Uncertainty analysis of thermal conductivity measurements in materials for energy-efficient buildings

¹ CertiMaC ScarL, Via Granarolo 62, 48018 Faenza, Italy
² INRiM - Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, Strada delle Cacce 91, 10135 Torino, Italy
³ ENEA, Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, UTTMATF, Faenza Material Technologies Techn. Unit, Via Ravegnana 186, 48018 Faenza, Italy

^⋆ Correspondence: l.laghi@certimac.it

Received: 17 March 2011
Accepted: 17 June 2011

Abstract

The accuracy of thermal conductivity measurements is even more requested for materials characterization in energy-efficient buildings field. ENEA-UTTMATF and CertiMaC research group, as national institute and private laboratory respectively, cooperate in development of new measurement and analysis methods applied to buildings materials and their performances. For what concerns this kind of measurements, an Heat Flow-meter Transducer (HFT) is used. In order to give to both customers and other research institutes involved in the same field (e.g. International Comparison or International Round Robin Tests) the most exhaustive evaluation of the tested material thermal conductivity, a complete uncertainty analysis is implemented on the HFT measures. This uncertainty analysis, developed accordingly to the international standards and with the contribution of INRiM Institute, is described in this paper.