The Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity, and Heat Capacity of Gaseous Argon

This paper presents new absolute measurements for the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of gaseous argon obtained with a transient hot-wire instrument. Six isotherms were measured in the supercritical dense gas at temperatures between 296 and 423 K and pressures up to 61 MPa. A new analysis for the influence of temperature-dependent properties and residual bridge unbalance is used to obtain the thermal conductivity with an uncertainty of less than 1% and the thermal diffusivity with an uncertainty of less than 4%. Isobaric heat capacity results were derived from measured values of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity using a density calculated from an equation of state. The heat capacities presented here have a nominal uncertainty of 4% and demonstrate that this property can be obtained successfully with the transient hot wire technique over a wide range of fluid states. The technique will be useful when applied to fluids which lack specific heat data.     

The Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity and Isobaric Heat Capacity of Toluene and Argon

This paper presents absolute measurements for the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of toluene obtained with a transient hot-wire instrument employing coated wires over the density interval of 735 to 870 kgm^–3. A new expression for the influence of the wire coating is presented, and an examination of the importance of a nonuniform wire radius is verified with measurements on argon from 296 to 323 K at pressures to 61 MPa. Four isotherms were measured in toluene between 296 and 423 K at pressures to 35 MPa. The measurements have an uncertainty of less than ±0.5% for thermal conductivity and ±2% for thermal diffusivity. Isobaric heat capacity results, derived from the measured values of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, using a density determined from an equation of state, have an uncertainty of ±3% after taking into account the uncertainty of the applied equation of state. The measurements demonstrate that isobaric specific heat determinations can be obtained successfully with the transient hot wire technique over a wide range of fluid states provided density values are available.     

A High-Temperature Transient Hot-Wire Thermal Conductivity Apparatus for Fluids

A new apparatus for measuring both the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of fluids at temperatures from 220 to 775 K at pressures to 70 MPa is described. The instrument is based on the step-power-forced transient hot-wire technique. Two hot wires are arranged in different arms of a Wheatstone bridge such that the response of the shorter compensating wire is subtracted from the response of the primary wire. Both hot wires are 12.7 µm diameter platinum wire and are simultaneously used as electrical heat sources and as resistance thermometers. A microcomputer controls bridge nulling, applies the power pulse, monitors the bridge response, and stores the results. Performance of the instrument was verified with measurements on liquid toluene as well as argon and nitrogen gas. In particular, new data for the thermal conductivity of liquid toluene near the saturation line, between 298 and 550 K, are presented. These new data can be used to illustrate the importance of radiative heat transfer in transient hot-wire measurements. Thermal conductivity data for liquid toluene, which are corrected for radiation, are reported. The precision of the thermal conductivity data is ± 0.3% and the accuracy is about ±1%. The accuracy of the thermal diffusivity data is about ± 5%. From the measured thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, we can calculate the specific heat, C_p, of the fluid, provided that the density is measured, or available through an equation of state.     

Thermal Conductivity,Thermal Diffusivity,and Heat Capacity of Gaseous Argon and Nitrogen

Low-pressure thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity measurements are reported for argon and nitrogen in the temperature range from 295 to 350 K at pressures from 0.34 to 6.9 MPa using an absolute transient hot-wire instrument. Thermal conductivity measurements were also made with the same instrument in its steady-state mode of operation. The measurements are estimated to have an uncertainty of 1% for the transient thermal conductivity, 3% for the steady-state thermal conductivity, and 4% for thermal diffusivity. The values of isobaric specific heat, derived from the measured thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, are considered accurate to 5% although this is dependent upon the uncertainty of the equation of state utilized.Paper presented at the Sixteenth European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, September 1–4, 2002, London, United Kingdom     

Heat capacity,Cp, of fluids from transient hot wire measurements

We report here the first thermal diffusivity measurements that cover a wide range of thermodynamic states including the dilute gas, the dense gas, the compressed liquid, and conditions close to the critical point. The heat capacity is obtained from simultaneous measurements of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity in a transient hot wire instrument, while the density is obtained from an equation of state. Values for the heat capacity, C_p, of argon were obtained at two temperatures, 172 and 275 K, with pressures up to 70 MPa. For these temperatures the densities range from that of the dilute gas to 2.2 times critical density while the heat capacity varies by a factor of seven from the dilute gas value.     

The Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity, and Specific Heat of Liquid n-Pentane

The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of liquid n-pentane have been measured over the temperature range from 293 to 428 K at pressures from 3.5 to 35 MPa using a transient hot-wire instrument. It was determined that the results were influenced by fluid thermal radiation, and a new expression for this effect is presented. The uncertainty of the experimental results is estimated to be better than ±0.5% for thermal conductivity and ±2% for thermal diffusivity. The results, corrected for fluid thermal radiation, are correlated as functions of temperature and density with a maximum uncertainty of ±2% for thermal conductivity and ±4% for thermal diffusivity. Derived values of the isobaric specific heat are also given.     

Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of xylene isomers in the temperature range 308–360 K at pressures up to 0.38 GPa

New, absolute measurements of the thermal conductivity of the three xylene isomers within the temperature range 308–360 K for pressures up to 0.38 GPa are reported. In addition, for two of the isomers, m-xylene and p-xylene, it has been possible to measure the thermal diffusivity simultaneously within the same range of conditions. The accuracy of the thermal conductivity data reported is one of ±0.3%, whereas for the thermal diffusivity the estimated accuracy is ±6%. It is found that the density dependence of the thermal conductivity for all of the xylenes can be well represented by one equation based on a rigid-sphere model in the same way that has proved successful for normal alkanes. The thermal diffusivity data have been employed to derive heat capacities for the xylenes over a range of pressures.     

Thermal conductivity and heat capacity of solid nabr under pressure

Using the transient hot-wire method, measurements were made for solid NaBr of both the thermal conductivity and the heat capacity per unit volume. The measurements were performed in the temperature range 100 to 400 K and at pressures up to 2 GPa. An adiabatic compression technique allowed the determination of the thermal expansivity as a function of pressure at room temperature. The heat capacity did not vary with pressure. Analysis of the thermal conductivity data showed that it can be described adequately by the Leibfried-Schlömann formula. For temperatures up to 400 K only acoustic modes needed to be taken into account. A small contribution of optic modes to the heat transport might be apparent at the highest temperatures.     

Thermal conductivity of methane-ethane mixtures at temperatures between 140 and 330 K and at pressures up to 70 MPa

The paper presents new measurements on the thermal conductivity of three methane-ethane mixtures with methane mole fractions of 0.69, 0.50, and 0.35. The thermal conductivity surface for each mixture is defined by up to 13 isotherms at temperatures between 140 and 330 K with pressures up to 70 MPa and densities up to 25 mol · L^–1. The measurements were made with a transient hot-wire apparatus. They cover a wide range of physical states including the dilute gas, the single-phase fluid at temperatures above the maxcondentherm, the compressed liquid states, and the vapor at temperatures below the maxcondentherm. The results show an enhancement in the thermal conductivity in the single-phase fluid down to the maxcondentherm temperature, as well as in the vapor and in the compressed liquid. A curve fit of the thermal conductivity surface is developed separately for each mixture.Paper presented at the Ninth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 24–27, 1985, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

The transport properties of ethane. II. Thermal conductivity

A new representation of the thermal conductivity of ethane is presented. The representative equations are based upon a body of experimental data that have been critically assessed for internal consistency and for agreement with theory in the zero-density limit and in the critical region. The representation extends over the temperature range from 100 K to the critical temperature in the liquid phase and from 225 K to the critical temperature in the vapor phase. In the supercritical region the temperature range extends to 1000 K for pressures up to 1 MPa and to 625 K for pressures up to 70 MPa. The ascribed accuracy of the representation varies according to the thermodynamic state from ±2% for the thermal conductivity of the dilute gas near room temperature to ±5% for the thermal conductivity at high pressures and temperatures. Tables of the thermal conductivity, generated by the relevant equations, at selected temperatures and pressures and along the saturation line are also provided.     

