The Application of Dynamic Adiabatic Calorimetry to the Copper-Nickel System From 50 to 620 °C

Introduction: The accurate measurement of changes in thermal energy in the solid state has long been the subject of investigators in many fields. Knowledge of thermal effects can contribute greatly to fundamental studies and the general understanding of many phenomena, as well as being the basis of thermodynamic and theoretical work leading to a better comprehension of the behavior of metals and alloys. High temperature calorimetric methods for the solid state may be naively considered to be identical, at least in principle, with the familiar adiabatic or isothermal type calorimeters used extensively in the vicinity of room temperature. A wealth of thermodynamic data for metals lies well above room temperature, and direct measurements of specific heats, heats of transformation, heats of solution, and non-equilibrium state effects necessitate operation at elevated temperatures. The problems and experimental difficulties encountered in high temperature calorimetry are numerous and have resulted in a great lack of precise data and agreement between investigators, the degree increasing as the temperature increases.