Ethanol is a simple alcohol with the formula C2H6O. Ethanol can either be naturally produced by fermentation (e.g. sugar) or by petrochemical processes such as ethylene hydration. The organic chemical compound can be found in alcoholic drinks and is mostly used as solvent, in medicine (disinfectant), chemical industry and as energy source.
The measurement presented here shows the investigation of the thermal conductivity of an aqueous solution containing a small amount of ethanol. For the measurement the THB-sensor with a metal frame (THB/Sensor/B/Metal), which is ideally suited for liquids, was hung into the ethanol-water-solution as it can be seen in the figure above. The measurement was performed several times at room temperature. The determined thermal conductivity is 0.481 W/mK ± 0.006 W/mK. For a comparison – the thermal conductivity of water is 0.60 W/mK and of ethanol 0.17 W/mK. So, by the small amount of ethanol in the water the thermal conductivity is reduced.
(new model THB Basic, Advance, Ultimate)
