Thermophysical properties of solid phase zirconium at high temperatures

Abstract

This paper presents experimental results on the thermophysical properties of relatively pure polycrystalline zirconium samples in the solid phase from room temperature up to near the melting point. The specific heat capacity and specific electrical resistivity were measured from 290 to 1970 K, the hemispherical total emissivity from 1400 to 2000 K, the normal spectral emissivity from 1480 to 1940 K, and the thermal diffusivity in the range from 290 to 1470 K. From these data, the thermal conductivity and Lorentz number were computed in the range from 290 to 1470 K. For necessary corrections the most recent values of the linear thermal expansion from the literature have been used. Subsecond pulse calorimetry for measuring heat capacity, specific electrical resistivity, and both emissivities and the laser flash method for measuring thermal diffusivity were applied. Samples in the form of a thin rod and in the form of a thin disk were used in the first and second methods, respectively. Measurement uncertainties were generally about 3% for heat capacity, 1.6% for specific electrical resistivity, 3-10% for the two emissivities, and from less than 1% up to 6% for thermal diffusivity. All the results are discussed in reference to available literature data.