Specific Heat Capacity Testing and Measurement Services
Precise Specific Heat Capacity Testing
Why would you need Heat Capacity Testing?
Measuring a material’s property at specific conditions which it may be used at will shed insight on thermal performance and heat management design considerations. Specific heat capacity of materials changes as a function of temperature and in some cases may behave differently as compared to the ambient pressure testing. TAL has equipment to measure specific heat capacity at elevated pressures and temperatures, including high pressure crucibles (upwards of 500 bar) and temperatures upwards of 1600 °C.
In What Applications would Specific Heat Capacity Measurements be Beneficial?
Applications for specific heat capacity testing encompass many materials and material phases. For the high pressure DSC cells, we offer specific heat capacity measurements from ambient to 500 °C with pressures as high as 500 bar. This pressure is dictated by the vapor pressure of any liquids within the cell, and is not controlled. This may be used to study coolant liquids under pressure, crude oil under pressure, or for measuring flammable liquids at high temperature and pressure. For specified pressures, we offer cells which can be pressurized using air, argon or nitrogen up to 400 bar. With these specialized cells, we offer DSC testing from -15 – 120 °C using a Calvet sensor. For solids testing, we offer DSC specific heat capacity testing from -15 – 1600 °C using a variety of instruments.
Application Space
There is a wide range of applications which specific heat capacity measurements may be applicable for, including:
- Petrochemical liquids
- Additive manufacturing powders
- Liquid Polymers and pre-polymers
- Cosmetics
- Pharmaceuticals
- Food science
- Electronics
- Process safety
What Kind of Materials can be Tested?
Different techniques are appropriate to different types of materials. However, we’ve worked with a diverse array of materials and can provide heat capacity testing for materials such as:
- Textiles
- Foams
- Metals
- Polymers
- Oils and lubricants
- Solvents
- Laboratory chemicals
- Food products
How much does Specific Heat Capacity Testing Cost?
Specific heat capacity testing rates vary by testing conditions (pressure, temperature profile, etc) and number of samples. For more information, click on “Request a Quote,” fill out our contact form or contact us for a free, no obligation estimate tailored to your needs.
What Does a Specific Heat Capacity Testing Report Look Like?
An example report can using our 3D DSC instrument can be found here.
Recommended Methods
We offer a variety of methods for testing specific heat capacity, appropriate to different types of material. For testing most homogeneous solids, industry standard methods like heat-flux DSC are typically a good fit. For liquids or heterogeneous solids, pressure DSC or 3D DSC may be needed to ensure a true Cp value is measured, or to enable a large enough sample size that testing can be done with high confidence. Below, we have listed the methods and the sample requirements for each method. If you’re not sure what method is appropriate for your samples, please give us a call or submit an inquiry to support@ctherm.com and one of our experts will be in touch to advise you on the method of best fit.
Specific Heat Capacity Testing Services
| µDSC VII | DSC 131 | |
| Temperature Range | -40 – 100 °C | 0 – 500 °C |
| Isothermal Accuracy | ± 0.1 °C | ± 0.5 °C |
| Ramping Rate | 0.001 – 2 °C | 0.001 – 50 °C |
| Sample Size | Minimum 5 mg | Minimum 5 mg |
| Sample Volume | Max 1 mL | 10 – 100 µL |
| Available Gases | Air, Nitrogen, Argon | Air, Nitrogen, Argon |
| Pressure | Ambient – 400 bar | Ambient – 500 bar |
Other methods may be available. Contact us at support@ctherm.com or call (506) 457-1515 to discuss.
Materials we test
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Foams & insulators
Textiles
Packaging materials
Skin-contact medical materials
Interface materials
Fabrics for automotive interiors
Flooring & architectural materials
Bedding and mattress materials
What Our Customers Say…
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Thermal Analysis Lab was great to work with—flexible, responsive, and reliable. We highly recommend their testing services.
Narsimhan RaghunathanPresident -
TAL offers professional services ranging from analytical testing to customer support. The turnaround time for testing is relatively fast, and the data provided is reliable. They are available to answer any questions we may have.
Yukihiro HaraR&D Manager – Moses Lake Industries -
All data and reports were very helpful and we appreciate your support; you did an amazing job to conduct the tests and confirm the reports within such a short time frame. This really helped us get out of jam and your support meant a lot to our efforts with our customer. We will certainly contact you again on these matters.
Chris EbelingMichael Smith, Managing Director, MAE Trading International Inc -
I just want to thank you for your support to have my sample thermal conductivity analysis swiftly carried out. The paper has been accepted in the journal of materials science: materials in electronics. [comment on Transient Plane Source (TPS) method]
Ekene OkaforResearch Scholar, University of Arkansas
Get Started
Send us a sample, request pricing, or schedule a call to discuss how thermal effusivity insights can enhance your material innovation or comfort claims.