BFRL: Heat Transfer and Alternative Energy Systems Group

Heat Transfer and Alternative Energy Systems Group

Heat Transmission Properties of Insulating and Building Materials

Overview

Database

Facilities

History

Publications

Presentations

Links

SRMs

Overview

Since the early 1910s, NIST has been active in the development of standard test methods for the determination of steady-state heat transmission properties of insulating and building materials. This activity has resulted in the development of aggregated databases for thermal properties of insulating and building materials (ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals), standardized test methods (ASTM Test Method C 177), and thermal insulation reference standards (SRMs and Calibrated Transfer Specimens). The primary focus of this activity at present is the development of a new 0.5 meter guarded hot plate facility that has extended temperature capabilities from 90 K to 900 K and operates under vacuum conditions. This apparatus is currently under construction and evaluation. Other areas of interest include development of an ASTM standard guide for database formats for thermal transmission data and participation in an international comparison of guarded-hot-plate laboratories of several national metrology laboratories.
Contact:
Robert Zarr
rzarr@nist.gov

NIST is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce

Last updated: 11/23/2007