Transient Calorimetric Measurement Method for Total Hemispherical Emissivity

Abstract

The transient calorimetric technique was used to measure the total hemispherical emissivity of conductive materials. The emissivity was measured in a small central region of a thin strip heated electrically in a vacuum chamber. The axial heat transfer along the sample and the heat losses from the wires were considered in the transient heat transfer calculations. An appropriate time interval for the hot sample cooling rate is needed to improve the emissivity solution accuracy. Two ways were used to analyze the data, based on the known specific heat and the assumed functions of the emissivity and the specific heat. Comparisons with steady-state data showed that their results are very similar with a maximum difference of only 13% (944 K). Therefore, the transient method based on the function assumption is a good choice for measurements when there are inaccurate or insufficient specific heat data at the desired temperatures. Since ferromagnetic materials have Curie points at higher temperatures, this study also investigated the applicability of the transient calorimetric technique for high temperature emissivity measurements. For higher temperatures above the Curie point, the steady-state method is more accurate than the transient method. These analyses provide a comprehensive understanding of the transient method for measuring the total hemispherical emissivity.