C-THERM TCi Operator's Manual

C-Therm TCi

Operator

Manual

TH

130041 Rev.

H

TCi Operator Manual

iii

Table of Contents

1

Introduction

................................

.........................

1

1.1

A note on instrument limitations

................................

..................

2

1.2C-

Therm TCi Manual Intent

................................

.........................

3

1.3C-

Therm TCi System

Setup

................................

........................

4

1.3.1

Checking the items and their condition

................................

....41.3.2

Checking grounded cable

................................

.......................

4

1.3.3

Making connectio

ns

................................

4

1.3.4

Starting up the C

-

Therm TCi system

................................

.......

4

2C-

Therm TCi Software Use

................................

.

5

2.1

Menu Items

................................

................

5

2.2

Table Use

................................

...................

8

2.2.1

Menu

s

................................

....................

9

2.2.2

Buttons

................................

.................

10

2.2.3

Table Options

................................

.......112.2.4

Using the Parameter Fields to Search

................................

...112.3

Reco

rd Management

................................

11

2.3.1

Create a Record

................................

...122.3.2

View a Record

................................

......122.3.3

Edit a Record

................................

.......

13

2.3.4

Delete a Record

................................

...

13

2.3.5

Recover a Record

................................

14

2.4

Printing

................................

.....................

143Records

................................

............................

16

3.1

Project

................................

......................

16

3.2

Material Group

................................

..........

16

3.3

Material

................................

....................

17

3.4

Material Lot

................................

..............

18

3.5

Test Method

................................

.............

18

3.6

Contact Agents

................................

.........

20

3.7

Notes

................................

........................

20

3.8

Calibration Materials

................................

.213.9

Calibration Material G

roups

................................

......................

22

3.10

Calibration Methods

................................

..234

Testing

................................

..............................

26

4.1

General Procedure

................................

...264.2

Foam Testing

................................

...........

31

4.3

Powder Testing

................................

........

31

4.4

Solid Testing

................................

.............

32

4.5

Liquid Testing

................................

...........

32

4.6

Blotter

or Thin Sample Testing

................................

..................

33

4.7

Indirect Property Calculations

................................

...................

35

4.8

Altering the Test Method during the Test

................................

...364.9

Changing the Units of Measurement

................................

.........

36

4.10

Auto Test

ing

................................

.............

36

4.11

Contact Agents

................................

.........

37

4.11.1

Testing with Wakefield 120 Thermal Grease

................................

.....................

38

4.12

Chemical Testing with RTV Tabs

................................

..............

405Data Analysis

techniques and practices

................................

............

42

5.1

Opening a Test

................................

.........

42

5.2

Using Excel for added Analysis Power

................................

......42

5.2.1

Copying to the Clipboard

................................

......................

42

5.3

Overlaying Measurements/Tests

................................

...............

42

5.4

Editing a Test

................................

...........

42

TCi Operator Manual

iv

5.5

Reports

................................

....................

43

5.6

Exporting and Importing

................................

............................

44

5.6.1

Export

................................

..................

44

5.6.2

Import

................................

...................

466User Calibration

................................

................

48

6.1

User Calibration Wizard

................................

............................

48

6.2

Opening or Continuin

g a User Calibration in the Wizard

................................

............

55

6.3

User Calibration Overview

................................

........................

58

6.4

Create Calibration Materials

................................

......................

59

6.5

Create Calibration Material Group

................................

.............

59

6.6

Create Cal

ibration Method

................................

........................

60

6.7

Acquire Calibration Data

................................

...........................

60

6.8

Compute Results

................................

......627

Software Setup and Maintenance

................................

......................

65

7.1

Setup

................................

........................

65

7.2

System Policies

................................

........

72

7.3

Manage Users and User Groups

................................

...............

74

7.3.1

Permissions

................................

..........

74

7.3.2

Users

................................

...................

75

7.3.3

Groups

................................

.................

77

7.3.4

Reactivating a Locked Account

................................

.............

79

7.3.5

Clear Password History

................................

........................

79

7.4

Change Password

................................

....798

System Calibration and Maintenance

................................

................

81

8.1

Calibration

................................

................

81

8.1.1

Unlock Calibrations/User Calibration

................................

.....818.2

Diag

nostics

................................

...............

82

8.2.1

Reference Material Test

................................

.......................

82

8.2.2

System Checks

................................

....

86

8.3

Cleaning Procedure

................................

..878.4

Troubleshooting

................................

........

88

8.4.1

General Information required

................................

