Determination of thermal conductivity of rocks samples using fabricated equipment

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to describe how inexpensive/simple physics equipment was fabricated and used in the determination of ther malconductivity of rock samples. We used the experimental techniques known as transient method of measuring thermal properties of rock samples at ambient temperature. We investigated samples found in five locations/region (Ewekoro, Ile-Ife, Igara, Ago-Iwoye, Abeokuta) in South western Nigeria. Those samples are limestone, dolerite, marble, gneiss, and granite. Although the samples are multi-mineral as revealed by photomicrograph, the thermal conductivity results obtained 1.40, 1.50, 1.57, 1.75, and 2.94 W/ m°C, respectively, are found to be consistent with the ones in literature where highly expensive and sophisticated (not easily affordable in developing nation) equipment are used.