Twin isothermal calorimeter method for the determination of specific heat of soil

Abstract

The twin isothermal calorimeter method was proposed for determining the specific heat of soil. A high accuracy of measurement (±3%) was gained in comparison with other methods. The twin isothermal calorimeter consisted of two Dewar flasks of the same size in a constant-temperature bath. Each flask was equipped with a thermometer, a heater, and a stirrer. The most advantageous point in this method is to measure directly the temperature changes of the samples by means of the twin structure of the calorimeter. The specific heat of quartz sand and a few kinds of clay was measured. The results were sufficiently good.