Magnetic Properties of Nanocrystalline Nickel–Cobalt Ferrites (\mathrm{Ni}_{1/2}{\mathrm{{Co}}}_{1/2}{\mathrm{{Fe}}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})

In this study, the nanocrystalline nickel–cobalt ferrites $(\mathrm{Ni}_{1/2}\mathrm{Co}_{1/2}\mathrm{Fe}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{4})$ were prepared via the citrate route method at $27\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ . The samples were calcined at $300\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ for 3 h. The crystalline structure and the single-phase formations were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Prepared materials showed the cubic spinel structure with m3m symmetry and Fd3m space group. The analyses of XRD patterns were carried out using POWD software. It gave an estimation of lattice constant “ $a$ ” of 8.3584 Å, which was in good agreement with the results reported in JCPDS file no. 742081. The crystal size of the prepared materials calculated by Scherer’s formula was 27.6 nm and the electrical conductivity was around $10^{-5}~\mathrm{S}\,\cdot \, \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ . The permeability component variations with frequency were realized. The magnetic properties of the prepared materials were analyzed by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It showed a saturation magnetization of $27.26\,\mathrm{emu} \cdot \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ and the behavior of a hard magnet.     

Kinetic and Thermodynamic Study of Calcite Marble Samples from Lesser Himalayas

A kinetic and thermodynamic study of selected calcite marble samples from Lesser Himalayas has been performed using thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses at heating rates of \(10\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\,{\cdot }\min ^{-1}\) and \(30\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\,{\cdot }\min ^{-1}\) . The minero-petrography of calcite grains, phase analysis, chemical analysis, and minor impurities determination were carried out using thin-section polarized light microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and electron microprobe analysis, respectively. The calcite content of the investigated marble samples varied from 97.50 mass% to 98.70 mass%. The activation energy, \(E_\mathrm{a}\) , for the decomposition process increased from \(158.6\,\mathrm{kJ}\,{\cdot }\mathrm{mol}^{-1}\) to \(179.4\,\mathrm{kJ}\,{\cdot }\,\mathrm{mol}^{-1}\) and from \(214.1\,\mathrm{kJ}\,{\cdot }\, \mathrm{mol}^{-1}\) to \(232.8\,\mathrm{kJ}\,{\cdot }\, \mathrm{mol}^{-1}\) for heating rates of \(10\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\,{\cdot }\, \min ^{-1}\) and \(30\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\,{\cdot }\, \min ^{-1}\) , respectively, with decreasing calcite content. The activation energy values obtained in the present study were in good agreement with previous studies.     

Study of Glass-Transition Kinetics of Pb-Modified Se_{80}In_{20} System by Using Non-isothermal Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Glass-transition kinetics of $\mathrm{Se}_{80}\mathrm{In}_{20-\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{Pb}_{\mathrm{x}}$ ( $x =$ 0, 5, 10, and 15) chalcogenide glasses have been carried out at different heating rates by using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) under the non-isothermal condition. The glass-transition temperature $T_{\mathrm{g}}$ and peak glass-transition temperature $T_{\mathrm{pg}}$ have been determined from DSC thermograms. The reduced glass temperature $T_{\mathrm{rg}}$ , total relaxation time $\tau _{T_{g}}$ thermal-stability parameters $K^{l}$ and $S$ , the activation energy of glass transition $E_{\mathrm{g}}$ , the fragility index $F_{\mathrm{i}}$ , and the average coordination number $\langle Z\rangle $ have been calculated on the basis of the experimental results. The temperature differences $(T_{\mathrm{c}}-T_{\mathrm{g}}), K_{\mathrm{gl}}, K^{l}, S$ , and $E_{\mathrm{g}}$ are found to be maxima for $\mathrm{Se}_{80}\mathrm{In}_{10}\mathrm{Pb}_{10}$ glass. This indicates that $\mathrm{Se}_{80}\mathrm{In}_{10}\mathrm{Pb}_{10}$ glass has the highest thermal stability and glass-forming ability in the investigated compositional range. These results could be explained on the basis of modification of the chemical bond formation due to incorporation of Pb in the Se–In glassy matrix.     

