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Correct Use of the Guarded-Hot-Plate Method for Thermal Conductivity Measurements on Solids

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Abstract

The guarded-hot-plate (GHP) method is a method used world-wide for the determination of the thermal conductivity of solid materials, especially low-conducting insulation materials, based on the direct application of Fourier’s law. It is an absolute method, which means that no reference material is needed, though regular performance checks using reference materials are highly encouraged. All measured quantities are traceable to SI-units. Applying the GHP method in accordance with existing standards, relative uncertainties in the determined values of the thermal conductivity below 2.5% are achievable. This work describes the basic theory of the measurement and is focused on difficulties and possible stumbling blocks in daily measuring practice and laboratory routine when applying the GHP method on specimens which are not or only partly covered by standards. The work explains in which cases the definition of a thermal conductivity value is not possible for a specimen and only system-related values as the thermal resistance can be attributed to a specimen. The aim of this work is to improve the measuring quality of GHP measurements for the determination of the thermal conductivity in daily laboratory operation.

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© DS 5001X for different mean temperatures and a constant temperature difference ΔT of 5 K

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Acknowledgments

We are particularly grateful to all members of the Advanced Thermal Management working group of the CAE, as well as to all employees who have continuously developed the measurement technology and theory of the GHP method over the past four decades in the Prof. Jochen Fricke’s working group at the Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg and at the ZAE Bayern – now CAE – and have laid the basics for this work.

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No funding was received for this work.

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  1. Center for Applied Energy Research (CAE), Magdalene-Schoch-Str. 3, 97074, Würzburg, Germany

    Hans-Peter Ebert & Stephan Vidi

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  1. Hans-Peter Ebert
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  2. Stephan Vidi
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Correspondence to Hans-Peter Ebert.

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Ebert, HP., Vidi, S. Correct Use of the Guarded-Hot-Plate Method for Thermal Conductivity Measurements on Solids. Int J Thermophys 45, 20 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-023-03307-x

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