Asymmetric specific heat meter
OwnerMurray F Fellerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An asymmetric heat flux sensor has two sensing surfaces separately thermally coupled to the end plates of a thermoelectric module so that one is heated and the other cooled. The heated sensing surface is constrained to have a wettable area much larger than the area of the cooled sensing surface. This allows the heated sensing surface to be nearly the same temperature as the fluid ambient while providing a relatively large temperature differential. Because bubbles, which degrade a heat flux measurement, form preferentially on a heated surface, the asymmetric design avoids bubble formation and hence provides enhanced accuracy.
Claims5
An apparatus for measuring heat flux when wetted by a fluid, the apparatus comprising:
- a thermoelectric device comprising first and second end plates, the first end plate thermally coupled by means of a first thermal conductor to a first sensing surface having a first wettable area substantially larger than the area of the first end plate, the second end plate thermally coupled by means of a second thermal conductor to a second sensing surface having a second wettable area substantially less than the area of the second end plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.