The Thermophysics Laboratory offers a commercial measurement services to industry worldwide through the auspices of Imperial Consultants Ltd. We are equipped to carry out a wide range of physical-property measurements, including working with difficult fluids under extreme conditions of temperature and/or pressure, and we can often develop customised solutions for new and challenging problems. We welcome enquires and will be happy to discuss any measurement problems in the areas of thermophysical properties, thermodynamics and phase behaviour. All such work is undertaken to high standards and on a commercial in-confidence basis.

Different Techniques

Low Pressure
Routine Measurement Techniques
PropertiesTechniqueAccuracy*TemperaturesPressures
Isobaric Heat Capacity  Flow Calorimeter  1%  -20 to 150 ºC  ambient
 Kinematic viscosity Ubbelode viscometer  0.3%  -10 to 95 ºC   ambient
 Liquid density  Pycnometer 0.01%  -20 to 200 ºC   ambient
  Vibrating-tube densimeter 0.1% 10 to 90 ºC  ambient 
 LLE data Composition Analysis  0.1 mass %  20 to 90 ºC  ambient 
 Vapour pressure Ebullometry   1%  -20 to 250 ºC  10-6 to 1 bar

*Typical measurement uncertainty

Summary of the table's contents
High Pressure
High-Pressure Measurement Techniques
PropertiesTechniqueAccuracy*TemperaturesPressures
 Density  Vibrating-wire  0.2% -20 to 200 ºC   1 to 2000 bar
   Vibrating-tube densimeter  0.1%  10 to 200 ºC  1 to 1400 bar
 Viscosity   Vibrating-wire viscometer  2%  -20 to 200 ºC  1 to 2000 bar
 Phase Equilibrium  Analitic method with visualization    -20 to 150 ºC  1 to 450 bar
 Gas solubility  Synthetic method    30 to 200 ºC  1 to 200 bar
 Speed of sound (gases)  Spherical resonator  0.01%  -80 to 110 ºC  0.1 to 200 bar
 Speed of sound (liquids)  Ultrasonic pulse-echo  0.05%  -20 to 200 ºC  1 to 2000 bar
*Typical measurement uncertainty
Summary of the table's contents