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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Fibre optic sensing technology for field assessment of thermal conductivity of aquatic sediments
Journal of Soils and Sediments, Vol.24, pp.2144-2158
2024
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the in situ variability of sediment thermal conductivity (K) in a pond, integrating field-deployed fibre optic sensing with laboratory analyses of sediment properties to enhance our understanding and management of aquatic systems.
Materials and methods
A 20-m cable setup, consisting of a fibre optic cable (FOC) and a heating tape, was buried at two depths within a channel-shaped section of a pond. Induced temperatures along the FOC were recorded during several heating and cooling periods using distributed temperature sensing (DTS). Thermal conductivity (K) was estimated at five locations along the FOC during the heating periods using the heat conduction theory for an infinite line source. Sediment core samples collected from these locations were analyzed to determine dry bulk density (DBD), organic matter content (OM), and particle size distribution (PSD), exploring their effects on K variability.
Results
Analysis of core samples identified three distinct layers, each with varying PSD, OM, and DBD. The study revealed substantial spatial differences in the thermal conductivity of sediments, even over very short distances along the FOC, attributed to variations in sediment properties. Through a combination of field and laboratory results, we developed quadratic regression models (R2 > 0.9) to characterize the influence of DBD and OM on K. These models enabled detailed vertical and horizontal characterization of K within specific sediment contexts.
Conclusion
The study demonstrates the effectiveness of active DTS in detecting in-situ variations in K, emphasizing the impact of OM and DBD on temperature propagation. This study highlights the necessity of considering sediment property variability in modelling heat transfer for accurate water resource management and environmental assessments.
Details
- Title
- Fibre optic sensing technology for field assessment of thermal conductivity of aquatic sediments
- Authors
- Laureano Gonzalez Rodriguez (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringDamon Kent (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringCharith Rathnayaka (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringHelen Fairweather (Author) - Engineers AustraliaAdrian McCallum (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Publication details
- Journal of Soils and Sediments, Vol.24, pp.2144-2158
- Publisher
- Springer
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11368-024-03772-3
- ISSN
- 1614-7480; 1439-0108
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- Data are included in the article and supplementary information, further inquiries can be made to the corresponding author.
- Grant note
- This research was sponsored by a Lake Macquarie Environmental Research Grant, which is funded by Lake Macquarie City Council and various sponsors. In the 2021/2022 funding cycle, the sponsors included Hunter Water Corporation, Delta Electricity, and Origin. LGR received financial support for the submitted work through the Research Training Program.
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991007398902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
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- Environmental Sciences
- Soil Science
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