Chapter 12, Acoustic Measurements in Gases: Applications to Thermodynamic Properties, Transport Properties, and the Temperature Scale

Published

January 1, 2001

Author(s)

Michael R. Moldover, Keith A. Gillis, John J. Hurly, J B. Mehl, J Wilhelm

Abstract

Cylindrical acoustic resonators developed at Niational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are routinely used to measure the speed of sound in gases with uncertainties of 0.01%, or less. The pressure dependence of the data is fitted with model intermolecular potentials to obtain virial coefficients as well as gas densities p and heat-capacities Cp with uncertainties of 0.1%. The model intermolecular potentials are also used to estimate the viscosity Η and thermal conductivity λ of gases with uncertainties of less than 10%. These techniques have been applied to numerous gases, and the results are tabulated. The gases include candidate replacement refrigerants, helium-xenon mixtures used in thermoacoustic machinery, and very reactive gases used in semiconductor processing. The viscosity can be measured directly with uncertainties of less than 1 % using the Greenspan acoustic viscometer, developed at NIST. A second novel resonator is used to measure the Prandtl number (PR=ΗCp/λ) with uncertainties on the order of 2%. The thermal conductivity is determined by combining the Prandtl number with the acoustically determined density, viscosity, and heat capacity. Spherical acoustic resonators are used to measure the speed of sound with the highest possible accuracy. An argon-filled spherical resonator was used to redetermine the universal gas constant R with a fractional standard uncertainty of 1.7 10 -6. The same resonator was used to measure imperfections of the internationally accepted temperature scale (ITS-90) in the range 217 K to 303 K. This work is being extended to 800 K. In effect, very accurate of speed-of-sound measurements will be used to calibrate other thermometers.

Citation

Handbook of Elastic Properties of Solids, Fluids, and Gases, edited by Levy, Bass and Stern

Volume

4

Publisher Info

Academic Press, San Diego, CA

Pub Type

Books

Keywords

acoustics, heat capacity, speed of sound, thermal conductivity, thermodynamic properties, viscosity, transport properties

Citation

Moldover, M. , Gillis, K. , Hurly, J. , Mehl, J. and Wilhelm, J. (2001), Chapter 12, Acoustic Measurements in Gases: Applications to Thermodynamic Properties, Transport Properties, and the Temperature Scale, Academic Press, San Diego, CA (Accessed December 14, 2024)