Experimental determination of the thermal diffusivity of molten alkali halides by the forced Rayleigh scattering method. II. Molten NaBr,KBr, RbBr,and CsBr

This is a companion to an earlier paper (on molten alkali metal chlorides) which gives experimental results for the thermal diffusivity of four molten alkali metal bromides: NaBr, KBr, RbBr, and CsBr. The measurements were performed with a forced Rayleigh scattering instrument at temperatures up to 1326 K. The overall uncertainty in the measured thermal diffusivity is estimated to be ±3 to ±11%, depending on the measured salts. The results converted to thermal conductivity show one of the smallest values among other earlier experimental data obtained mainly by the steady-state methods. It is also found that the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity is weakly negative.     

The investigation of thermophysical properties of fluids by an alternating current hot-wire method

A method and an instrument for the measurement of a number of the thermophysical properties (thermal conductivity, thermal activity, volumetric specific heat, thermal diffusivity) are described. The results obtained for thermal conductivity and specific heat of toluene, over a temperature range 30–350°C and pressures of up to 30 MPa, are presented.     

A New Instrument for the Measurement of the Thermal Conductivity of Fluids

The transient hot-wire technique is at present the best technique for obtaining standard reference data for the thermal conductivity of fluids. It is an absolute technique, with a working equation and a complete set of corrections reflecting departures from the ideal model, where the principal variables are measured with a high degree of accuracy. It is possible to evaluate the uncertainty of the experimental thermal conductivity data obtained using the best metrological recommendations. The liquids proposed by IUPAC (toluene, benzene, and water) as primary standards were measured with this technique with an uncertainty of 1% or better (95% confidence level). Pure gases and gaseous mixtures were also extensively studied. It is the purpose of this paper to report on a new instrument, developed in Lisbon, for the measurement of the thermal conductivity of gases and liquids, covering temperature and pressure ranges that contain the near-critical region. The performance of the instrument for pressures up to 15 MPa was tested with gaseous argon, and measurements on dry air (Synthetic gas mixture, with molar composition certified by Linde AG, Wiesbaden, Germany, Ar – 0.00920; O₂ – 0.20966; N₂ – 0.78114), from room temperature to 473 K and pressures up to 10 MPa are also reported. The estimated uncertainty is 1%.M. L. V. Ramires: DeceasedPaper presented at the Seventeenth European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, September 5–8, 2005, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.     

Measurement of thermophysical properties of metals and ceramics by the laser-flash method

Several recent advances made in the author's laboratory in the experimental apparatus and measuring procedures for precise measurements of thermophysical properties by the laser-flash method are reviewed. Heat-capacity measurement has been done on metals and ceramics within an accuracy of ±0.5% in the range from 80 to 800 K, and within ±2% from 800 to 1100 K. Thermal diffusivity has been also measured from 80 to 1300 K with reasonable corrections for heat leak and finite pulse width. As an example of the experimental results by the method, the data of heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity of vanadium-oxygen alloys containing 1.07 and 3.46 at.% of oxygen from 80 to 800 K are presented and compared with those of pure vanadium metal.Presented at the Japan-United States Joint Seminar on Thermophysical Properties, October 24–26, 1983, Tokyo, Japan.     

Thermal conductivity of aqueous solutions of NaCl and KCI at high pressures

This paper presents new experimental measurements of the thermal conductivity of aqueous solutions of NaCl and KCl at high pressures. The measurements were made with a parallel-plate apparatus. The temperatures covered the range from 293 to 473 K at pressures up to 100 MPa and concentrations from 0.025 to 0.25 mass fraction of NaCl and KCl. The measurements included 6 isobars at pressures from 0.1 to 100 MPa at intervals of 20 MPa, 10 isotherms at temperatures from 293 to 473 K at intervals of 20 K, and 6 isopleths at concentrations from 0.025 to 0.25 mass fraction of NaCl and KCl at intervals of 0.05. The precision of the measurements was ±1.6%. The thermal conductivity obtained for NaCl + H₂O and KCl + H₂O was compared with data of other authors, with satisfactory agreement. The viability of the technique was confirmed and the essential features of a high-precision instrument were established.     

The thermal conductivity and viscosity of benzene

New absolute measurements of the thermal conductivity of liquid benzene are reported. The measurements have been carried out in the temperature range 295–340 K, at atmospheric pressure, in a transient hot-wire instrument. The accuracy of the measurements is estimated to be ±0.5%. The measurements presented in this paper have been used, in conjunction with other high-pressure measurements of thermal conductivity and viscosity, to develop a consistent theoretically based correlation for the prediction of these properties. The proposed scheme permits the density dependence of the thermal conductivity and viscosity of benzene, for temperatures between 295 and 375 K and pressures up to 400 MPa, to be represented successfully by two equations containing just two parameters characteristic of the fluid at each temperature.     

