Why would you need Heat Capacity Testing?
Measuring a material’s property at specific conditions which it may be used at will shed insight on thermal performance and heat management design considerations. Specific heat capacity of materials changes as a function of temperature and in some cases may behave differently as compared to the ambient pressure testing. TAL has equipment to measure specific heat capacity at elevated pressures and temperatures, including high pressure crucibles (upwards of 500 bar) and temperatures upwards of 1600 °C.
In What Applications would Specific Heat Capacity Measurements be Beneficial?
Applications for specific heat capacity testing encompass many materials and material phases. For the high pressure DSC cells, we offer specific heat capacity measurements from ambient to 500 °C with pressures as high as 500 bar. This pressure is dictated by the vapor pressure of any liquids within the cell, and is not controlled. This may be used to study coolant liquids under pressure, crude oil under pressure, or for measuring flammable liquids at high temperature and pressure. For specified pressures, we offer cells which can be pressurized using air, argon or nitrogen up to 400 bar. With these specialized cells, we offer DSC testing from -15 – 120 °C using a Calvet sensor. For solids testing, we offer DSC specific heat capacity testing from -15 – 1600 °C using a variety of instruments.
Application Space
There is a wide range of applications which specific heat capacity measurements may be applicable for, including:
- Petrochemical liquids
- Additive manufacturing powders
- Liquid Polymers and pre-polymers
- Cosmetics
- Pharmaceuticals
- Food science
- Electronics
- Process safety
What Kind of Materials can be Tested?
Different techniques are appropriate to different types of materials. However, we’ve worked with a diverse array of materials and can provide heat capacity testing for materials such as:
- Textiles
- Foams
- Metals
- Polymers
- Oils and lubricants
- Solvents
- Laboratory chemicals
- Food products
How much does Specific Heat Capacity Testing Cost?
Specific heat capacity testing rates vary by testing conditions (pressure, temperature profile, etc) and number of samples. For more information, click on “Request a Quote,” fill out our contact form or contact us for a free, no obligation estimate tailored to your needs.
What Does a Specific Heat Capacity Testing Report Look Like?
An example report can using our 3D DSC instrument can be found here.
Recommended Methods
We offer a variety of methods for testing specific heat capacity, appropriate to different types of material. For testing most homogeneous solids, industry standard methods like heat-flux DSC are typically a good fit. For liquids or heterogeneous solids, pressure DSC or 3D DSC may be needed to ensure a true Cp value is measured, or to enable a large enough sample size that testing can be done with high confidence. Below, we have listed the methods and the sample requirements for each method. If you’re not sure what method is appropriate for your samples, please give us a call or submit an inquiry to info@thermalanalysislabs.com and one of our experts will be in touch to advise you on the method of best fit.
Specific Heat Capacity Testing Services
| Labsys Evo | µDSC VII | DSC 131 | |
| Temperature Range | 0 – 1600 °C | -40 – 100 °C | 0 – 500 °C |
| Isothermal Accuracy | ± 1 °C | ± 0.1 °C | ± 0.5 °C |
| Ramping Rate | 0.001 – 100 °C | 0.001 – 2 °C | 0.001 – 50 °C |
| Sample Size | Minimum 10 mg | Minimum 5 mg | Minimum 5 mg |
| Sample Volume | Max 100 mm3 | Max 1 mL | 10 – 100 µL |
| Available Gases | Air, Nitrogen, Argon | Air, Nitrogen, Argon | Air, Nitrogen, Argon |
| Pressure | Ambient | Ambient – 400 bar | Ambient – 500 bar |
Other methods may be available. Contact us at info@thermalanalysislabs.com or call (506) 457-0498 to discuss.