Search for Anomalous Temperature Behavior of the Viscosity of Polyethylene Glycol Solutions

Viscometric studies of polyethylene glycol (PEG 35000) aqueous solutions are presented. The temperature and concentration dependences of the PEG solution viscosities were studied in the range from \(10\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) to \(60\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) and \(5\,\mathrm{mg}{\cdot } \mathrm{ml}^{-1}\) to \(50\, \mathrm{mg}{\cdot } \mathrm{ml}^{-1}\) , respectively. The intrinsic viscosity and the Huggins coefficient have been calculated from the data. The results exclude the recently reported anomalous behavior of these quantities. The measured viscosity is also used to estimate the hydrodynamic and gyration radii of the polymers.     

Direct Measurements of Infrared Normal Spectral Emissivity of Solid Materials for High-Temperature Applications

A new facility for the measurement of the normal spectral emissivity of solid materials for high-temperature applications in the thermal steady state was developed at the Bundeswehr University of Munich. The measurements are performed under atmospheric conditions. The facility covers the temperature range between $500\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$ and $1350\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$ and wavelengths between $0.6\,\upmu \hbox {m}$ and $15\,\upmu \hbox {m}$ . The principle of operation involves the spectral comparison of a test sample with a reference blackbody and the sample surface temperature determination with a numerical spectral ratio calculation. The optical characteristics of the blackbody and the sample surface temperature determination are discussed in detail. Furthermore, measurement results of the quasi-reference material silicon-carbide under steady-state conditions are presented to validate the measurement method.     

Temperature Coefficients of the Refractive Index for Complex Hydrocarbon Mixtures

Temperature coefficients of the refractive index ( \(\mathrm{d}n/\mathrm{d}T\) ) in the \(25\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) to \(35\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) temperature interval for hydrocarbon mixtures containing as many as 14 compounds were investigated in this work. The measured \(-\mathrm{d}n/\mathrm{d}T\) of the mixtures were compared with calculations based on the values for each compound and their concentrations. Differences of about 1 % between measured and calculated values were observed for all mixtures. The additivity of \(-\mathrm{d}n/\mathrm{d}T\) for these hydrocarbons enables preparation of surrogate fuels that are formulated to have properties like those of specific diesel fuels.     

Low-Temperature Drift in MIMS Base-Metal Thermocouples

Inhomogeneities are known to develop within thermoelements exposed to elevated temperatures, resulting in temperature measurement errors. While the Seebeck coefficient drift in base-metal thermocouples due to aging at temperatures over \(200\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) has been extensively investigated, there have been very few investigations into possible Seebeck changes at lower temperatures. Despite warnings about possible effects, most practitioners assume changes in homogeneity are either not significant or not able to develop at temperatures less than \(200\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) . This study reports on measurements of inhomogeneities in base-metal thermocouples arising from heat treatment at temperatures in the region of \(200\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) . Thermoelectric scans of thermocouples were carried out following exposure of a range of mineral-insulated metal-sheathed base-metal thermocouples, from two large manufacturers, of Types E, J, K, N, and T, to either a linear-gradient furnace within the range of \(100\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) to \(320\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) or uniform temperature zones of \(100\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) , \(150\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) , and \(200\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) . The experiments reveal noticeable drift in all base-metal types for temperatures as low as \(100\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) and exposure times as short as 1 h. The most sensitive thermoelement alloys appear to be Constantan, Alumel, and Nicrosil. It is concluded that the common working assumption that base-metal thermocouples suffer no thermally induced changes in the Seebeck coefficient below \(200\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) is false. This observation has significant implications for many high-stability monitoring and control systems reliant on base-metal thermocouples that operate in the range of \(100\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) to \(200\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) . Additionally, thermoelectric scanning of base-metal thermocouples should be carried out at temperatures well below \(150\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) to avoid erasure of strain effects or imprinting of new thermal signatures.     

Experimental Measurements of Thermophysical Properties of \mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}– and \mathrm{TiO}_{2}–Ethylene Glycol Nanofluids

