US 4,553,852 A · Apparatus and method for heat flow measurement

Abstract

A method for accurate, on site heat flow measurement through a substrate surface using surface mounted heat flow sensors and an apparatus for on site calibration of surface mounted heat flow sensors are presented. The method comprises mounting on the substrate surface a heat flow sensor which is calibrated to establish the relationship between heat flow through the surface and the resultant induced voltage in the sensor under the convective and radiative heat transfer environmental conditions of the surface, measuring the voltage output induced in the sensor by heat flow through the surface, and converting the voltage output to a quantitative heat flow on the basis of the calibration of the sensor. The apparatus of the invention permits the calibration of the sensors under convective and radiative heat transfer environmental conditions which substantially duplicate those of the experimental substrate.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An apparatus for calibrating a heat flow sensor, said apparatus comprising:

a first insulation layer;
a second insulation layer having first and second major surfaces, said first major surface being in proximate, face-to-face relation with said first insulation layer;
a heat flow meter located at an interior heat flow metering area of said second insulation layer;
a heating element positioned between said first and second insulating layers and superposed with said heat flow metering area;
a heat conductive layer having the same or larger dimensions than said heat flow metering area and superposed therewith, said layer being positioned between said heating element and said metering area;
means for monitoring the voltage output of said heat flow meter to permit measurement of heat flow across said heat flow metering area;
a test simulation substrate layer in proximate, face-to-face relation with said second surface of said second insulation layer and comprising an exposed test simulation surface comprising a test metering area having approximately the same dimensions as said heat flow metering area and superposed therewith;
and
a heat flow sensor affixed to said exposed test simulation surface within said test metering area.

6 more elements

A method of measuring heat flow through a surface of an experimental substrate comprising the steps of:

mounting a heat flow sensor on a test simulation surface having a substantially identical geometric structure and substantially identical heat transfer characteristics as said surface of said experimental substrate;
positioning said test simulation surface in proximity to said experimental substrate such that said simulation surface and said heat flow sensor are exposed to the same heat transfer environment as that of said surface of said experimental substrate;
providing different levels of uniform heat flow through said test simulation surface and measuring each level of heat flow;
measuring the voltage output of said heat flow sensor in response to each of the different heat flow levels and simultaneously measuring air and surface temperatures in the environment of said heat flow sensor;
determining a calibration parameter from the measured heat flow and voltage output, which defines the relationship between heat flow through said test simulation surface and the voltage produced thereby in said heat flow sensor, as a function of the measured air and surface temperatures;
removing said heat flow sensor from said test simulation surface;
mounting said heat flow sensor on said surface of said experimental substrate by the same means used to mount said sensor on said test simulation surface;
measuring the voltage output of said heat flow sensor in response to heat flow through said surface of said experimental substrate and simultaneously measuring air and surface temperatures in the environment of said heat flow sensor;
and
converting the measured voltage produced in said heat flow sensor to a quantitative heat flow on the basis of said calibration parameter.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for heat flow measurement

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for heat flow measurement

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19