A Correlation between P-wave velocity and thermal conductivity of heterogeneous porous materials

In the present study, the petrophysical properties of five different rocks have been measured and analyzed. This is the thermal conductivity, P-wave velocity and porosity. The methodology to estimate the thermal conductivity is to impose heat flux unidirectional on a sample and measure the temperature difference across the sample. The ultrasonic testing is based on the measurement of propagation time of a P-wave in the longitudinal direction. The porosity is measured by the mercury porosimetry technique, based on the measurement of the volume of mercury intruded into the rock under different pressures (mercury intrusion). The results have been shown a direct effect of porosity on thermal conductivity and P-wave velocity. We have found good relationship between the petrophysical properties such as P-wave velocities versus porosity and P-wave velocities versus thermal conductivity coefficient. The experimental results have been then compared with theoretical models available in the literature. These results, consistent with theory, show the possibility of estimating the thermal conductivity from the P-wave velocity and the use of non-destructive methods.