Design and Calibration of a Novel High Temperature Heat Flux Gage

A new type of heat flux sensor (HTHFS) has been designed and constructed for applications at high temperature and high heat flux. It is constructed by connecting solid metal plates to form brass/steel thermocouple junctions in a series circuit. The thermal resistance layer of the HTHFS consists of the thermocouple materials themselves, thus improving temperature limits and lowering the temperature disruption of the sensor. The sensor can even withstand considerable erosion of the surface with little effect on the operation. A new type of convection calibration apparatus was designed and built specifically to supply a large convection heat flux. The heat flux was supplied simultaneously to both a test and standard gage by using two heated jets of air that impinged perpendicularly on the surface of each gage. The sensitivity for the HTHFS was measured to have an average value of 20 μV/(W/cm²). The uncertainty in this result was determined to be ±10% over the entire range tested. The sensitivity agrees with the theoretically calculated sensitivity for the materials and geometry used. Recommendations for future improvements in the construction and use of the sensors are discussed.