................

88

8.4.2

Troubleshooting List

................................

.............................

899Theory of Operation

................................

..........

92

9.1

TCi Calibrations

................................

........

92

9.1.1

Sensor temperature calibration

................................

.............

92

9.1.2

Basic multi

-

point effusivity calibration

................................

....939.2

Material groups and power levels

................................

..............

98

9.3

Contact ag

ent

................................

...........

99

9.4

Thermal conductivity (k) calibration

................................

.........

100

9.4.1

Limitations for

k

measurements

................................

..........

101

9.5

Temperature considerations in effusivity calibration

................................

................

102

9.6

Temperature considerations in conductivity calibration

................................

............

103

9.7

Error analysis

................................

.........

104

9.7.1

General

................................

..............

104

9.7.2

Material

................................

..............

105

9.7.3

Contact

................................

..............

105

9.7.4

Equipment

................................

..........

105

9.7.5

Calibration

................................

..........

106

9.7.6

Additional Notes

–

Heat Equation

................................

.......

107

Appendices

................................

.............................

110

Appendix A: System Components and Accesso

ries

................................

.............................

110

Appendix B: C

-

Therm TCi Controller Specifications

................................

.............................

111C-

Therm TCi Sensor Specifications

................................

.................

112

C-Therm TCi Standar

d Computer Specifications

................................

.............................

113

TCi Operator Manual

v

Appendix C: Materials of Construction and Chemical Resistance Data

................................

114

Appendix D: Reference Material Standard Values

................................

...............................

118

Appendix E: Permission Default Values

................................

...............

119

Appendix F: CE

Certification

................................

121

Appendix G: Units and Conversions

................................

....................

122

Appendix H: Contact Agent MSDS

–

Glycol

................................

.........

124

Appendix I: Disclaimer

................................

.........

132

TCi Operator Manual

vi

TCi Operator Manual

1

Introduction

The third generation of

theC-

Therm

thermal conductivity

technology expands the capabilities of

this rapid, non

-

destructive thermal testing instrument to a whole new level. Designed to provide

simple, highly accurate thermal characterization

of thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity

forinlab

use

, quality

control

,

and production environments, the

C-Therm

TCiTMThermal

Conductivity

Analyzer

requires no calibration or sample preparation. The system has

broad testing capabilities

(0.0 to 100 W/mK)

across

a wide range of temperatures

(–50

˚ to 200˚C).

The key

capabilities and benefits of the system include the ability to test:



Materials ranging from ~ 0 to 100 W/mK in thermal conductivity or 0

–

19000 W

√

s/m2k in

effusivity.



Solids, liquids, powders and pastes

.A wide temperature range from

–

50 to 200°C.



Accura

cy and precision under 5% and 1% respectively. (Stated from 0

°

C to 50

°

C).

TheC-

Therm TCi

system is engineered to operate in lab environments (including QA/QC labs),

for off

-

line and at

-

line testing. The base technology is migratable to the production

floor and can

be integrated into many manufacturing processes as an in

-

line monitoring and control system

measure

(see C

-

Therm ESP product line).

TheC-

Therm TCi

provides many additional thermo

-

physical properties by indirect calculation,

including:



Diff

usivity



Thermal Conductivity (calculated from Thermal Effusivity)



Heat Capacity, volumetric specific heat



R-value (insulations)



Depth of penetration

A full description of the indirect calculations is provided in Appendix

G.TheC-

Therm TCi

system uses th

e base platform technology developed by Mathis Instruments

Ltd. in 2004/2005 for the pharmaceutical industry, leveraging the solid

-

state sensor technology as

well as associated electronics and improved software.

Keeping true to

the original concept

ofanon-

destructive testing technology, the C

-

Therm TCi

maintains the ability to test

materials

with little to no sample preparation

, and the versatility to

test

small

sample

volumes

(approximately the size of a nickel coin). There are no limitations as to

how

large a sample can be due to the transient method of measurement the system employs.

Testing times are typically within a few seconds and automated testing remains a key

convenience. Dual sensor testing is also available for higher testing throughput, as

are additional

accessories for specific applications.

TheC-

Therm TCi

platform offers modular expansion of the system’s capabilities (e.g. calibration

ranges, sensor upgrades, accessories, etc.), and a flexible software architecture that offers a full,

r

elational database platform for data management

. The 2

.3

software introduces the option for

user calibration, available with the “Max k” module. The factory calibrations provide immediate

and broad testing capability while the user calibration feature of

fers the ability to focus on a

narrower region of interest at fixed temperatures.

