New high sensitity, low thermal resistance surface mounted heat flux transducer

摘要

A new method for constructing heat flux transducers (HFT) of the differential thermopile type has been developed to produce sensors for testing building components. The fabrication method uses screent printing techniques of conductive inks to produce a differential thermopile on an anodized aluminum substrate. The HFT is thin and flexible and can be readily attached to structures such as walls, floors and ceilings. It has high sensitivity and low thermal resistance (thickness/thermal conductivity) to enable accurate measurements of very low heat fluxes (<. 1 W/m~2) over a wide range of building component types and environments. Prototype sensors were fabricated and then calibrated in a NIST traceable guarded hot plate apparatus. A section of the HFT on a test wall was numerically modeled to evaluate the thermal disruption caused by the HFT's presence and to verify experimental results.