THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF

CARBON BLACKS
The thermal conduativity of three samples of commercial
carbon black has been measured. The thermal conductivity
appears to be independent of the ultimate particle si- and,
in two aamples, is lower than that of still air. Agglomeration
of carbon blaok into free-flowingpellets increases the conductivity
t o a value slightly higher than that of still air.

Smo1uohowL.i (19) reported

APPARATUS
The thermal values reported here were
that soot had a lower thermal
91
W. R. SMITH
determined in the Heat Measurements
conductance than still air. Other
Godfrey L. Cabot, Inc., Boston, Mass.
Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute
values reported in standard tables are
of Technology. The apparatus was
similarly low and equally vague as t o
G. B. WILKES
essentially the standard guarded plate
the identification of the carbonaceous
Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology,
(1). While the apparatus described (1)
material examined. They are usually
Cambridge, Mass.
is sufficient for determining the thermal
referred t o as either soot or lampblack.
conductivitv of the usual tvDes of inIn recent years carbon black has become
sulating materials with K values varythe most familiar and best defined of the
ing between 0.26 and 1.0, certain added refinements are essenh e l y divided carbons. The surface area, particle size, and p r o p
tial when making measurements on materials with coefficients
erties of well defined samples of these materials have been reported
less than 0.17.
in the literature (9, 10, 11). The present paper gives values for
The guarded plate equipment, as employed, consisted of a 10the thermal conductivity of standard commercial carbon blacks.
inch-diameter heater with an 18-inch-diameter guard ring.
For many years the lower limit for the coefficient of thermal
Both the heater and the guard ring consisted of two copper
conductivity of insulating materials was considered to be that
plates, */, inch thick. Electrically insulated resistance wire
of still air-namely, 0.17 B.t.u., hr.-1, ft.-3, inch, O F.-l Since
was between the plates. Asbestos paper covered both the heater
no known solid has a lower conductivity than still air and most
and the guard ring t o ensure a high emissivity surface in contact
thermal insulators consist of porous or granular materials such as
with the aample. The water-cooled plates were covered with
cork, rock wool, 85% magnesia, etc., i t seemed reasonable t o asblotting paper for the same purpose. Four copper-constantan
sume that the conductivity of air established the minimum
thermocouples (No.30 wire) were attached t o the sample side of
value that one could hope to attain with thermal insulation.
the above papers by thin paper labels for measuring the temThe National Bureau of Standards (8) in 1929 suggested that
perature drop across the sample. The thickness of the sample
still air was the ideal insulator. Fishenden and Saunders (7)
under test was determined by small balsa wood spacer Mocks
in 1932 stated: In conclusion, the above considerations applaced near the outer edge of the guard ring. They also served
pear t o show that the effective conductivity of porous or granular
t o carry the load of the equipment so that the sample would not
materiala must always exceed that of air which may be regarded as
be under comp&on.
The water for cooling was supplied from
the ideal insulator, barring a vacuum.
an overhead tank with the temperature thermostatically conDuring the past twenty-five years there have been occasional
trolled.
references in the literature t o insulating materials with a lower
The power input to the heater was maintained constant by
conductivity than air. Smoluchowskis theory (18) for these low
means of a voltage stabilizer and was measured by a calibrated
values was based on the assumption that heat flowing from one
wattmeter. With the small power inputs used, it is important
wall t o another through an air space of thickness L should not be
that the wattmeter be connected so that the power in the current
calculated by the usual conduction formula,

K(Ts

- Ti)

but by

- TI)
L - 2d

K(Tz

where d represents a %urface resistance that is independent of

L. With minute air spaces the value of d becomes a n important
factor in determining the rate of heat flow which would be much
less than that calculated from the usual formula for conduction.
Kistler (8) in 1934 reported. that silica aerogel also had a thermal conductivity less than air. Hie explanation of the phenomenon was that the pores were probably less than 0.1~diameter
and thus less than the mean free path of the air molecules. Consequently the thermal conductivity would be less than the &ccepted value of still air. Since that time various investigators
have established fairly well that it is possible to have a thermal
insulation with a K value less than that of air?

TABLE
I. ANQLE OF RBPOSEAND TXZRMAL
CONDUCTIVITY
OF
INSULATINQ

Processed wood 5ber

Expanded vermiculite
Granulated oork
Carbon black (Spheron)
Still air

MATERIALS

Angle of
Repore

Thermal Conduotivity K
B.T.U.,Hr.-1, Ft.-s, In., F:-r

64O
399

0.30
0.480
0.310
0.182
0.17

38
28

..

TABLE
11. THERMAL
CONDUCTIVITY
OF CARBON
BLACK
Carbon Black
Grade 6
Qrade 0 Spheron
Monaroh 71

1111

Density
Lb./Cu. st.
16.2

20.2
12.0

A,
O

F.

192
162

189

?$.

Mean
Ttmp

74
74
77

133
118
183

0.141
0.182
0.148

VoL 3s. No. 12

INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

1112

coil b not messured as heater input. A amdl oorreotion must

be made for the power used in the voltage coil of the meter.
Whh materink of such low conductivity, it becomes inoreasingly i m p r t m t to maintain the guard ring and the haater at ex~ t l the
y same temperature in order to prevent any trmminsion

d "ood I l k

A third sample of carbon hlaek, identi6ed ae Monarch 7 1 , ~ s

dso included in the study. This material had s n apparent density of 12 pounds per cubic fwt and WM not pelletied. The
number average diameter of this carbon black is 150 A. The
mens&

Exwnded rarmisuIIto

Vkigure 1.

surface arm b 330 square meters per gram.

