The Hot Disk Thermal Constants Analyzer is used to measure the thermal conductivity of aerogels. The system consists of a source meter, a high sensitivity resistance sensor, and a computational unit. Two aerogel samples are placed on either side of an electrically conducting pattern of wires in the form of a double spiral sandwiched between layers of Kapton film. The sensor is then heated by a constant electric current over a short period of time. The heat dissipates into the surrounding aerogel and causes a decrease in the temperature of the sensor which is read by the instrumentation. The computational unit then analyzes this data and presents a value for the thermal conductivity of the aerogel samples.
