Temperature effects on the electrical conductivity of K-feldspar

Abstract

K-feldspar, which constitutes about 60$\%$ of the Earth's crust, is crucial for understanding electrical conductivity in porous rocks. Its electrical properties are vital for applications in ceramics, electrical insulation and conductive polymers. In this work, we study the time evolution of electrical conductivity of K-feldspar-rich rocks with varying temperatures, at high and low pH, which has been studied through simulation using time domain random walk. Random walkers, mimicking ions in transport, move in accordance with appropriate hydrodynamic equations, dissolution and precipitation kinetics. Electrical conductivity has been calculated considering variations in the parameters of temperature, fluid pH and the abundance of K-feldspar in rocks. Electrical conductivity is found to increase with temperature up to a critical value, after which it decreases. The sharpness of the rise and fall in electrical conductivity is quantified through a measure defined as the conductivity quality factor $Q_{\sigma }$. We find that $Q_{\sigma }$ increases with a decrease in the availability of K-feldspar mineral. Our simulated results of electrical conductivity show a good match with the experimental trends reported.