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MEASUREMENTS OF UNDISTURBED PERMAFROST THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY THROUGH CT SCAN ANALYSIS
Session: Laboratory and Insitu Testing in Cold Regions / Essais en laboratoires et essais in situ pour les régions nordiques
Marc-André Ducharme, Université Laval, CEN (Canada)
Michel Allard, Université Laval, CEN (Canada)
Jean Côté , Université Laval (Canada)
Emmanul L'Hérault, Université Laval, CEN (Canada)
When building in the Arctic, design considerations require precise knowledge of the thermal and geotechnical properties of the permafrost. Computed tomography provides visualization of the cryostructure of permafrost. Previous studies showed great potential in using this technology for classification and volume measurements of permafrost components, i.e. sediment (solid), ice and gas (void) contents. The aims of this study are (1) to develop an innovative and non-destructive approach using CT scan to compute the thermal conductivity of undisturbed permafrost samples and (2) to validate the results computed from CT scan image analysis with proven experimental thermal conductivity data. The very good results obtained so far show that CT scan thermal conductivity measurements yield results comparable to other existing methods. The new approach could still be significantly improved by the use of a higher resolution CT scanner.
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