This operating manual provides in

-

depth guidance to users in leveraging the

C-Therm TCi

for its

intended use. It is very important that users invest the time in reviewing t

he information provided

within this document for the safe and effective application of this advanced technology. Upon

reviewing the document, should users have any further questions we encourage them to contact

their C

-

Therm representative.

TCi Operator Manual

2

1.1

A note on instr

ument limitations

It should be noted that in applying an instrument such as the C

-

Therm TCi in testing a wide

variety of materials, material types and temperature ranges, careful consideration should be given

to the limitations in performance and/or use o

f this system under certain conditions. In many

cases, the C

-

Therm TCi can replace as many as four (4)

traditional

thermal conductivity

instruments that covered the same claimed range of testing. However, in simplifying thermal

conductivity testing and pr

oviding an instrument to test such a wide material range, there are

some limitations that can be encountered in specific circumstances where a general research tool

like the C

-

Therm TCi will not be appropriate (the proverbial square bolt in a round hole).

As such, every attempt is made to provide up

-

front information on any known limitations of the

system and to provide general recommendations that help to ensure the optimal use of the

instrument.

Examples of performance constraints that may be encounter

ed and some recommended best

practices include:



Contact with some materials is poor due to the material morphology or a process

condition and the fact that the sensor chip surface is not flexible or conforming. C

-

Therm

has provided contact agents for non

-porous solid materials testing and can establish

special calibrations for certain materials that are not compatible with liquid contact

agents.



Like all lab instruments, the C

-

Therm TCi should be used in a consistent manner to

ensure consistent results. The

user’s test methodology is extremely important and it is

recommended users review any new application of the instrument with a C

-

Therm

technical support person.



The C

-

Therm TCi is designed to withstand the full temperature ranges specified, but has

not be

en calibrated for the entire range given the constraints of available calibration

materials and typical requirements for specific Material Groups. Customized calibration of

the instrument is possible, either by a C

-

Therm representative or by a user certifi

ed for

advanced operation of the instrument.



The C

-

Therm TCi is a very sensitive analytical instrument. It is the user’s responsibility to

provide stable environmental conditions in optimizing the performance of the instrument.

As such, the users’ test me

thodology is important to guarantee accurate and consistent

results (

e

.g.thermal chambers used in sub

-

zero temperatures may generate frost

between the sample and sensor, affecting the results. The user needs to compensate

accordingly for these conditions)

.The sensor construction was chosen to meet the optimal combination of test temperature

requirements as well as respecting internal design constraints. Some materials of

construction may be aggressively affected by contact with certain chemicals

–

it isnecessary to be aware of those chemicals that are known to impact the integrity of the

sensor as well as those that have not been tested or determined through literature

searches to be safe. Appendix C provides a listing to inform users of these issues and

has provided means to test the

least resistant

component, the RTV sealant. Test tabs

can be purchased from C

-

Therm for chemical aggression testing, avoiding undue

damage to the sensor. C

-

Therm will not take responsibility for sensors damaged due to

exposur

e to untested or known to be damaging chemicals.



Testing under compression greater

than90psig

can result in a damaged sensor. Special

testing conditions requiring higher

-

pressure ratings can be investigated on an individual

basis in contacting a C

-

Therm

representative.

The thermal conductivity of the sample material is primarily determined by the direct

measurement of the thermal effusivity (thermal inertia) of the material. In rare circumstances, an

unacceptable error is evident in testing materials wh

ich have a density or heat capacity which are

substantially different than the materials applied in the calibration of the system.

The

Error

TCi Operator Manual

3

Analysis

section

explains these issues and C

-

Therm technical support is available to provide

further insight if r

equired. Accordingly, testing materials which appropriately fit within the proper

Material Group is necessary for accurate results. Material groupings can be further optimized for

the specific needs of a user

-

either by C

-

Therm on a contract basis, or th

rough additional training

and software module extension for user calibration capabilities.

Open discussions are recommended on new projects or applications with a C

-

Therm technical

support representative in determining whether or not the

C-Therm TCi

TM

is

an appropriate

research tool. In general, the standard configuration of the

C-Therm TCi

TM

covers the test

requirements of most users. However, special conditions required by a user can be provided for

with customized solutions specific to their needs. Ple

ase contact C

-

Therm when considering

applications that are not represented in this manual.

