Thermal Consolidation Theory

Abstract

This study presents an analytical formulation to predict the generation and dissipation of thermal pore pressures and volumetric strains in low permeability soils. The developed relations facilitate mimicking the transient nature of the thermal loads applied to energy geostructures overcoming the commonly adopted assumptions of fully drained or undrained conditions. This theoretical model relies on coupling Darcy’s law with relations predicting the thermal volumetric strains in soils. The developed relations were validated against experimental results under different conditions (e.g., heating rates, confining stresses, and stress states), showing good agreement between the predicted and the experimental results. The developed relations were then used to explain why the maximum thermal pore pressures at the bottom of the tested specimens were observed before the specimen temperature reaches its maximum. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the significance of various parameters to the thermal consolidation process.