Physical thermal conductivity

Frederick Guthrie (London 15 October 1833-21 October 1886) studied under Kolbe in Marburg (D.Phil. 1856), was demonstrator at Owens College Manchester (1857) and Edinburgh (1859), professor of chemistry in Mauritius (1861), and of physics in the Royal School of Mines (1869) and School of Science (1881) in London. He published on cryohydrates, discovered mustard gas by absorbing ethylene in sulphur chloride, and did work in physics (thermal conductivity of liquids) of little importance. 

Equations (12.13) and (12.14) may be approximated by rather simple equations in most conditions of physical interest. This is possible because of the relatively large value of the thermal conductivity of the solid matrix, which has two important consequences. First, the conductive enthalpy flux, represented by the second term on the left hand side of... 

Material Properties. The properties of materials are ultimately deterrnined by the physics of their microstmcture. For engineering appHcations, however, materials are characterized by various macroscopic physical and mechanical properties. Among the former, the thermal properties of materials, including melting temperature, thermal conductivity, specific heat, and coefficient of thermal expansion, are particularly important in welding. 

Effect of Uncertainties in Thermal Design Parameters. The parameters that are used ia the basic siting calculations of a heat exchanger iaclude heat-transfer coefficients tube dimensions, eg, tube diameter and wall thickness and physical properties, eg, thermal conductivity, density, viscosity, and specific heat. Nominal or mean values of these parameters are used ia the basic siting calculations. In reaUty, there are uncertainties ia these nominal values. For example, heat-transfer correlations from which one computes convective heat-transfer coefficients have data spreads around the mean values. Because heat-transfer tubes caimot be produced ia precise dimensions, tube wall thickness varies over a range of the mean value. In addition, the thermal conductivity of tube wall material cannot be measured exactiy, a dding to the uncertainty ia the design and performance calculations. 

Some physical properties, such as heat capacity and thermal conductivity, are difficult to measure accurately at higher temperatures and error as great as 20% are common. For critical appHcations, consult the heat-transfer fluid manufacturer concerning methods that were employed for these measurements. 

The third characteristic of interest grows directly from the first, ie, the high thermal conductance of the heat pipe can make possible the physical separation of the heat source and the heat consumer (heat sink). Heat pipes >100 m in length have been constmcted and shown to behave predictably (3). Separation of source and sink is especially important in those appHcations in which chemical incompatibilities exist. For example, it may be necessary to inject heat into a reaction vessel. The lowest cost source of heat may be combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. However, contact with an open flame or with the combustion products might jeopardize the desired reaction process. In such a case it might be feasible to carry heat from the flame through the wall of the reaction vessel by use of a heat pipe. 

Because it was not possible to explain the differences in the effectiveness of hydrogen as compared to other gases on the basis of differences in their physical properties, ie, thermal conductivity, diffusivity, or heat capacity differences, their chemical properties were explored. To differentiate between the hydrogen atoms in the C2H2 molecules and those injected as the quench, deuterium gas was used as the quench. The data showed that although 90% of the acetylene was recovered, over 99% of the acetylene molecules had exchanged atoms with the deuterium quench to form C2HD and... 

The thermal conductivity of gas-phase deuterium is about 0.73 times that of gas-phase hydrogen. This thermal conductivity difference offers a convenient method for analysis of H2—D2 mixtures. Other physical properties of D2, T2, HD, DT, and HT are Hsted in the Hterature (60). 

Physical characteristics of metals have a significant impact on machinabihty. These include microstmctural features such as grain size, mechanical properties such as tensile properties, and physical properties such as thermal conductivity. 

Vacuum gauges may be broadly classified as either direct or indirect (10). Direct gauges measure pressure as force pet unit area. Indirect gauges measure a physical property, such as thermal conductivity or ionisation potential, known to change in a predictable manner with the molecular density of the gas. 