Material Testing Summary (taken from

the Testing chapter

):

Material

Type

Minimum

Thickness

Power

Level

Temperature

Range (°C)

Sample Setup &

Preparation

Contact A

gent

Liquids

1 mm

90-50 to 192

Fill 50 mL beaker to

35mL mark. Place

sensor in beaker.

None

Powders

1 mm

90-50 to 192

Fill 50 mL beaker to

30 mL mark. Place

sensor in beaker.

Foams

2 mm

90-50 to 192

Place sample on

sensor. Place weight

on sample.

Polymers

5 mm

90-50 to 192

Place contact agent

on sensor. Place

sample on sensor.

Place weight on

sample.

-50 to 5°C: 3 drops glycol

5 to 70°C: 3 drops water

70 to

200

°C:

Wakefield

120 Thermal Grease

Ceramics

5 mm

90-50 to 192

Metals

5-12 mm

125-50 to 150

1.2

C-Therm TCi

Manual Intent

This manual covers the detailed use of the

C-Therm TCi

including the test methods and

procedures to use for various types of testing. The manual is primarily directed to explain the

operating windows and

menus and the detailed steps for day

-to-

day test setup, display and data

collection.

Special accessories and test methods as well as software modules not part of the standard

operational package are included separately to those who purchase those items,

with appropriate

documentation able to be added to this manual binder as needed. A list of additional modules and

accessories available or planned are located in Appendix A.

TCi Operator Manual

4

1.3

C-Therm TCi

System Setup

1.3.1

Checking the items and their condition

The

standard

C-Therm TCi

system

will

arrive in a

Pelican Case

. Inspect the

case

for shipping

damage and report this immediately to your shipping department to address with the courier

company. The standard shipping items are listed in the shipping list, typically consis

ting of:



Laptop computer



C-Therm TCi

Controller



C-Therm TCi

sensor(s)



C-Therm TCi

Operating manual (software CD inside)



Contact agents



Reference material(s)



C-Therm TCi

sensor base



Power cable and

USB to Serial cable



Pelican Case for transport

1.3.2

Checking

grounded cable

Check that a properly

grounded

cable for your power outlet type is provided. If this is not the

case, contact

C-Therm

or your

C-Therm

distribution agent immediately for resolution.

Do Not

Use the

C-Therm TCi

in an UNGROUNDED State.

1.3.3

Making c

onnections

Make the following connections:



Connect power cable to rear of

C-Therm TCi

and into the wall outlet



Connect power cable to laptop and into the wall outlet



Connect

USB to

serial cable to laptop and to rear of

C-Therm TCi



Connect

C-Therm TCi

sen

sor(s) at rear of

C-Therm TCi

–

If you only have one sensor,

always use the “Sensor 1” connector location

1.3.4

Starting up the

C-Therm TCi

system



Turn on the laptop



Turn on the

C-Therm TCi

controller



Initiate the

C-Therm TCi

software by selecting the

C-Therm

TCi

software icon.



Proceed to Diagnostics (button located on the main window)

-

Conduct a system check

and material reference check

(refer to

the

System Calibration and Maintenance chapter

).Review the manual for

guidelines on

selecting

calibration

s

, and g

eneral operation.



Review test procedures, appendices and the SOPs.



Proceed to

sample testing

by following

procedures outlined in

the

Testing

chapter

.

TCi Operator Manual

5

2C-

Therm TCi

Software Use

TheC-

Therm TCi

software main window has eight menus,

seven

buttons, test re

sults explorer,

and a status bar in addition to the frame, where most windows within the software are displayed.

2.1

Menu Items

TheC-

Therm TCi

software main menus are located across the top of the main window.

The

File menu

contains:

New Test

–

Clickin

g this option begins a new test. It has the same effect as clicking the New

Test button on the toolbar.

Open Test

–

This option opens the Manage Test Results window. Any set of test results can be

opened from there.

Close

–

This option is only availabl

e when a test or record is open. It closes the active window.

Print

–

This option opens the printer selection window. It is only available when there is a report

or table open.

Print Preview

–

This option shows how the current screen would look if prin

ted. It is only

available when there is a report or table open.

Print Setup

–

This option allows printer options to be selected. It is only available when there is a

report or table open.

Log Off

–

This option logs the current user out and opens the login

window.

Change Password

–

This option opens the Change Password window.

Create Archive

–

This option allows the records in a database to be stored and a new database

created.

TCi Operator Manual

6

Exit

–

This option closes the software.

The items in the

Manage menu

open t

ables containing records of the selected type.