Thermophysical Properties of 1,1,1,3,3-Pentafluorobutane (R365mfc)

This paper presents an experimental study on various thermophysical properties of a new fluoroalkane, 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluorobutane (R365mfc). The thermal conductivity of R365mfc was measured in the liquid phase near saturation conditions at temperatures between 263 and 333 K using a parallel plate instrument with an uncertainty of less than ±5%. For the measurement of the saturated liquid density between 273 and 353 K, a vibrating tube instrument was used. The uncertainty of the density measurements is less than ±0.1%. In addition, experimental data have been obtained for R365mfc under saturation conditions over a wide temperature range from about 253 to 460 K using light scattering techniques. Light scattering from the bulk fluid has been applied for measuring both the thermal diffusivity and the sound speed in the liquid and vapor phases. Light scattering by surface waves on a horizontal liquid–vapor interface has been used for the simultaneous determination of the surface tension and kinematic viscosity of the liquid phase. With the light scattering techniques, uncertainties of less than ±1.0, ±0.5, ±1.0, and ±1.2% have been achieved for the thermal diffusivity, the sound speed, the kinematic viscosity, and the surface tension, respectively.     

Thermal conductivity and diffusivity measurements at cryogenic temperatures by double specimen technique

A double specimen technique is used in measuring the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of low thermal conductivity materials. In this technique good thermal contact is maintained between the heat source and sink and two geometrically similar specimens. A thin-copper heater plate is compressed between the two specimens and the temperature difference is measured between the heat source and the temperature controlled heat sink. Thermal conductivity is determined at steady state conditions by the differential method while the diffusivity is determined from transient measurements combined with an analytical solution to the one dimensional solution of the diffusion equation.     

Thermal conductivity of hydrogen for temperatures between 78 and 310 K with pressures to 70 MPa

The paper presents new experimental measurements of the thermal conductivity of hydrogen. The ortho-para compositions covered are normal, near normal, para, and para-rich. The measurements were made with a transient hot wire apparatus. The temperatures covered the range from 78 to 310 K with pressures to 70 MPa and densities from 0 to a maximum of 40 mol · L^–1. For compositions normal and near normal, the isotherms cover the entire range of pressure, and the temperatures are 78, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 275, 294, 300, and 310K. The para measurements include eight isotherms at temperatures from 100 to 275 K with intervals of 25 K, pressures to 12 MPa, and densities from 0 to 12 mol · L^–1. Three additional isotherms at 150, 250, and 275 K cover para-rich compositions with para percentages varying from 85 to 72%. For these three isotherms the pressures reach 70 MPa and the density a maximum of 30 mol · L^–1. The data for all compositions are represented by a single thermal conductivity surface. The data are compared with the experimental measurements of others through the new correlation. The precision (2) of the hydrogen measurements is between 0.5 and 0.8% for wire temperature transients of 4 to 5 K, while the accuracy is estimated to be 1.5%.     

Measurements of Hydrogen Thermal Conductivity at High Pressure and High Temperature

The thermal conductivity for normal hydrogen gas was measured in the range of temperatures from 323 K to 773 K at pressures up to 99 MPa using the transient short hot-wire method. The single-wire platinum probes had wire lengths of 10 mm to 15 mm with a nominal diameter of 10 μm. The volume-averaged transient temperature rise of the wire was calculated using a two-dimensional numerical solution to the unsteady heat conduction equation. A non-linear least-squares fitting procedure was employed to obtain the values of the thermal conductivity required for agreement between the measured temperature rise and the calculation. The experimental uncertainty in the thermal-conductivity measurements was estimated to be 2.2 % (k = 2). An existing thermal-conductivity equation of state was modified to include the expanded range of conditions covered in the present study. The new correlation is applicable from 78 K to 773 K with pressures to 100 MPa and is in agreement with the majority of the present thermal-conductivity measurements within ±2 %.