Comparative Radial Heat Flow Method for Thermal Conductivity Measurement of Liquids

A steady state thermal conductivity measuring setup based on the comparative radial heat flow method is presented. The setup consists of a pair of coaxial cylinders as its main components, with test fluid placed in the annular space between these cylinders with water tight cover plates at the top and bottom of the cylinders. Experiment involves heating the coil at the concentric-center of the inner cylinder; steady state data are acquired for the calculation of the thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity is calculated by comparing the radial heat flow between the cylinders and the test fluid (comparative method). Thermal conductivity of water, glycerol, and ethylene glycol was measured for varying temperatures and is in good agreement with the published thermal conductivity values in literature.