This paper presents measurements of the thermal conductivity and the dynamic viscosity of $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol (1 % to 3 % particle volume fraction) nanofluids carried out in the temperature range from $0\,^{\circ }$ 0 ° C to $50\,^{\circ }$ 50 ° C. The thermal-conductivity measurements were performed by using a transient hot-disk TPS 2500S apparatus instrumented with a 7577 probe (2.001 mm in radius) having a maximum uncertainty $(k=2)$ ( k = 2 ) lower than 5.0 % of the reading. The dynamic-viscosity measurements and the rheological analysis were carried out by a rotating disk type rheometer Haake Mars II instrumented with a single-cone probe (60 mm in diameter and $1^{\circ }$ 1 ° ) having a maximum uncertainty $(k=2)$ ( k = 2 ) lower than 5.0 % of the reading. The thermal-conductivity measurements of the tested nanofluids show a great sensitivity to particle volume fraction and a lower sensitivity to temperature: $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids show a thermal-conductivity enhancement (with respect to pure ethylene glycol) from 1 % to 19.5 % and from 9 % to 29 %, respectively. $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids exhibit Newtonian behavior in all the investigated temperature and particle volume fraction ranges. The relative viscosity shows a great sensitivity to the particle volume fraction and weak or no sensitivity to temperature: $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids show a dynamic viscosity increase with respect to ethylene glycol from (4 to 5) % to 30 % and from 14 % to 50 %, respectively. Present experimental measurements were compared both with available measurements carried out by different researchers and computational models for thermophysical properties of nanofluids.     

Validation of Primary Water Dew-Point Generator for Methane at Pressures up to 6 MPa

In this paper, the validation of the water dew-point generator with methane as a carrier gas in the temperature range from \(-41\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) to \(+15\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) and at pressures up to 6 MPa is reported. During the validation, the generator was used with both nitrogen and methane to investigate the effect of methane on the generator and the chilled mirror dew-point meters. The effect of changing the flow rate and the dew-point temperature of the gas entering the generator, on the gas exiting the generator was investigated. As expected, methane at high pressures created hydrates in combination with water and low temperatures, thus limiting the temperature range of the generator to \(+8\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) to \(+15\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) at its maximum operating pressure of 6 MPa. A lower operating pressure extended the temperature range; for example, at 3 MPa, the temperature range was already extended down to \(-15\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) , and at 1 MPa, the range was extended down to \(-41\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) . The validation showed that, in its operating range, the generator can achieve with methane the same standard uncertainty of \(0.02\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) frost/dew point already demonstrated for nitrogen and air carrier gases.     

Experimental Investigation of Soil Thermal Conductivity Over a Wide Temperature Range

The results are reported of an experimental investigation of the soil thermal conductivity over a wide temperature range, for various water contents and two soil types. The results are particularly important in predictions of underground heat transfer, which require a quantitative understanding of the coupled dependence of the soil thermal conductivity on texture, temperature, and water content. In the research, comprehensive sets of thermal conductivity for Ottawa sand (coarse soil) and Richmond Hill fine sandy loam (medium soil) are experimentally obtained using the guarded hot-plate method, for temperatures ranging from $2\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ 2 ° C to $92\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ 92 ° C and water contents varying from complete dryness to full saturation. For both soils, the thermal conductivity is observed to vary in three stages with respect to increasing water content: a very minor increase as water content increases to the permanent wilting point, a steep increase as water content further increases to field capacity, and a minor increase (for temperatures less than $72\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ 72 ° C ) or decrease for (temperatures greater than $72\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ 72 ° C ) when the field capacity is exceeded. Then, on the basis of gathered datasets, a similar $Ke(S_{\mathrm{r}},T)$ Ke ( S r , T ) form of the soil thermal conductivity model by Tarnawski et al. is used to empirically fit the data. The resulted correlations fit the data well with their overall root-relative-mean-square percentage errors of 4.7 % and 6.1 % for Ottawa sand and Richmond Hill fine sandy loam, respectively, and are suitable for most engineering applications.     

Transfer Partial Molar Isentropic Compressibilities of (l-Alanine/l-Glutamine/Glycylglycine) from Water to 0.512 {\mathrm{mol}}\!\cdot \!{\mathrm{kg}}^{-1} Aqueous {\mathrm{KNO}}_{3}/0.512\, {\mathrm{mol}}\!\cdot \! {\mathrm{kg}}^{-1} Aqueous {\mathrm{K}}_{2}{\mathrm{SO}}_{4} Solutions Between 298.15 K and 323.15 K

