A theoretical model for lunar surface material thermal conductivity.

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical thermal conductivity model for the uppermost layer of lunar surface material under the lunar vacuum environment. The model assumes that the lunar soil can be simulated by spherical particles in contact with each other and that the effective thermal conductivity is a function of depth, temperature, porosity, particle dimension, and mechanical-thermal properties of the solid particles. Two modes of heat transport are considered, conduction and radiation - with emphasis on the contact resistance between particles. The model gives effective conductivity values that compare favorably with the experimental data from lunar surface samples obtained on Apollo 11 and 12 missions.