Projects and Materials

Projects

-

The project describes the common purpose behind a set of tests.

Material Groups

-

A material group contains all materials with a common characteristic.

Materials

-

A materi

al is any substance tested.

Calibration

Calibration Methods

–

Calibration methods detail the timing parameters used in the

sensor calibrations.

Calibration Results

–

All calibration results stored in the database and on sensors

connected to the system

are listed in this table.

Calibration Material Groups

–

Calibration materials groups are sets of materials that

are used to calibrate the sensors for a type of material or value range. Materials tested

using that calibration must be of the same type and

fit within the range of thermal

effusivity or conductivity values given by the calibration materials.

Calibration Materials

–

Calibration materials are materials that have stable known

thermal values that can be used to calibrate the sensors.

Contact Age

nts

-

Contact agents ensure good contact between the sensor surface and

solid samples.

Instruments

–

An instrument is a

TCi controller

. The instrument record lists the

controller serial number and the instrument family.

Testing

Test Methods

–

Test metho

ds specify all parameters (other than timing) of the test. A

test can be run without materials or material groups being defined, but must have a test

method. Timing parameters are set in the calibration method.

Test Results

–

Test results are displayed i

n the same format when opened as they are

when the test is being performed. Test results can also be found through the test results

explorer.

The

View menu

lists options for the main window. Any of the options can be turned off by clicking

them.

Toolba

r

–

The toolbar holds the buttons in the

C-Therm TCi

main window.

Status bar

–

The status bar, located at the bottom of the main window, shows the user logged in

and the database being used.

Test Results Explorer

–

The test results explorer is located on

the left of the main window and

allows the user to browse the test results by product, material, unit operation, instrument, or user.

The test results explorer also has a test results filter button. Keywords can be entered into the

filter to search for

test results.

TCi Operator Manual

7

The

Reports Menu

lists the different reports that can be generated in the

C-Therm TCi

software

Audit trail Report

–

The audit trail report lists all activities fitting entered parameters that occur

within the software, such as creating reco

rds, performing tests, importing and exporting.

Test Report

–

The test report lists all test results fitting entered parameters.

Reference Material Test Report

–

The reference material test report gives the results of all

reference material tests perfo

rmed fitting entered parameters.

The

Security menu

is not visible to users who do not have the permissions required to perform

any task related to user or user group management, permissions, or system policies.

System Policies

–

System policies allow adm

inistrators to control user password changes and

database connections.

Manage Users

–

All users must have unique login IDs so that their actions within the software

can be documented in the audit trail. Permissions can be granted to users that override g

roup

permissions.

Manage User Groups

–

Membership in a user group grants or limits the permissions a user has

to perform actions within the software.

Manage Permissions

–

Permission default values can be changed in the Manage Permissions

window.

The

Tools menu

Export

Calibration Results

–

All calibration results fitting entered parameters are exported to a

chosen file type with all attached calibration material and calibration method records.

Calibration Methods

-

All calibration methods fitting the

entered parameters are

exported to a chosen file type with all attached calibration material records.

Export Calibration Materials

–

All calibration materials fitting the entered parameters

are exported to a chosen file type.

Test Methods

–

All test me

thods fitting entered parameters are exported to a chosen file

type with all attached material, project, and calibration method records. Calibration

results must be exported separately.

Test Results

–

All test results fitting entered parameters are expo

rted to a chosen file

type with all attached test method, material, project, and calibration method records.

Import

Calibration Results

–

Records from a selected export file are imported.

Calibration Methods

-

Records from a selected export file are im

ported.

Calibration Materials

–

Records from a selected export file are imported.

Test Methods

–

Records from a selected export file are imported.

Test Results

–

Records from a selected export file are imported.

TCi Operator Manual

8

User Calibration

Acquire Data

–The Acquire Data module allows data collection for a selected calibration

method and temperature.

Compute Results

–

The Compute Results module allows manipulation of calibration

data and calculation of final user calibration results.

Calibration Report

–

The calibration report contains results for selected user

calibrations.

Diagnostics

–

The diagnostics window displays the instrument’s status, calibration data, and

board inventory.

Reference Material Test

–

A reference material test checks the continu

ed validity of the

calibration by comparing the result of the test against the known value of the reference material.

Change Units of Measure

–

Metric, Imperial, and CGS units are available for use.

Authorization

–

Calibrations are unlocked by importing

authorization codes from provided xml

files.

User Cal

–

The User Calibration Wizard allows

a more streamlined approach to user calibration

data collection and result computation.

