Measurements of Multi-Layer Insulation at High Boundary Temperature, using a Simple Non-Calorimetric Method

In spite of abundant literature, the thermal performance of Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) still deserves dedicated investigation for specific applications, as the achievable insulation strongly depends on installation details. Furthermore, less accurate information is available for warm than for cold boundaries, since errors due to edge effects in small test benches increase strongly with warm boundary temperature. We establish here the thermal performance of MLI between 300 K and 77 K or 4 K, without bringing calorimetric methods into play, through the accurate measurement of a temperature profile. A cylinder in thin copper, wrapped with MLI, is cooled at one extremity while suspended under vacuum inside a sheath at room temperature. For known thermal conductivity and thickness of the tube, the heat flux can be inferred from the temperature profile. In-situ measurement of the thermal conductivity is obtained by applying a know heat flow at the warm extremity of the cylinder. Results, cross-checked with a calibrated heatmeter, compare well with what previously obtained on a large-scale measuring facility.