Thermal conductivity measurement of liquids by means of a microcalorimeter

Abstract

A study has been carried out of calorimetric cells based on the coaxial cylinder method suitable for the thermal conductivity measurements in a C80D micro-calorimeter from Setaram (France). On the hypothesis of a pure conductive process, it has been possible to obtain the equation expressing the thermal conductivity k of a liquid sample in function of the heat flow measured by the calorimeter, and the relative thermal conductivity uncertainty has been analysed. To justify the hypothesis of practical absence of convection and negligible temperature differences during experimentation, a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) study has been performed. With a view to testing our equipment and calibration method, the thermal conductivities of some pure liquids (toluene, n-decane) and systems (water + ethanol and nanofluid water/Al2O3), which cover a wide range, have been measured.