Refractories are materials that resist the action of hot environments by containing heat energy and hot or molten materials (1). There is no weU-estabhshed line of demarcation between those materials that are and those that are not refractory. The abiUty to withstand temperatures above 1100°C without softening has, however, been cited as a practical requirement of industrial refractory materials (see Ceramics). The type of refractories used in any particular apphcation depends on the critical requirements of the process. For example, processes that demand resistance to gaseous orHquid corrosion require low permeabihty, high physical strength, and abrasion resistance. Conditions that demand low thermal conductivity may require entirely different refractories. Combinations of several refractories are generally employed. 

The most important properties of refractory fibers are thermal conductivity, resistance to thermal and physical degradation at high temperatures, tensile strength, and elastic modulus. Thermal conductivity is affected by the material s bulk density, its fiber diameter, the amount of unfiberized material in the product, and the mean temperature of the insulation. Products fabricated from fine fibers with few unfiberized additions have the lowest thermal conductivities at high temperatures. A plot of thermal conductivity versus mean temperature for three oxide fibers having equal bulk densities is shown in Figure 2. 

Silver s advantageous physical, chemical, electrical, and thermal conductive properties are used ia a variety of alloys. For example, (/) a 3.5% Ag,... 

Ultrasonic Spectroscopy. Information on size distribution maybe obtained from the attenuation of sound waves traveling through a particle dispersion. Two distinct approaches are being used to extract particle size data from the attenuation spectmm an empirical approach based on the Bouguer-Lambert-Beerlaw (63) and a more fundamental or first-principle approach (64—66). The first-principle approach implies that no caHbration is required, but certain physical constants of both phases, ie, speed of sound, density, thermal coefficient of expansion, heat capacity, thermal conductivity. 

Solders. In spite of the wide use and development of solders for millennia, as of the mid-1990s most principal solders are lead- or tin-based alloys to which a small amount of silver, zinc, antimony, bismuth, and indium or a combination thereof are added. The principal criterion for choosing a certain solder is its melting characteristics, ie, soHdus and Hquidus temperatures and the temperature spread or pasty range between them. Other criteria are mechanical properties such as strength and creep resistance, physical properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance. 

Physical Properties. Sulfur dioxide [7446-09-5] SO2, is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent, choking odor. Its physical and thermodynamic properties ate Hsted in Table 8. Heat capacity, vapor pressure, heat of vaporization, density, surface tension, viscosity, thermal conductivity, heat of formation, and free energy of formation as functions of temperature ate available (213), as is a detailed discussion of the sulfur dioxide—water system (215). 

Vinyl acetate is a colorless, flammable Hquid having an initially pleasant odor which quickly becomes sharp and irritating. Table 1 Hsts the physical properties of the monomer. Information on properties, safety, and handling of vinyl acetate has been pubUshed (5—9). The vapor pressure, heat of vaporization, vapor heat capacity, Hquid heat capacity, Hquid density, vapor viscosity, Hquid viscosity, surface tension, vapor thermal conductivity, and Hquid thermal conductivity profile over temperature ranges have also been pubHshed (10). Table 2 (11) Hsts the solubiHty information for vinyl acetate. Unlike monomers such as styrene, vinyl acetate has a significant level of solubiHty in water which contributes to unique polymerization behavior. Vinyl acetate forms azeotropic mixtures (Table 3) (12). 

The physical properties of bismuth, summarized ia Table 1, are characterized by a low melting poiat, a high density, and expansion on solidification. Thermochemical and thermodynamic data are summarized ia Table 2. The soHd metal floats on the Hquid metal as ice floating on water. GaUium and antimony are the only other metals that expand on solidification. Bismuth is the most diamagnetic of the metals, and it is a poor electrical conductor. The thermal conductivity of bismuth is lower than that of any other metal except mercury. 

Refractories. Its low coefficient of expansion, high thermal conductivity, and general chemical and physical stabihty make sihcon carbide a valuable material for refractory use. Suitable apphcations for sihcon carbide refractory shapes include boiler furnace walls, checker bricks, mufflers, kiln furniture, furnace skid rails, trays for zinc purification plants, etc (see Refractories). 

---