Gr.mdatd

Carbon b1e.k

e0.k

Demonstration of Angle of Repose of Insdating Materiale

of heat from o~ieto the other. Automatic control of this temperature differential was established by a multiple differential
thermocouple (eight couples in series) attached to the guard ring
and heater. This multiple couple was connectedto a galvanometer which deflected with the slightest temperature difference.
A ham of light was reflected from the galvanometer to a photoelectric relay which altered the current in the guard ring by
sbout 0.1 ampere. With this arrangement the temperature
difference between the heater and gusrd ring oodd be maintained to better than *O.Ola C.
The plate equipment was used in a horizontal pasitian to facilitate the introduction ofpowdercd materink. The ssmple was
held in place by an ashestas cloth ring fastened to the balm
r w d pacers to make two chambers approximstely 17.75 inches
in diameter and 1.5 inches thick. The total volume of sample
required for a test was approximately 0.43 cubic foot. Carbon
black, wei&ed 80 tbst it would fill one of these chembem to the
density mentioned (with B slight excess) was csrefully introduced
by pouring. When the u p w plate was plaeed in p i t i a n , it
compressed the sample slightly and -lured no air pocketa.
With material of such low conductivity. it is important to run
the test long enough to establish thermal equilibrium. The
standard test requiremente are not su5cient to give g o d equilibrium, and it WEE not u n d to apend 5 days for a determination
nt on? mean temperature. T h e change in calculated K vslue
might be lea than 1% over a %hour period, an specified in the
tentative code, hut over a period of 2 or 3 days the change was
much greater than this amount. Without these precautions
considerable error may result.
The Monarch 71 carbon h h k contained 2% moisture and the
Grade 6 material. 3%. The materials were tested without drying since these are the conditions under which they are normally
available in commercial quantities. Moisture tends to increase
the conductivity somewhat; hence it is &e to m u m e thst the
thermal conductivity of bonedry carbon black would be slightly
lower than the test vdues dven here.
MATERIALS

Three samples of carbon black were selected for measurement

of thermal Conductivity. These included a ample of standard

Grade 6 rubber carbon black with an apparent density of 16.2

pounds per cubic foot and a sample of the same material in wllet
ized form (Grade 6 Spheron) with an apparent density of 20.2
pounds. The latter sample is illustrated in Figure 1. The surface area of the Grade 6 material as measured by the low-temperature nitrogen isotherm method (4,6,6)was 110square meters
per gram, and the number aver*
diameter from electron
mierascope count was ZRO A.

RESULTS A N D DISCUSSION

Aa initially produced, oarbcu blsck is an extrmely fluffymaterid with an apparent density between 5 sud 6 pounds; in this
condition ita flow properties are extremely poor. However, a
number of methods are employed for converting this material
into dustless, free-flowingpellets (S) with an apparent density of
around 20 pounds per cubic foot. This is the form in which it
is usually mpptied to the rubber tire industry. In this freeflowing condition it should provide an excellent insulating material, particularly for lilling difficult shapea or forms.
Figure 1 demonstrate the flow properties of pelletized carbon
hlwk as compsred to three stsndard insulating materists. The
vslues for the engle of repwe of these materials arc reported in
Tsble I.
The results of thermal oonductivity messurementa are prewentad in Table II. The K values of Grade 8 and Monarch 71
are lower than that of still air. The values far these two carbon
hlseks indicate that therms1 conductivity is independent of the
ultimate particle size over the range studied. The thermal conductivity of these two samples also ~ppearsto be independent of
Rpparent density. However, when the physical stste of the
material is altered by agglomeration into free-flowingpellets
shout 0.4 mm. in diameter, as in Grade 6 Spheron, a definite incram in thermal conductivity is noted. The value. however, i%
still only alightly higher than that of still air and about half thst
reported for other standard insulsting materials.

LITERATURE CITED
and Ventilating Engra., Tentstive Code
(l944), Teat for Thermal Conductivity of Materiala by

( I ) Am. Soo. of Heating

Guarded Hot Plate.

F. R.. Smith. W. R.. and Thornhill. F. S.. IND. Ewe.
CH& A&. Eo.;15. 256(1943).
131 Billings, E.. and Offutt, H. (to Godfrev L. Cabot. Inc.) U. 8.
Patent 1.957.314 (May 1.1934).
141
. . Bruneuer. S.. Emmett. P. H.. and Teller.. E... J . Am. C k .Sm..

(21
. . Amon.

M), 309

(1938).

(51 Emmett. P. H.. and Bmnauer, 8..Ibid.. 56. 36 (1934).

(8) Emmett. P. H., and De Witt. T.,IND.ENO.Caex.. ANAL.Eo.,
13. 28 (1941).
(7) Fishendah, M:, and Ssundem, 0.A,. "Calculation of Heat
(81

Tranamission". London, A. M.Stationery Offioe. 1932.

Kiatler, 9. S., and Caldwell. A. G.. IND. ENO.Ctrsx.. 26, 658
(1934).

(VI Natl. Bur. of Standsrds, Bull. 376 (1929).

(IO) Rosaman. R. P.. and Smith, W. R.. IND.END.Cas.%., 35, 972
(1943).
(11)

Smith. W. R.. Thornhill, F. S.. and Bray. R. I., Ibid.. 33, 1303

(12)

Smolurhowski. M., PTOC.

2nd Re/?<#. C o w . , 1910. 187-93.

(1941).