NSF Award
9022288
In this SBIR project, Vatell Corporation is designing, constructing and testing a prototype instrument for simultaneously measuring thermal conductivity and diffusivity. The instrument incorporates a Heat Flux Microsensor probe to measure heat flow and thermocouples to measure surface temperatures. It is microprocessor-based, performing all calculations needed to resolve transient signals of the probe and thermocouples into values of thermal conductivity and diffusivity. To measure these thermal properties for a material, a small sample (approximately 2" square and 1/2" thick) of the material is placed in the test chamber of the instrument. The operator selects an initial temperature for the measuring probe. This selection establishes the range of temperatures over which the sample's thermal properties will be determined. The probe is preheated to this temperature and then automatically makes contact with the surface of the sample. The signal of the microsensor, representing transient heat flow into the sample, and the thermocouple signals representing the decreasing temperature at the probe face and the sample's surface temperature rise, is digitized and recorded by the instrument. The microprocessor then calculates and displays the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of the sample.
