSSA standards, and the scientific literature contain sufficient basis for updating these sections without additional testing on the part of ICC