A novel way of estimation of the apparent activation energy of cement hydration using microwave technique

The apparent activation energy of cement hydration is normally measured using the time-consuming calorimetric method. In this work, a new, quick method of estimating the apparent activation energy of cement hydration using a microwave technique is proposed. The result of the apparent activation energy of the Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) hydration measured by the microwave method is in good agreement (5% difference) with that obtained by the conventional calorimetric method, indicating that the microwave method can be used as an alternative in the estimation of apparent activation energy of the OPC hydration. The good agreement between the results measured by microwave method and calorimetric method further helps to establish the validity of microwave measurement as a new technique for studying cement hydration proposed in our previous work. (C) 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers.