Thermophysical properties of zirconium measured using electrostatic levitation

Six thermophysical properties of both the solid and liquid zirconium measured using the high-temperature electrostatic levitator at IPL are presented. These properties are: density, thermal expansion coefficient, constant pressure heat capacity, hemispherical total emissivity, surface tension and viscosity. For the first time, we report the densities and the thermal expansion coefficients of both the solid as well as liquid Zr over wide ranges of temperatures. Over the 1700 similar to 2300 K temperature span, the liquid density can be expressed as rho(1)(T) = 6.24 x 10(3) - 0.29 (T - Tm) kg/m(3) with T-m = 2128 K, and the corresponding volume expansion coefficient as alpha(1) = 4.6 x 10(-5) /K. Similarly, over the 1250 similar to 2100 K range, the measured density of the solid can be expressed as rho(S)(T) = 6.34 x 10(3) - 0.15 (T - T-m), giving a volume expansion coefficient alpha(S) = 2.35 x 10(-5) /K. The constant pressure heat capacity of the liquid phase could be estimated as C-pl(T) = 39.72 - 7.42 x 10(-3) (T - T-m) J/mol/K if the hemispherical total emissivity of the liquid phase epsilon(Tl) remains constant at 0.3 over the 1825 similar to 2200 K range. Over the 1400 - 2100 K temperature span, the hemispherical total emissivity of the solid phase could be rendered as epsilon(Ts)(T) = 0.29 - 9.91 x 10(3) (T - T-m). The measured surface tension and the viscosity of the molten zirconium over the 1850 similar to 2200 K range can be expressed as sigma(T) = 1.459 x 10(3) - 0.244 (T - T-m) mN/m and as eta(T) = 4.83 - 5.31 x 10(-3)(T -T-m) mPa.s, respectively.