Thermal convection from a localized heat source in deep ocean sediments

Heat transfer in deep ocean sediments by both conduction and convection was studied. Models were constructed and the results compared with some experimental studies, including a recent one in the north-central Pacific. In low-permeability sand and ocean bottom sediment, heat transfer is predominantly by conduction; the temperature of a radioactive waste container in these sediments would be approximately the same if pure conduction dominated the process. Not enough is known about containment versus movement of the water in sediment surrounding such a high-temperature cask.