Heat capacity

Heat capacity – or Cp – is :

• an important process parameter as it provides information about the necessary energy consumption to heat up a material. For instance, the heat capacity of a glass helps at determining how much energy a furnace requires to bring a kilogram of glass up to its melting temperature: a lower heat capacity means less energy expenses.
• an important material’s property especially when the material is used in a system that can be heated (purpose or accidentally) as it characterizes how the heat can be accumulated in the material and thus how it may increase its temperature : a lower heat capacity means less risks of thermal ageing.
• an important property of heat transfer fluids / coolants used to heat up a system (ex: a chemical reactor) or to cool down a system (ex: a furnace) as it characterizes how much heat it can transport/transfer to/from the system.

Heat capacity is measured by calorimetry, microcalorimetry or by DSC under temperature scanning conditions. Depending on the instrument used and the desired accuracy, the so-called “continuous” or “step” method can be applied, and require two to three tests.

Alternatively, heat capacity can be measured or by drop calorimetry.

Without heat capacity measurements, there is no heat transfer simulation. This means no calculation of the energy cost of equipment, or of the heat balance of a system.