Compare Thermal Conductivity Measurement Methods

Scroll horizontally to compare thermal conductivity methods. Compare thermal conductivity method accuracy, measured properties, tempurature range, materials, calibration, contact resistance, penetration depth, heterogenous samples, and whether the thermal conductivity methods’ theory is scientifically reviewed.

Compare Thermal Conductivity Measurement Methods
Methods Comparison	TPS	HFM	THW	TLS	LFA	GHP	GHFM	MTPS
Accuracy	± 5%	± 3%	± 5%	± 5%	± 5 to 7%	± 2%	± 5%	± 5 to 15%
Measured Property	Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity, Specific Heat ¹	Thermal Resistance, Thermal Conductivity ¹	Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity, Specific Heat ¹	Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Resistivity ¹	Thermal Diffusivity, Specific Heat ¹, Thermal Conductivity ¹	Thermal Resistance, Thermal Conductivity ¹	Thermal Resistance, Thermal Conductivity ¹	Thermal Effusivity, Thermal Conductivity ¹
Temperature Range	-160 to 1000°C	-20 to 70°C	-50 to 400°C	-40 to 100°C	-253 to 2800°C	-160 to 600°C	-20 to 300°C	-50 to 200°C
Materials	Solids, Liquids, Pastes, & Powders	Solids – Insulation	Liquids and Pastes	Soils, Rocks, & Plastics	Solids	Solids – Insulation	Solids	Solids, Liquids, & Paste
Calibration	None – Absolute Measurement	Single – Offset	Single – Offset	Multiple – Offset	None – Absolute Measurement	None – Absolute Measurement	Single – Offset	Multiple – Secondary
Contact Resistance	Removed After Measurement	Removed Through Calibration	N/A	Contact Paste	Graphite Spray	Contact Paste	Contact Paste	Water & Contact Paste
Penetration Depth	Up to 180 mm	Entire Sample	< 1 mm	< 50 mm	Entire Sample	Entire Sample	Entire Sample	0.1 to 3 mm
Heterogenous Samples	< 10 mm scale	< 20 mm scale	< 1 mm scale	< 10 mm scale	< 0.1 mm scale	< 20 mm scale	< 5 mm scale	< 0.05 mm scale
Theory Scientifically Reviewed	Several Published Papers	Several Published Papers	Several Published Papers	Several Published Papers	Several Published Papers	Several Published Papers	Several Published Papers	One Published Paper

Specifications sourced from user manuals and available literature.
¹ Italicized property delineates calculated properties.

Reference: Wikipedia

Compare Thermal Conductivity Measurement Methods

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