FOX Heat Flow Meters

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Thermal conductivity defines a material’s ability to transfer heat. Accurate values are essential for understanding and optimizing energy efficiency and predicting thermal performance of materials across a wide range of industries. Thermophysical property measurements also reflect important information about material composition, purity and structure. Steady-state methods determine thermal conductivity directly from the relationship between heat flow through the tested material and a temperature difference applied across the material (Fourier Law). Specimens are positioned between two temperature-controlled plates with a user-defined temperature difference and the average heat flux through the material is measured and from this thermal conductivity and thermal resistance are calculated.

The FOX Series of heat flow meters are designed specifically for insulating materials. FOX heat flow meters are defined by international standards ASTM C518, ISO 8301, and DIN EN 12667 and provide – end-users with unique features and a wide range of possible configurations to meet every measurement need. Solid state heating and cooling of the upper and lower plates provide precise temperature control of the applied temperature gradient across the measured sample. The resulting heat flux (Q/A) from steady-state heat transfer through the specimen is measured by two proprietary thin film heat flux transducers covering a large area of the upper and lower sample surfaces. This unique technology, unlike competitive designs, insures the most sensitive and exact measurement of heat flow.

Multiple FOX configurations accommodate the widest range of sample dimensions (surface area and thickness) and ensure that the most meaningful thermal conductivity measurements are performed on samples with dimensions representative of real-world conditions. Oversized samples can easily be tested in the open-door configuration without sacrificing measurement accuracy. The measurement of sample thickness is critical for the reliability of the results and the FOX Series is the only system that incorporates four optical encoders, one at each corner, to ensure the utmost accuracy. Automatic Sample Feeder (ASF) options are available in order to maximize sample throughput and lab productivity.