Speeds of sound of (l-alanine/l-glutamine/glycylglycine $\,+\, 0.512\, {\mathrm{mol}}\cdot {\mathrm{kg}}^{-1}$ + 0.512 mol · kg ? 1 aqueous ${\mathrm{KNO}}_{3}/0.512\, {\mathrm{mol}}\cdot {\mathrm{kg}}^{-1}$ KNO 3 / 0.512 mol · kg ? 1 aqueous ${\mathrm{K}}_{2}{\mathrm{SO}}_{4}$ K 2 SO 4 ) systems have been measured for several molal concentrations of amino acid/peptide at different temperatures: $T$ T = (298.15 to 323.15) K. Using the speed-of-sound and density data, the parameters, partial molar isentropic compressibilities $\phi _{\kappa }^{0}$ ? κ 0 and transfer partial molar isentropic compressibilities $\Delta _{\mathrm{tr}} \phi _{\kappa }^{0}$ Δ tr ? κ 0 , have been computed. The trends of variation of $\phi _{\kappa }^{0}$ ? κ 0 and $\Delta _{\mathrm{tr}} \phi _{\kappa }^{0}$ Δ tr ? κ 0 with changes in molal concentration of the solute and temperature have been discussed in terms of zwitterion–ion, zwitterion–water dipole, ion–water dipole, and ion–ion interactions operative in the systems.     

Climatic Chamber for Temperatures up to 180\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C} and Pressures up to 0.5 MPa

A new relative-humidity setup was developed for calibrating sensors in the temperature range from \(-40\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) up to \(180\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) and at pressures down to 700 hPa and up to 0.5 MPa. The setup is based on the chamber-in-chamber model: a small additional chamber is positioned inside a climatic chamber. While the climatic chamber is used to generate the air temperature, a pre-conditioned gas from outside the climatic chamber delivers the required humidity in the new pressure chamber. Validation of the setup at atmospheric pressure showed relative-humidity uncertainties of 0.2 %rh at 5 %rh over the whole temperature range and 0.4 %rh at 95 %rh for temperatures above \(0\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) . Below \(0\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) , the maximum uncertainty increases to 0.9 %rh due to the influence of the temperature homogeneity. The temperature uncertainty of the new setup is between \(0.10\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) and \(0.21\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) . Five commercially available relative-humidity sensors, of different type and manufacturer and all suitable for high temperatures, were calibrated in the new setup. The measurements showed deviations outside the stated specifications of the manufacturer and the need of traceable calibration facilities.     

The theoretical calculation of the flow rate of granular matter from an inclined orifice

A theoretical calculation method for the flow rate of granular matter from an inclined orifice is discussed in this article and for the inclination angles at $\theta \le 90^{\circ }$ , a theoretical relation between the flow rate $Q$ and inclination angle $\theta $ is derived; and for the inclination angles at $\theta >90^{\circ }$ , a semi-theoretical relation is established. From the relations, we found that the ratio of the flow rate from a vertical orifice, $Q_{90}$ , to that from a horizontal orifice, $Q_{0}$ , is equal to the sine of the angle of repose $\theta _{\mathrm{r}}$ , i.e., $Q_{90} /Q_0 =\sin \theta _{\mathrm{r}} $ . The theoretical relations are tested by means of the experimental data and the results indicate that the theoretical calculating values are in good agreement with the experimental data over a wide range of the inclination angles. Therefore, the formula proposed in this article can be used for the theoretical calculation of the flow rate of granular matter from an inclined orifice. The relation $Q_{90} /Q_0 =\sin \theta _{\mathrm{r}}$ may be used as an alternative approach to obtaining $\theta _{\mathrm{r}}$ : measuring $Q_{90}$ and $Q_{0}$ , and then calculating $\theta _{\mathrm{r}} $ by using formula $\theta _{\mathrm{r}} =\arcsin (Q_{90} /Q_0 )$ .     

Long-Term Monitoring of Thermocouple Stability with Miniature Fixed-Point Cells

In the framework of the European Metrology Research Programme ENG08 “MetroFission” project, two National Measurement Institutes, LNE-Cnam (France) and NPL (UK), have cooperatively developed methods of in situ validation of thermocouple output for application in next-generation nuclear fission power plants. Miniature fixed-point cells for use at three temperatures were constructed in the first step of this project: at the freezing point of silver ( \(961.78\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) ), the freezing point of copper ( \(1084.62\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) ), and the melting point of the iron–carbon eutectic ( \(1154\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) ). This paper reports the results of a second step in the study, where the robustness of the self-validation method has been investigated. Typical industrial Type N thermocouples have been employed with each of the miniature fixed-point devices installed, and repeatedly thermally cycled through the melting and freezing transitions of the fixed-point ingots. The devices have been exposed to a total of up to 90 h in the molten state. Furthermore, the LNE-Cnam devices were also subjected to fast cool-down rates, on five occasions, where the rate is estimated to have been between \(150\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\,{\cdot }\min ^{-1}\) and \(200\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\,{\cdot } \min ^{-1}\) . The devices are shown to be repeatable, reliable, and robust over the course of these tests. The drift of the Type N thermocouple has been identified separately to the behavior of the device. A reliable method for improving thermocouple performance and process control is therefore demonstrated. Requirements for implementation and the advantages of each approach for monitoring and correcting thermocouple drift are discussed, and an uncertainty budget for self-validation is presented.     

