Thermophysical Property Measurements of Molten Nickel Using an Electrostatic Levitation Furnace

Abstract

Thermophysical properties of liquid and supercooled nickel were measured using electrostatic levitation. Over the 1420-1850 K temperature range, the density can be expressed as ρ(T )=7.89×103−0.65(T −Tm) (kg · m-3) with melting temperature Tm=1728 K. The isobaric heat capacity was estimated as Cp(T )=36.2+1.9×10-3(T −Tm) (J · mol-1·K-1) over the 1420-1850 K interval by assuming a constant emissivity. The volume expansion coefficient was also calculated as 8.2×10-5 K-1. In addition, the surface tension can be expressed as γ(T )=1739−2.2×10-1(T −Tm) (10-3 N · m-1) and the viscosity as η(T )=0.07 exp [6.7×104/(RT )](10-3Pa · s) over the 1553 to 1963 K temperature range.