Calculation of the Temperature Drop for High-Temperature Fixed Points for Different Furnace Conditions

High-temperature fixed points (HTFPs) based on eutectic and peritectic reactions of metals and carbon are likely to become, in the near term, reference standards at high temperatures. Typically for radiation thermometry applications, these HTFPs are generally formed of a graphite crucible, with a reentrant well, an included 120A degrees cone, and a nominal aperture of 3 mm. It is important to quantify the temperature drop at the back wall of the cavity, and to understand the influence of the crucible configuration and furnace conditions on this drop. In order to study these influences, three different situations have been modeled by means of the finite volume method for numerical analysis. The first investigates the influence of the furnace temperature profile on the temperature drop by simulating four different furnace conditions. The other two study variations in the crucible configuration, namely, the thickness of the graphite back wall and the length of the blackbody tube.