The

Windows menu

lists all open windows within the software. Clicking one

of the listed windows

brings that window to the front.

The

Help menu

lists various ways to open the help file and software information. Topics can be

opened by clicking any keyword line or topic title.

Contents

–

The contents page shows the

organizatio

n

of the help file.

Index

–

The index lists individual topics and keywords in alphabetical order.

Search

–

The user enters keywords and

a list of topics fitting the entered keywords is

displayed.

About

–

The about window displays version information a

bout the

C-Therm TCi

software.

2.2

Table Use

Tables can be opened by clicking a button from the Setup window or by selecting an option from

the Manage menu.

TCi Operator Manual

9

The table has File and Audit Trail menus at the top,

nine

buttons beneath, and fields to enter

keyw

ords for searching. The area for table entries takes up the remaining space.

The table is opened with no entries. To display all entries, click the search button. Keywords can

be entered to refine the search.

2.2.1

Menus

The menus are positioned along the up

per left of the main window. Menu options are grayed out

if the user logged in does not have permission to perform the action attached to the menu option.

The Table File menu:

Search

–

Clicking this option searches the database for all records matching

the search

keywords. If no keywords have been entered, all records will be returned.

Reset Query

–

Clicking this option clears the keyword fields.

Reset Grid

–

Clicking this option resets the column widths in the table (grid).

Print

–

This option opens

the print window to print the table.

Print Preview

–

This option shows how the table would look printed. There is a print button on

the preview so that the table can be printed from there.

Print Setup

–

This opens the printer options window.

Copy Grid

to Clipboard

–

Clicking this option copies the current table to the clipboard. The

table can then be pasted into a spreadsheet program or other document.

Save Rows As

–

Clicking this option opens a Save window to save the rows as a CSV file, which

can t

hen be imported into MS Excel.

View

–

Once a record has been selected, click this option to open the record. The record also

opens if it is double

-

clicked.

TCi Operator Manual

10

Edit

–

Select a record and click the Edit option. The information contained in the record can be

edited and saved.

Add

–

Clicking the Add option displays an empty record that can be filled and saved.

Delete

–

Select a record and click this button to delete it. The record is not permanently deleted

but is marked as inactive.

Recover

–

Recover has

two options.

Show Deleted Records

–

Once this option is clicked, the table displays only deleted

records.

Recover Selected Records

–

This option can be used to recover a record once it has

been selected. The Recover button can also be clicked.

Notes

–

Click this button to attach a note to a record. Notes may be attached to test methods,

materials, and test results.

Set Default Record

–

Select a record and click this option. The record will automatically be

selected when starting a test.

Close

–

Clic

king this option closes the table.

The Audit trail menu:

Audit trail for all Records

–

Clicking this option displays the audit trail table. If the Search

button is clicked, all entries relating to the current table records are displayed.

Audit trail fo

r selected Records

–

Clicking this option displays the audit trail table. If the Search

button is clicked, all entries pertaining to the selected record are displayed.

2.2.2

Buttons

Search

–

This button has the same function as the menu option. It searches the

database for

records fitting the entered keywords, or returns all records if no keywords are entered.

View

–

Once a record has been selected, click this button to open the record. The record also

opens if it is double

-

clicked.

Add

–

Clicking the Add bu

tton displays an empty record that can be filled and saved.

Copy

–

Creates a copy of the current record that can be edited and saved.

Edit

–

Select a record and click the Edit button. The information contained in the record can be

edited and saved.

Del

ete

–

Select a record and click this button to delete it. The record is not permanently deleted

but is marked as inactive.

Recover

–

Once a record has been deleted, it can be recovered by setting the table to show

deleted records, selecting the record, a

nd clicking the recover button.

Notes

–

Click this button to attach a note to a record. Notes may be attached to test methods,

materials, and test results.

TCi Operator Manual

11

Close

–

Click this button to close the current table.

2.2.3

Table Options

When any row of the table is

right-clicked,

four

options are displayed.

Copy to Clipboard

–

Clicking this option copies the current table to the clipboard. The table can

then be pasted into a spreadsheet program.

Show all Columns

–

Clicking this option resets the widths of the colu

mns if they have been

changed and displays any columns that are hidden by default.

Reset Grid

–

Clicking this option resets the widths of the columns if they have been changed.

Show Audit Trail

for

This Record

–

Clicking this option displays all audit tr

ail entries for the

selected record.

