Estimation of quartz appearance in mineral type granular materials

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Estimation of Quartz Appearance in Mineral Type Granular MaterialsThe high quality of modern day life depends strongly on the continuous improvement of the technology surrounding us and preserving our nature. To achieve these objectives, a long-term solution is needed to environmental issues, such as soil water pollution, ecological problems of waste disposal, soil erosion, or impacts of engineering facilities buried in the ground (high-voltage power cables, pipelines, pavements, hydrogen storage systems, or underground radioactive waste disposal). The successful computer design of the above amenities and long-term solutions to environmental issues of the ground require reliable data concerning the thermal and transport properties of soil over a full range of soil wetness, variable soil compactness and temperature. The database of these properties is very limited (a few Canadian soils only) and often incomplete. Measuring soil thermal conductivity is expensive, time consuming, and error prone. Therefore, instead of using direct measurements, the use of predictive models based on soil mineralogical data is recommended. Over the past 50 years, however, the quartz abundance in soils was not measured and it was assumed as a fitting parameter. Therefore, the project is focusing on measurements of soil mineralogical composition and soil thermal conductivity of Canadian soils representing each province and territory. The gathered data will be used for the development of a global predictive model to be applied in computer modeling of heat and moisture flow in the ground. Furthermore, the existing computer package dealing with prediction of soil thermal and hydraulic properties will be enhanced by addition of Canadian soils, thus providing reliable estimates based on easily obtainable data. The development of a portable thermal conductivity probe for field measurements is also a part of this project. Expertise gained will be shared with the geo-science and engineering sector dealing with the environmental aspects or geotechnical utilization of soils.