NETZSCH Analyzing and Testing offers sophisticated analytical testing instrumentation and recently launched a new series of heat flow meters for the measurement of materials with low thermal conductivity. The new HFM 446 Lambda Eco-line delivers up to 40% faster measurement results and saves valuable resources in the new Eco-Mode.
Well-insulated buildings are a key factor to reduce CO2 emissions. In most applications, the primary property of a thermal insulation material is its capability to reduce heat transfer between a surface and its surroundings or between a surface and another surface. Generally, the lower the thermal conductivity of a material, the greater its ability to insulate for a given material thickness and conditions. Therefore, a measurement technique is needed that makes it possible to determine the heat transfer properties of insulation materials very accurately and precisely. The Heat–Flow–Meter method (HFM) is one of the methods used to determine the thermal conductivity of insulation materials
The heat flow meter – Accurate and fast determination of thermal conductivity and thermal resistance
Heat flow meters (HFM), as described in the ASTM C518 thermal insulation standard, are widely used for testing low-conductive materials. The HFM instrument is easy to use, applicable to a wide range of specimens and measurement results can be obtained fast.
In an HFM, the test specimen is placed between two temperature-controlled plates. An internal thickness gauge measures the sample thickness. In case of compressible samples, the plates can be driven to the desired thickness. Calibrated heat flux transducers integrated in the plates measure the heat flow through the sample. After reaching thermal equilibrium, the test is done.
Things to keep in mind when measuring thermal conductivity
- Specimen size and thickness is important ‒ NETZSCH offers the new HFM 446 Lambda Eco-Line in 3 different sizes from small to medium to large
- Materials may dry out or acquire moisture and will no longer be representative
– make sure you store your samples correctly prior to measurement
- Compressible materials show different properties depending on the pressure/change of density they experience ‒ easily compressible materials need precise load and plate distance control
The new HFM 446 Lambda Eco-Line saves time and energy
The HFM 446 Lambda Eco-Line is the latest range of NETZSCH heat flow meters. It comes with improved temperature control for faster measurements, energy saving Eco-Mode and better user experience all-over.
All this you can expect of the new HFM 446 Lamda Eco-line:
- Up to 40% Faster Measurement
Results Get your results faster than ever and switch into Eco-Mode earlier to save energy.
- Saving Resources in Eco-Mode
Switching the instrument to Eco-Mode while in standby reduces energy consumption to virtually zero. A configurable timetable allows for changing to Idle-Mode for a quick measurement start.
- Order, Install and Start
The instrument comes completely pre-calibrated. The installed calibration of the heat flow sensors simply needs to be validated and the instrument is ready to use. Should it become necessary to recalibrate the plate distance, you can use the easy-to-understand, step-bystep instructions in the NETZSCH service software.
- New User Interface for improved instrument handling
and smoother workflows
- Higher Accuracy
The new MultiCalibration function creates a combined calibration from various individual calibrations using averaging or interpolation models.
- Precise Measurements on Easily Compressible Samples
The target plate and load can be set to definable values. Unintentional irreversible specimen compression is avoided.
- Intelligent Notifications
You are always kept well informed about calibration and measurement status.
- Standards Compliance Made Easy
Keep an eye on overall stability with Stability Configuration Management. Results include a combined measurement uncertainty in accordance with GUM.
- Save Even More Time
Use SmartMode to define up to 99 setpoints. Get the full picture with only one measurement.
- Improved Instrument Handling
For better workflow, the new user interface and display offers enhanced handling of the software and hardware.
- Stand-Alone Compactness
Once calibrated and set up via stand-alone Configuration Management using the SmartMode software, the HFM 446 Lambda also runs without a PC