2.2.4

Using the Parameter Fields to Search

Keywords are used to narrow the search for a particular record or set of records. If only part of a

keyword is known, use

wildcards

(

% or *

)

for the remainder of the word. For exa

mple: for benzyl

compounds, use benz* or benz% to get all results with “benz” as part of the name.

Material groups can be searched by material group name.

Materials can be searched by material group name

and

material name.

Projects can be searched by pr

oject name.

Calibration methods can be searched by calibration method name

and

instrument family.

Calibration results can be searched by sensor serial number, calibration method, date range, and

validity.

Calibration material groups, calibration materia

ls, contact agents, and instruments are all

displayed and cannot be searched.

Test methods can be searched by test method name, project name,

and

calibration method.

Test results can be searched by test ID, date range, test method, project,

product bat

ch, material,

material lot

,

instrument

, and workstation

.

Users can be searched by user name

and

user ID.

User groups can be searched by user group name.

2.3

Record Management

Records can be created, edited, viewed,

copied,

deleted, and recovered through the

tables. The

tables can be accessed through the setup window.

TCi Operator Manual

12

2.3.1

Create a Record

Each individual record type has a different creation process. Record creation is detailed in

the

Record chapter

.

2.3.2

View a Record

Step 1

–

Open the record’s table.

Select the

record type from the Manage menu or click the record type in the Setup window. For

example, to open a material click Material in the Setup window.

Step 2

–

Enter keywords into the parameter fields.

Information about ke

ywords is given in the Using the

Parameter Fields to Search section

.

Step 3

–

Click the Search button or press the Enter key.

A list of records fitting the entered parameters is displayed.

TCi Operator Manual

13

Step 4

–

Select the desired record.

Step 5

–

Click the View button.

2.3.3

Edit a Record

Step 1

–Open the record’s table.

Select the record type from the Manage menu or click the record type in the Setup window. For

example, to open a material click Material in the Setup window.

Step 2

–

Enter keywords into the parameter fields.

Information about ke

ywords is given in the Using the Parameter Fields to Search section.

Step 3

–

Click the Search button or press the Enter key.

A list of records fitting the entered parameters is displayed.

Step 4

–

Select the desired record.

Step 5

–

Click the Edit butt

on.

Step 6

–

Edit the fields as needed.

Any field with a white or blue background can be changed.

Step 7

–

Click the Save button.

2.3.4

Delete a Record

Step 1

–

Open the record’s table.

Select the record type from the Manage menu or click the record type in

the Setup window. For

example, to open a material click Material in the Setup window.

Step 2

–

Enter keywords into the parameter fields.

Information about keywords is given in the Using the Parameter Fields to Search section.

Step 3

–

Click the Search b

utton or press the Enter key.

A list of records fitting the entered parameters is displayed.

TCi Operator Manual

14

Step 4

–

Select the desired record.

Step 5

–

Click the Delete button.

2.3.5

Recover a Record

Step 1

–

Open the record’s table.

Select the record type from the Manage

menu or click the record type in the Setup window. For

example, to open a material click Material in the Setup window.

Step 2

–

Click the File menu in the table.

Step 3

–

Click the Show Deleted Records option from the Recover submenu.

Step 4

–

Sele

ct the record to be recovered.

Step 5

–

Click the Recover button.

Step 6

-

Click the Show Deleted Records option from the Recover submenu to display the

undeleted records.

2.4

Printing

Test reports, tables, records, and results screens can be printed. A prin

ter must be installed

before anything can be printed.

Step 1

-

Click the File menu.

Step 2

-

Click Print.

If the print option is grayed out, the screen cannot be printed.

View a preview of the screen, table, report, or record by clicking the Print Previ

ew option in the

file menu. The screen, table, report, or record can be printed form the preview screen.

TCi Operator Manual

15

Change the print options by clicking Print Setup from the File menu.

Click the Printer button to select a printer (if multiple are available) or

to see the printer's status.

Step 3

–

Click the OK button.

TCi Operator Manual

16

3

Records

The following section describes how to use and generate the different types of records which

support the data generated from testing.

3.1

Project

A project describes the common purpose beh

ind a set of tests. Using this field allows you to

separate data for easy reference and future quick access. Projects are not necessary to run tests.

A default project is included in the

C-Therm TCi

software and is all that is required to perform a

test.

As more data is collected, the project can be used to filter data.

Step 1

–

Open the Project table.

Step 2

–

Click the Add button.

Step 3

–

Enter the project name.

The project name indicates the purpose or common theme to the tests attached to it.

