The thermal conductivity of rock surrounding the airway is one of the most important thermal properties for estimating strata heat transfer into the mine air and for designing the air-cooling strategies. Several laboratory methods are available for the determination of thermal conductivity; however, most of them are complex and cumbersome. The present study explains the working principle of Lee’s apparatus which is relatively simple, easy to fabricate and use, and provides consistent results. In the present study, thermal conductivities of sandstone cores obtained from an Indian coal mine are determined using Lee’s apparatus. An approach is discussed for determining the temperature gradient of sandstone specimens while cooling and used for calculating thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity of different sandstone specimens attains values between 2.37 and 2.59 W m⁻¹ °C⁻¹. For different sandstone cores obtained from the field, properties including specific gravity, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and porosity, along with thermal conductivity, are determined and highlighted in this study.

气道周围岩石的热导率是估算进入矿井空气的地层传热和设计空气冷却策略的最重要的热特性之一。有几种实验室方法可用于测定热导率；然而，它们中的大多数是复杂和繁琐的。本研究解释了 Lee 装置的工作原理，该装置相对简单、易于制造和使用，并提供了一致的结果。在本研究中，从印度煤矿获得的砂岩岩心的热导率是使用 Lee 的装置确定的。讨论了一种确定砂岩试样冷却时的温度梯度并用于计算热导率的方法。^-1  ℃ ^-1 . 对于从现场获得的不同砂岩岩心，本研究确定并强调了包括比重、比热容、热扩散率和孔隙率以及热导率在内的特性。