Development of a Cylindrical Probe Designed for Thermal Characterization of Granular Materials

Abstract

This article describes a new thermophysical characterization method for granular materials. It is based on the creation of a cylindrical probe, fitted with peripheral flux and temperature sensors. These sensors record changes in thermal variables in the case of cylindrically symmetrical heat diffusion. A numerical exchange model integrated into an inversion algorithm identifies the thermal effusivity and diffusivity of the material being tested and the sensor/material contact resistance. In this first study, the method was applied to dry sand.