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Simulation of Heat Transfer in Soils¹

ABSTRACT

A computer model was developed to predict the temperature fluctuation in subsoil from the temperature variation at the soil surface, taking into account changes in the apparent thermal conductivity with depth below soil surface and soil temperature. The model makes use of S/360 CSMP, a recently developed simulation language for digital computers. Predicted soil temperatures were compared with soil temperatures observed at 2, 10, 15, 25, 30, and 75 cm below the surface of bare field profiles, before and after irrigation with 13.4 cm water. In wet soil observed and predicted temperatures were in close agreement. In dry soil significant differences were observed between measured and predicted soil temperatures during part of the day. The increase in apparent thermal conductivity with soil temperature had a negative effect on the magnitude of the difference between observed and predicted values in the dry soil. Agreement was found between soil heat flux density values predicted from the model and calculated with the temperature integral method. Use of a digital simulation language can save considerable programming time, and can be applied to movement of water and gases in soil profiles.

¹ Journal article no. 356, Agr. Exp. Sta., New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, N. M., 88001. contribution from the Dept. of Agronomy, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, and the Agricultural Univ., Wageningen, The Netherlands. This investigation was supported partially from funds of the Water Resources Center, Univ. of California, while the senior author was at the Department of Water Science and Engineering, Davis.

² Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, and Professor, Agricultural Univ., Wageningen, The Netherlands. The authors wish to thank Mr. R. D. Brennan, IBM, Research Center, Palo Alto, Calif., for his help during the initial phases of model testing.

Received for publication May 15, 1970. Accepted for publication July 20, 1970.