Effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of particulate beds is an important property for many industrial handling processes. This paper presents a new experimental apparatus that enables the measurement of ETC in a steady state while the particulate bed is under axial compression stresses. The apparatus was analyzed both experimentally and by numerical simulations to characterize its performance. The experiments were conducted with 0.5- and 1-mm steel spheres, and the results showed that the pressure state of the bed and its preconsolidation has a significant effect on the effective thermal conductivity. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.