Thermal conductivity of ice prepared under different conditions

Abstract

Although the thermal conductivity of liquid water is well established, many conflicting values for the thermal conductivity of ice have been reported in the literature. This work demonstrates that the significant differences in the reported ice thermal conductivities can be attributed to differences in the freezing conditions and measurement procedures. In this study, the thermal conductivity of ice was measured over the temperature range of −5 to −40°C using a commercial needle probe. The heating time and data fitting method were first optimized. Then, the effects of the freezing rate, the presence of dissolved gasses in the water, and the presence of a magnetic field during freezing on the thermal conductivity of ice were determined.