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The normal spectral emissivity of molten Cu-Co alloy with different compositions was measured in the wavelength range of 780 nm to 920 nm and in the temperature range of 1430 K to 1770 K including the undercooled condition by an electromagnetic levitator superimposed with a static magnetic field. The emissivity was determined as the ratio of the radiance from a levitated molten Cu-Co droplet measured by a spectrometer to the radiance from a blackbody calculated by Planck's law at a given temperature, where a static magnetic field of 2.5 T to 4.5 T was applied to the levitated droplet to suppress the surface oscillation and translational motion of the sample. We found little temperature dependence of the normal spectral emissivity of molten Cu-Co alloy. Concerning the composition dependence, the emissivity decreased markedly above 80 at%Cu and reached that of pure Cu, although its dependence was low between 20 at%Cu and 80 at%Cu. In addition, this composition dependence of the emissivity of molten Cu-Co alloy can be explained well by the Drude free-electron model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal conductivity of molten copper was measured by the periodic laser-heating method, in which a static magnetic field was superimposed to suppress convection in an electromagnetically levitated droplet, to extend the measurement range of the method up to a relatively high thermal conductivity. Before measuring the thermal conductivity, the optimum conditions for static magnetic field, the laser frequency of periodic heating and sample diameter were investigated by numerical simulation both for the flow and thermal fields in an electromagnetically levitated droplet and for the periodic laser heating of the droplet in the presence of melt convection. As a result, the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of molten copper was proposed in the temperature range between 1383 and 1665 K. In addition, by comparing our results with those of previous studies, it was demonstrated that the present method of measuring thermal conductivity is also available for molten materials with a relatively high thermal conductivity, such as molten copper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to investigate quantitatively the effect of melt convection in an electromagnetically levitated molten droplet on the thermal conductivity of liquid silicon measured by the electromagnetic levitation (EML) technique superimposed with a static magnetic field, the numerical simulations for melt convection in the droplet and additionally, for the measurement of thermal conductivity were carried out. In addition, the thermal conductivity of molten silicon was measured by the EML technique, and then compared with those obtained numerically. In the numerical simulations of melt convection, the buoyancy force, thermocapillary force due to the temperature dependence of the surface tension on the melt surface, and electromagnetic force in the droplet were considered as the driving forces of convection. As a result, the numerical simulations could sufficiently explain the measurement of thermal conductivity by the EML technique under a static magnetic field. Also, it was suggested that a magnetic field of more than 4T should be applied to measure the real thermal conductivity of molten silicon by the EML technique. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recently, a novel method of measuring the thermophysical properties, particularly thermal conductivity, of high-temperature molten materials using the electromagnetic levitation technique has been developed by Kobatake et al. [H. Kobatake, H. Fukuyama, I. Minato, T. Tsukada, S. Awaji, Noncontact measurement of thermal conductivity of liquid silicon in a static magnetic field, Appl. Phys. Lett. 90 (2007) 094102]; this method is based on a periodic laser-heating method, and entails the superimposing of a static magnetic field to suppress convection in an electromagnetically levitated droplet. In this work, to confirm the fact that a static magnetic field really suppresses convection in a molten silicon droplet in an electromagnetic levitator, numerical simulations of convection in the droplet and periodic laser heating in the presence of convection have been carried out. Here, the convections driven by buoyancy force, thermocapillary force due to the temperature dependence of the surface tension on the melt surface, and electromagnetic force in the droplet were considered. As a result, it was found that applying a static magnetic field of 4T can suppress convection in a molten silicon droplet enough to measure the real thermal conductivity of molten silicon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recently, a novel method of measuring the thermophysical properties, especially thermal conductivity, of high-temperature molten materials using the electromagnetic levitation technique has been developed by [H. Fukuyama, H. Kobatake, I. Minato, K. Takahashi, T. Tsukada, S. Awaji, Establishment of noncontact AC calorimetry of high-temperature melts using solid platinum spheres as a reference, in: Proceedings of 16th Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, CD-ROM, 2006, p. 937; H. Kobatake, H. Fukuyama, I. Minato, T. Tsukada, S. Awaji, Noncontact AC calorimetry of liquid silicon with suppressing convections in a static magnetic field, in: Proceedings of 16th Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, CD-ROM, 2006, p. 625], where the method was based on periodic laser-heating, and a static magnetic field was superimposed to suppress convection in an electromagnetically levitated droplet. In the present work, the periodic laser-heating method was modeled to estimate the thermal conductivity and emissivity of the electromagnetically levitated droplet using a measured parameter, i.e., the phase lag between the modulated light and the temperature variations detected by a pyrometer, Δϕ s, at various frequencies of the modulated light ω. Here, the unsteady-state heat conduction equation for the droplet accompanying radiative heat transfer to the ambient was simplified and transformed to steady-state linear equations. The experimental relation between Δϕ s and ω was fitted by the mathematical model proposed here to estimate simultaneously the thermal conductivity and emissivity of molten silicon. Also, the numerical simulations for unsteady thermal field in the electromagnetically levitated droplet which was periodically laser-heated were carried out to demonstrate the validity of the proposed simplified model, and then to investigate the sensitivity of the thermophysical properties to the relation between Δϕ s and ω. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]