Specific Heat of K_{0.71}Na_{0.29}Fe_2As_2 at Very Low Temperatures

A commercially available calorimeter has been used to investigate the specific heat of a high-quality K $_{0.71}$ Na $_{0.29}$ Fe $_2$ As $_2$ single crystal. The addenda heat capacity of the calorimeter is determined in the temperature range $0.02 \, \mathrm{K} \le T \le 0.54 \, \mathrm{K}$ . The data of the K $_{0.71}$ Na $_{0.29}$ Fe $_2$ As $_2$ crystal imply the presence of a large $T^2$ contribution to the specific heat which gives evidence of $d$ -wave order parameter symmetry in the superconducting state. To improve the measurements, a novel design for a calorimeter with a paramagnetic temperature sensor is presented. It promises a temperature resolution of $\Delta T \approx 0.1 \, \mathrm{\mu K}$ and an addenda heat capacity less than $200 \, \mathrm{pJ/K}$ at $ T < 100 \, \mathrm{mK}$ .     

Nuclear Spin Relaxation Characteristic of Submonolayer ^3He Films in Nanochannels

In order to obtain information on dynamics of helium films in the nondegenerate fluid region, we have performed a pulsed-NMR experiment at 3.29 MHz on $^3$ He films adsorbed in straight 2.4 nm channels of FSM silicates down to 0.54 K. In general, the spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times $T_1$ and $T_2$ were explained in terms of the two-dimensional Bloembergen–Purcell–Pound model for dipolar relaxation. Temperature dependences of $T_1$ in submonolayer $^3$ He films show a minimum, indicating that the dipolar-field correlation time $\tau _\mathrm {c}$ is about $\omega ^{-1}=4.8\times 10^{-8}$ s. The temperature $T_\mathrm {min}$ of the $T_1$ minimum monotonically lowers with increasing coverage, suggesting that $^3$ He adatoms become more mobile at higher coverages. The low-dimensional property of $^3$ He adatoms is observed as the separation of $T_1$ and $T_2$ above $T_\mathrm {min}$ where $\omega \tau _\mathrm {c}<1$ . On the other hand, several features specific to films in the nanochannel geometry were also found. Especially, the temperature dependence of $T_2$ becomes very small just below $T_\mathrm {min}$ and shows a shoulder at lower temperatures. This anomaly has not been observed in $^3$ He adsorbed in wider pores or on flat surfaces, so that it is considered to be characteristic of $^3$ He films confined in narrow channels with a diameter of a few nm.     

Experimental and Numerical Study on Heat Transfer Characteristics of Metallic Honeycomb Core Structure in Transient Thermal Shock Environments

The metallic honeycomb core structure has important engineering applications in the aerospace and aviation fields due to several advantages, such as being lightweight, its strong resistance to deformation in high-temperature environments, and its excellent energy absorption characteristics. In the present study, a transient heating experimental system for high-speed flight vehicles was developed to study the thermal insulation characteristics of a superalloy honeycomb core structure at different thermal shock rates \((5\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}{\cdot }\mathrm{s}^{-1}\, \mathrm{to}\,30\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}{\cdot }\mathrm{s}^{-1})\) . The highest instantaneous temperature tested was \(950\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}\) . The three-dimensional finite element method was used to numerically calculate the thermal insulation characteristics of the metallic honeycomb core structure in a high-speed thermal shock environment. The calculated results agree well with the experimental results; this agreement demonstrates that to an extent, numerical calculations are a better alternative than expensive experiments. The results of this study provide an important reference for the thermal protection design of metallic honeycomb core structures of high-speed flight vehicles.     

