Differential heat flux calorimeters

Differential heat flux calorimeters, consisting of mixing cells and thermostating devices, were used for measiuing the enthalpy of mixing or reaction of two fluids, containing water and organic liquids (ethanol or methanol), at temperatures up to 573 K and pressures up to 20 MPa (Mathonat et al, 1994 Hynek et al., 1999). 

In the CSM laboratory, Rueff et al. (1988) used a Perkin-Elmer differential scanning calorimeter (DSC-2), with sample containers modified for high pressure, to obtain methane hydrate heat capacity (245-259 K) and heat of dissociation (285 K), which were accurate to within 20%. Rueff (1985) was able to analyze his data to account for the portion of the sample that was ice, in an extension of work done earlier (Rueff and Sloan, 1985) to measure the thermal properties of hydrates in sediments. At Rice University, Lievois (1987) developed a twin-cell heat flux calorimeter and made AH measurements at 278.15 and 283.15 K to within 2.6%. More recently, at CSM a method was developed using the Setaram high pressure (heat-flux) micro-DSC VII (Gupta, 2007) to determine the heat capacity and heats of dissociation of methane hydrate at 277-283 K and at pressures of 5-20 MPa to within 2%. See Section 6.3.2 for gas hydrate heat capacity and heats of dissociation data. Figure 6.6 shows a schematic of the heat flux DSC system. In heat flux DSC, the heat flow necessary to achieve a zero temperature difference between the reference and sample cells is measured through the thermocouples linked to each of the cells. For more details on the principles of calorimetry the reader is referred to Hohne et al. (2003) and Brown (1998). 

Adiabatic calorimeters are complex home-made instruments, and the measurements are time-consuming. Less accurate but easy to use commercial differential scanning calorimeters (DSCs) [18, 19] are a frequently used alternative. The method involves measurement of the temperature of both a sample and a reference sample and the differential emphasizes the difference between the sample and the reference. The two main types of DSC are heat flux and power-compensated instruments. In a heat flux DSC, as in the older differential thermal analyzers (DTA), the... 

All modern heat flow calorimeters have twin cells thus, they operate in the differential mode. As mentioned earlier, this means that the thermopiles from the sample and the reference cell are connected in opposition, so that the measured output is the difference between the respective thermoelectric forces. Because the differential voltage is the only quantity to be measured, the auxiliary electronics of a heat flux instrument are fairly simple, as shown in the block diagram of figure 9.3. The main device is a nanovoltmeter interfaced to a computer for instrument control and data acquisition and handling. The remaining electronics of a microcalorimeter (not shown in figure 9.3) are related to the very accurate temperature control of the thermostat and, in some cases, with the... 

Figure 12.1 Scheme of a disk-type heat flux differential scanning calorimeter. A cell B furnace C temperature sensors S sample R reference. 

The heat flux and energy calibrations are usually performed using electrically generated heat or reference substances with well-established heat capacities (in the case of k ) or enthalpies of phase transition (in the case of kg). Because kd, and kg are complex and generally unknown functions of various parameters, such as the heating rate, the calibration experiment should be as similar as possible to the main experiment. Very detailed recommendations for a correct calibration of differential scanning calorimeters in terms of heat flow and energy have been published in the literature [254,258-260,269]. 

There are two types of differential scanning calorimeters (a) heat flux (AT) and (b) power compensation (AT). Subsequent sections of this experiment will not distinguish between the two types. In either type of calorimeter, the measurement is compared to that for a reference material having a known specific heat [16,17], As AT and AT have opposite signs there is some potential for confusion [3], e.g., at the melting point, Tm, Ts < Tr, and AT < 0, whereas Ts > Tr and AT > 0 because latent heat must be supplied (subscripts s and r refer to the sample and the reference material, respectively) [3]. 

Let us consider the application of this technique to a Calvet differential calorimeter. According to the standard procedure an ampoule with the reactant mix is placed in the measuring chamber. If the wall thicknesses of the measuring chamber and the ampoule are sufficiently small, the heat flux q passing through a unit wall area with a stepwise change in temperature is described by the expression ... 

The term differential scanning calorimetry has become a source of confusion in thermal analysis. This confusion is understandable because at the present time there are several entirely different types of instruments that use the same name. These instruments are based on different designs, which are illustrated schematically in Figure 5.36 (157). In DTA. the temperature difference between the sample and reference materials is detected, Ts — Tx [a, 6, and c). In power-compensated DSC (/), the sample and reference materials are maintained isothermally by use of individual heaters. The parameter recorded is the difference in power inputs to the heaters, d /SQ /dt or dH/dt. If the sample is surrounded by a thermopile such as in the Tian-Calvet calorimeter, heat flux can be measured directly (e). The thermopiles surrounding the sample and reference material are connected in opposition (Calvet calorimeter). A simpler system, also the heat-flux type, is to measure the heat flux between the sample and reference materials (d). Hence, dqjdi is measured by having all the hot junctions in contact with the sample and all the cold junctions in contact with the reference material. Thus, there are at least three possible DSC systems, (d), (c), and (/), and three derived from DTA (a), [b), and (c), the last one also being found in DSC. Mackenzie (157) has stated that the Boersma system of DTA (c) should perhaps also be called a DSC system. 

Thermal conductivity was measured by the hot wire method. The principle involved in the measurement has been well explained by Carislaw and Jaeger (1959). Specific heat was measured by DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) System TA 2910 (DuPont, U.S.A.) with heat flux type. The temperature differences between the reference material and the target specimen were measured during heating. Measurements were conducted twice at a specified temperature and temperature is varied from room temperature to 100 °C. Relationship between specific heat and temperature was linear and the result is summarized in table 1 and figure 2. 

In calorimetry techniques, enthalpy changes accompanying physical or chemical events, whether they are exothermic or endothermic, are measured and monitored either as a function of temperature or time. Thus, a calorimeter is able to collect a heat flux exchanged between the sample and the sensible part of the apparatus, generally made of thermocouples, and to register it. The result is a profile of the rate of enthalpy change, either as a function of temperature as the sample is heated at a known linear rate in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), or as a function of time when the calorimeter is held at constant temperatnre in isothermal differential calorimetry (DC). 

Most differential scanning calorimeters fall into one of two categories depending on their operating principle power compensation or heat flux. 

Figure 2 (a) Power-compensation differential scanning calorimeter, (b) Heat flux differential scanning calorimeter... 

Pak J, Wunderlich B (2001) Heat Capacity by Sawtooth-modulated, Standard Heat-flux Differential Scanning Calorimeter with Close Control of the Heater Temperature. Thermochim Acta 367/368 229-238. 

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a thermoanalytical technique used to study the thermal properties of the polymer using a differential scanning calorimeter. In this process, the difference in the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a sample and reference is measured as a function of temperature. Sample and reference will be maintained at same temperature throughout the experiment. DSC curves were plotted based on heat flux versus temperature or time. Thermal transitions of polymer can be determined by this technique. DSC is widely used for the decomposition behavior determination of the polymer. Figure 17.8 shows the DSC curves of PHB. 

Pak, (. and Wimderlich, B. (2001) Heat capacity by sawtooth-modulated, standard heat-flux differential scanning calorimeter with dose control of the heater temperature. Thermochim. Acta, 367/368, 229-238. 

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