A subsurface monitoring system and method is provided for measuring a rate of change in an amount of a reactive material within a subsurface formation using measurements of thermal parameters at one or more positions within the subsurface without the need for background correction which may lead erroneous calculations and require additional monitoring equipment. The measured thermal parameters may be used to determine the heat generated by the degradation of the reactive material. The method may include measuring a first temperature near the surface of a subsurface region and a second temperature further from the surface. In some instances, an estimated location of a planar subsurface heat source/sink due to exothermic degradation reactions within the subsurface may be selected. With the derived thermal parameters and the estimated location of the subsurface heat source/sink, change rates for the reactive materials in the subsurface region may be determined or estimated.

A system comprising a calorimeter for measuring a heat flux of a sample comprising a recipient space for a sample container containing a sample, a heat sink, a first heat transducer whereby the first heat transducer comprises a heat receiving surface in contact with the sample container when the sample container is positioned in the recipient space and a heat absorbing surface in contact with the heat sink. A second heat sink is provided, whereby the second heat sink has a second heat receiving surface in contact with the heat sink and a second heat absorbing surface in contact with the sample container, when the sample container is positioned in the recipient space.

An analyzing apparatus includes a memory unit that stores analysis conditions of each standards specifying analysis conditions for each analytical technique, a control unit, and an analysis unit that performs an analysis in accordance with a predetermined analytical technique. The control unit reads out the analysis conditions of the standard, and the control unit displays analysis conditions in time sequence, the displayed analysis conditions being necessary for the analysis and selected from out of the read-out analysis conditions, or the control unit prompts to input the analysis conditions in time sequence. When the analysis conditions are input, the control unit determines whether or not the input analysis conditions comply with the read-out analysis conditions, and in a case where a result of the determination is positive, the control unit displays a next analysis condition being necessary for the analysis, or the control unit prompts to input the next analysis condition.

Provided is a simulation model sample for evaluation of heat treatment including a porous water absorbing material that is flexible and deformable; and a container that is configured to be able to contain the porous water absorbing material having water absorbed therein. Also provided is a method for evaluating heat treatment using a simulation model sample including a step of allowing a flexible and deformable porous water absorbing material to absorb water, and the porous water absorbing material to be contained in a container, to produce a simulation model sample; and a step of subjecting the simulation model sample to heat treatment, while measuring a temperature inside the simulation model sample.

Provided is a simulation model sample for evaluation of heat treatment including a porous water absorbing material that is flexible and deformable; and a container that is configured to be able to contain the porous water absorbing material having water absorbed therein. Also provided is a method for evaluating heat treatment using a simulation model sample including a step of allowing a flexible and deformable porous water absorbing material to absorb water, and the porous water absorbing material to be contained in a container, to produce a simulation model sample; and a step of subjecting the simulation model sample to heat treatment, while measuring a temperature inside the simulation model sample.

The present invention is directed to devices and methods for monitoring the purity of monomers, adjusting the polymerization conditions, and consequently improving a polymerization reaction process. In one method, monomer purity is estimated using an on-line evaluation by raising the temperature of the monomer formulation having a defined melting point to a first elevated temperature at least 20° C. above a preset melting point for a selected monomer formulation; cooling the monomer formulation at a controlled cooling rate in the range from about 0.5 to 50° C. per minute; measuring at least one critical property selected from the group consisting of a) crystallization peak temperature at the onset of crystallization, b) an area under the crystallization peak, which represents the heat or enthalpy of crystallization, ΔHc and combinations thereof, comparing the at least one of the selected critical properties measures relative to such properties for standard setting monomer formulations.

A method for characterizing particles producing heat when exposed to light. The method includes the steps of stimulating a particle sample alternatingly with homogenous light waves with at least a first wavelength and a second wavelength, detecting by a detector heat radiated by the particle sample as a result of the stimulation, thereby yielding time-dependent images of a modulated heat distribution pattern, converting the time-dependent image of the modulated heat distribution pattern into the frequency domain and demodulating the image of the modulated heat distribution pattern, and determining a physical property of the particle sample based on the at least one demodulated image of heat distribution.

Described is a zone box for a differential scanning calorimeter. The zone box includes sheets of thermocouple alloy disposed between thermally conductive electrical insulator layers. A thermocouple alloy wire is electrically coupled to each one of the thermocouple alloy sheets. In addition, a pure metal wire is electrically coupled to each one of the thermocouple alloy sheets to enable remote measurement of voltage differences between the different thermocouple alloy sheets. The high thermal conductivity of the electrical insulator layers substantially reduces any thermal gradients across the sheets and maintains the connections of the thermocouple alloy wires and pure metal wires to the sheets to be at substantially the same temperature. The zone box reduces temperature difference measurement errors that result from inhomogeneity in the thermocouple alloy wires and variable temperature distributions along the length of the wires.

A gas monitor apparatus includes a sorbent material that adsorbs a target gas based on a concentration of the target gas in a monitored environment and a reference material that does not respond to the target gas. The gas monitor also includes a first thermistor disposed within the sorbent material and a second thermistor disposed within the reference material, the first thermistor to provide a first indication of a first temperature of the sorbent material and the second thermistor to provide a second indication of a second temperature of the reference material. A processing device determines a concentration of the target gas based at least in part on a differential measurement between the first temperature and the second temperature.

A calorimeter for measuring a heat flux of a sample comprises a container, a first heat sink and a second heat sink whereby the sample is arranged in the container. The first heat sink and the second heat sink are arranged at a distance from each other on the container. The first heat sink comprises a first heat transducer element and the second heat sink comprises a second heat transducer element. Each of the first and second heat transducer elements comprise a heat receiving surface and a heat absorbing surface for generating an electromotive force equivalent to the heat flux to or from the respective heat sink to be sent to a detecting unit for obtaining an electrical potential representing the heat flux leaving or traversing the container.