Captec launches custom-made heat flux sensors

Citation

(2000), "Captec launches custom-made heat flux sensors", Sensor Review, Vol. 20 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2000.08720bad.005

Captec launches custom-made heat flux sensors

Captec launches custom-made heat flux sensors

Keywords: Sensors, Flux

French company Captec is the world's sole supplier of heat and radiant flux sensors designed for energy measurement across a surface. These sensors can be used for specific measurement applications in all industries. They are highly sensitive, and easily miniaturizable, with very low inertia. The Captec heat and radiant flux sensors are custom-made and range in size from a fraction of 1cm2 to 1m2 or more. They are inexpensive and are easy to mount on to specific supports designed by the user (see Plate 4).

The product range includes heat flux, conductive flux and radiant flux sensors, heating elements and surface thermocouples for wide-ranging applications.

Plate 4The Captec heat and radiant flux sensors are custom-made and range in size from a fraction of 1cm2 to 1m2 or more

Simple to use, the heat flux sensors take the form of thin metallic plates which measure the energy crossing their surface. They have a range of uses including insulation control processes, air-conditioning control, control of chemical reactions, phase changes, wear measurements, bearing or brake heating measurements, frost detection, concrete setting, etc.

The radiant flux sensors, unlike the heat flux sensors, are sensitive only to energy transfer by radiation (infra-red). These sensors are used in air-conditioning systems to anticipate heat input from sunlight, in fire or intrusion detection systems, hot spot controls and remote temperature measurements.

For aggressive environments (furnaces, glassworks, cement works, steelworks) Captec has designed the Captherm radiant flux sensor. This stainless steel device is equipped with a water exchanger, a sapphire window and an air gap to avoid projections and soot deposits.

The heating elements and surface thermocouples are very thin (less than 200um) surface heating resistors. The resistance is independent of temperature. The heating elements are used for temperature holding or power compensation across a surface while the thermocouples are used for surface temperature measurement.

Captec sensors are available direct from the manufacturer in France.

For more information please contact: Dan Ray, press officer, FTPB, 21-24 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7TB, UK. Fax: +44 (0) 207 235 2773; E-mail: dan.ray.ftpb@cfme-actim.com; Website: www.captec.fr