Thermal Stability of \beta -PtO_2 Investigated by Simultaneous Thermal Analysis and Its Influence on Platinum Resistance Thermometry

We present thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric studies of PtO \(_2\) powders measured in different atmospheres. In synthetic air a mass loss of 11.4 % is found at the decomposition temperature \(T_\mathrm {D}\)  = 595  \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) which can be attributed to the reduction of PtO \(_2\) . In a helium atmosphere the mass loss is 12.0 % and is found at 490  \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) . Subsequent heating in air leads to another oxidation process above \(T_\mathrm {D}\) and a reduction at 800  \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) . The second oxidation and reduction process is strongly suppressed when the powder is heated in He. The remaining mass above \(T_\mathrm {D}\) does not comply with a reduction path PtO \(_2 \rightarrow \) PtO \(\rightarrow \) Pt. Differential scanning calorimetry shows an endothermic reaction at \(T_\mathrm {D}\) in synthetic air as well as in helium which corresponds with the mass loss. These measurements imply that the powder can be assigned to be \(\beta \) -PtO \(_2\) . Furthermore, catalytic activity of the PtO \(_2\) powder is evidenced by mass spectrometry to be present below 460  \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) . Finally, the impact of these findings on the stability of platinum resistance thermometers is discussed.     

Comparison of Air Temperature Calibrations

European national metrology institutes use calibration systems of various types for calibrating thermometers in air. These were compared to each other for the first time in a project organized by the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET). This EURAMET P1061 comparison project had two main objectives: (1) to study the equivalence of calibrations performed by different laboratories and (2) to investigate correlations between calibration methods and achievable uncertainties. The comparison was realized using a pair of 100  \(\Omega \) platinum resistance thermometer probes connected to a digital thermometer bridge as the transfer standard. The probes had different dimensions and surface properties. The measurements covered the temperature range between \(-40\,^{\circ }\mathrm{{C}}\) and \(+150\,^{\circ }\mathrm{{C}}\) , but each laboratory chose a subrange most relevant to its scope and performed measurements at five nominal temperature points covering the subrange. To enable comparison between the laboratories, comparison reference functions were determined using weighted least-squares fitting. Various effects related to variations in heat transfer conditions were demonstrated but clear correlations to specific characteristics of calibration system were not identified. Calibrations in air and liquid agreed typically within \(\pm 0.05\,^{\circ }\mathrm{{C}}\) at \(+10\,^{\circ }\mathrm{{C}}\) and \(+80\,^{\circ }\mathrm{{C}}\) . Expanded uncertainties determined by the participants ranged from \(0.02\,^{\circ }\mathrm{{C}}\) to \(0.4\,^{\circ }\mathrm{{C}}\) and they were shown to be realistic in most cases.     

Thermal Conductivity of Standard Sands. Part III. Full Range of Saturation

The thermal conductivity $(\lambda )$ ( λ ) of three unsaturated standard quartz sands (Ottawa C-109 and C-190, and Toyoura) was measured by a transient thermal-conductivity probe, at room temperature of approximately $25\,^{\circ }\text{ C }$ 25 ° C and at loose and tight compactions. The measurements were carried out at different degrees of saturation $(S_\mathrm{r})$ ( S r ) from dryness to full saturation. In general, a sharp $\lambda $ λ increase was observed at low $S_\mathrm{r}$ S r , followed by a moderate rise until full saturation. However, experiments on loosely compacted C-190 samples revealed $\lambda $ λ deviation from a general trend ( $\lambda $ λ vs $S_\mathrm{r})$ S r ) caused by water percolation. Alternatively, successful experiments were carried out on loosely packed unsaturated C-190 samples using 1 % agar gel. For loosely compacted C-109 and Toyoura, $\lambda $ λ data obtained from 1 % agar gel closely agreed with $\lambda $ λ data for water as a saturation medium. The measured data were used to verify a model by de Vries for unsaturated soils. The model largely underestimates experimental data at $S_\mathrm{r}<0.5$ S r < 0.5 and produces an overall root-mean-square error of about $0.2\, \text{ W }~{\cdot }~\text{ m }^{-1}~{\cdot }~\text{ K }^{-1}$ 0.2 W · m ? 1 · K ? 1 . Measured $\lambda $ λ data agreed with data by a steady-state technique (a guarded hot-plate apparatus) at dryness and full saturation and exceeded the steady-state data in the unsaturated region. However, TCP data can be considered more reliable due to a lower temperature increase during $\lambda $ λ measurements and a shorter testing time. Consequently, in the case of unsaturated soils, evaporation and migration of water and steam can be avoided.