FEASIBILITY STUDY OF A SMALL THERMAL CHAMBER FOR PROGRAMMED TRANSIENT INCREASE AND DECREASES IN TEMPERATURE

摘要

After a brief review of experimental requirements and practical constraints, performance specifications of a rate of change of 200° F per minute and a maximum temperature of 600° F were arbitrarily set for a possible thermal chamber facility. Various methods of heating were examined and the decision was made to make a special study of a fluid wall thermal chamber as a promising approach to achieve the desired specifications. It was found that it should be possible to construct a circulating fluid wall chamber, using commercially available silicone derivative fluids for under $40 per square foot of area, plus a fixed cost for controlling equipment. Based on approximate figures, it was concluded that an 8foot chamber, meeting the desired specifications and with a capability for extending its operation into a thermal range below room temperature, could be constructed for under $50,000.