Thermal power measuring device

A thermal power measuring device for measuring the thermal power and/or the quantity of heat in the total flow of a fluid medium through a thermal energy source or a thermal energy consumer means by a temperature gradient measurement, and the functioning of the thermal power measuring device is independent of the magnitude of the temperature difference in the medium, independent of fluctuations in the aggregate condition of the medium, such as particle content, and without requiring a knowledge of the specific heat of the medium, said thermal power measuring device comprising:

• three coaxially mounted tube-shaped elements including an inner tube-shaped element, an intermediate tube-shaped element, and an outer tube-shaped element establishing a thermal path from the interior of the inner element to the exterior of the outer element, said inner element having a plurality of longitudinal ribs spaced along the interior surface thereof and said inner element having an inlet connection at one end thereof and an outlet connection at the other end thereof through which the medium flows and whose thermal power is measured, said outer element having a plurality of radial, ring-shaped ribs spaced along the exterior surface thereof such that the thermal power is assisted to dissipate radially outwardly across said three tube-shaped elements into the ambient environment;
• a first temperature sensor located in said thermal path between the inner element and the intermediate element;
• a second temperature sensor located in said thermal path between the intermediate element and the outer element, said sensors cooperating to produce a signal representative of said temperature gradient measurement;
• and
• a measuring means for determining the measured thermal power based upon the temperatures measured by said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor.