Measuring Thermal Conductivity of a Small Insulation Sample

An instrumentation system for direct measurement of the thermal conductivity of a small sample of a highly insulating material has been devised. As used here, (1) “small” signifies having dimensions of the order of two centimeters — significantly less than the sizes of specimens for which prior devices for direct measurement of thermal conductivity have been designed; and (2) “highly insulating” signifies having thermal conductivity of the order of that of air.