Anisotropic Effective Thermal Conductivity of Particle Beds Under Uniaxial Compression.

The effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of particle beds has been shown to be anisotropic under uniaxial compression. The objective of this study is to validate the assumption that vertical and horizontal effective thermal conductivities of particle beds under uniaxial (vertical) compression can be correlated to compressive stresses in each direction. The horizontal compressive pressure, which is perpendicular to the applied compressive pressure, can be calculated with the use of the at-rest pressure coefficient and subsequently used in a modified macro-contact thermal resistance model to predict the horizontal ETC. The vertical ETC is obtained using the same model by substituting the vertical compressive pressure into the macro-contact thermal resistance. The modified model prediction is shown to match well with experimental data of both vertical and horizontal ETCs of particle beds under uniaxial compression in air and vacuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]