A Digitized Thermal Conductivity Measurement System for 3-Omega Sensors

Abstract

Experimental 3-omega setups for measuring thermal conductivity often rely on costly instrumentation and lack a coherent interface. This paper proposes a relatively low cost and compact digitized system for measuring the thermal conductivity of samples using 3-omega sensors that streamlines testing while providing the measurement quality of traditional setups. The system features minimal analog hardware that can connect to any 3-omega sensor and provides a simple software interface to initiate and accumulate 3-omega tests. The design of this system is presented and validated by measuring the thermal conductivity of several dielectric fluids to within 2% of expected values. This system enables 3-omega testing outside of lab environments and promotes commercialization of the technique.