Accurate Thermal Conductivity Measurement Using FOX 314 Heat Flow Meter

The FOX 314 heat flow meter is an exceptional tool designed for measuring thermal conductivity in a rapid and precise manner. The tool is designed to provide digital thickness measurements, proprietary thin film heat flux transducers, and responsive temperature control. It is an adaptable device suited for measuring slices of cellular plastics.

The samples have to be placed between two plates in the test stack and a temperature gradient needs to be set up over the thickness of the material. Placement of plates can be either to a user-defined thickness, or using AutoThickness option, where the device automatically establishes contact with the sample.

In-situ sample thickness can be measured using four optical encoders. Each is placed at a corner of the plate, thereby providing stable measurements to within 0.025mm. The top and bottom plates can be heated or cooled so as to allow testing with heat flow up or down. Plate temperature can be well controlled to within 0.01°C by a digital signal processor.

The TA Instruments heat flux transducer assists in thermal conductivity measurements. The transducer can be integrated over the whole area measuring 100mm x 100mm so as to provide a representative measurement of the total heat flow. The external thermocouple option allows thermocouples to be directly attached to the sample surfaces to improve single-run accuracy with higher thermal conductivity samples.

Key Features

The main features of the FOX 314 heat flow meter are as follows:

Solid state cooling/heating

Perfect for R&D and QC testing

Autosampler for high-throughput productivity

WinTherm software provides flexibility by stipulating experimental parameters, viewing real-time test results, storing, and examining data

Responsive temperature control

Digital thickness measurements

Multistage PID algorithm helps to keep temperature stable and responsive without any set-point overshoot

Consistent thermal equilibrium by combining the intimate sample temperature measurement, superior temperature control electronics, and low mass solid state elements

Highly developed temperature control algorithm for monitoring plate temperatures 20 times per second and quickly preparing the tool to reach the selected equilibrium test condition

Meets ASTM C518 and ISO 8301 standards