Comparison of the Thermal Conductivity, Electrical Resistivity, and Seebeck Coefficient of a High-Purity Iron and an Armco Iron to 1000°C

Abstract

The effects of temperature, purity, magnetic state, and crystal structure on the thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity, and Seebeck coefficient of iron were obtained from measurements on Armco iron (99.5% pure, ρ300/ρ4.2=11.0) and a high-purity iron (99.95% pure, ρ300/ρ4.2=26.2). The most probable determinate errors of the measurements were thermal conductivity ±1.5%, electrical resistivity ±0.1%, and Seebeck coefficient ±0.9%; and larger absolute errors. Where theory permits, the thermophysical properties of iron are discussed in terms of contributing transport mechanisms. The thermal conductivity of iron can be calculated to ±1.5% between 0° and 910°C from electrical-resistivity measurements and the lattice portion of the thermal conductivity determined in this study.