Step 4

–

Enter a description (optional).

Step 5

–

Click the Save button.

3.2

Material Group

A material group contains all materials with a common characteristic. Material groups are not

necessary to run tests. A default material group is included in the

C-Therm TCi

software and is

all that is required to perform a test.

Step 1

–

Open the material group table.

Step 2

–

Click the Add button.

TCi Operator Manual

17

Step 3

–

Enter the material group name.

Use the material group name to indicate the common characteristic of th

e materials to be

attached to the group. For example: lubricants, powders, liquids, or the material name (if different

grades are to be included in the group).

Step 4

–

Click the Save button.

3.3

Material

A material is any substance tested. All tests on a p

articular material can be easily found by

searching for the material name. Entering a material name is not necessary to run a test

;

however, the value of that test is put at risk if this information is not entered either before or after

the test is conduc

ted and a material

record

must be specified in order to allow

calculation of

indirect values

. A default material name is included in the

C-Therm TCi

software and is all that is

required to perform a test. As more data is collected, the material name can

be used to filter

data.

Step 1

–

Open the material table.

Step 2

–

Click the Add button.

Step 3

–

Enter the material name.

TCi Operator Manual

18

If multiple grades of the material are in use, indicate the grade in the material name. Do not

specify the material lot as t

his is covered separately.

Step 4

–

Select a material group.

If no group is selected, the material group is set to the default material group by the software.

Step 5

–

Click the Add Material Values button (optional).

Step 6

–

Enter material properties (

optional).

Enter a temperature, then the effusivity,

thermal

conductivity,

density, diffusivity, heat capacity,

and the source of the values. Not all values must be entered. When values are entered, indirect

values (diffusivity, heat capacity, R

-

value, a

nd depth of penetration) can be calculated. Heat

capacity and diffusivity can be entered, or calculated if

the density

is entered.

For

diffusivity

, density and heat capacity must be entered.

For

heat capacity

, density must be entered.

For

density

, heat

capacity must be entered.

TheR-

value

and

depth of penetration

can be calculated without additional values.

Step 7

–

Click the Save button.

3.4

Material Lot

A material lot differentiates between different batches of the same material.

Material lots are

fre

quently created when a test is started but can also be created through a material record.

Step 1

–

Open the material lot table.

Open the

Manage Material table, and open the record for the material. Click the Show Lots

button.

Step 2

–

Click the Add butt

on.

Step3–

Enter the lot number.

Each lot number for a material must be unique.

Step4–

Click the Save button.

3.5

Test Method

A test method describes the parameters of a test: what type of measurements to take (thermal

conductivity or effusivity), wh

en to take measurements, how many measurements to take. Unlike

TCi Operator Manual

19

the records discussed previously, the test method

is required

and must be selected before a test

with any parameters other than the default can be performed.

Step 1

–

Open the test method tab

le.

Step 2

–

Click the Add button.

Step 3

–

Enter a name for the test method.

The test method name describes the purpose of the test. Use very broad or specific names as

the tests require.

If

a test method is to be used to monitor thermal conductivit

y of a specific

material in a process, urethane foam after a curing process for example, an appropriate name

would be “Urethane Foam

–

k after Curing.” If the purpose of the test is more general, powder

effusivity for example, an appropriate name would be

“Powder Effusivity” or ‘General

–

Powder

Effusivity.”

Step 4

–

Select a project.

Step 5

–

Select

a

calibration method.

The method determines the

timing, power and material type

parameters used in the test.

Step 6

–

Click the Get Ambient Temperature for

Each Measurement checkbox (Optional).

Check this option only if the temperature is expected to be changing during the test.

Step 7

–

Enter the delay before the first measurement (optional).

If no delay is entered, measurements begin immediately upon the

beginning of the test.

Step 8

–

Enter the minimum measurement period (optional).

A minimum measurement period is used to limit the measurements to a set cycle. A period of 10

minutes means that each sensor will take its measurement(s) every ten minutes.

If a period is

not specified, the measurements are taken upon completion of the cooling time.

Step 9

–

Enter the number of measurements to be taken.

If zero is entered, measurements will be taken until the test is stopped by the user.

Step 10

–

Enter th

e number of sensors to be used.

If zero is entered, any number of sensors can be selected when beginning a test.

TCi Operator Manual

20

Step 11

–

Enter the number of samples per sensor per measurement.

This is the number of times the sensor fires during a single measurement int

erval.

Step 12

–

Click the checkbox to enable staggered sampling, if desired.

When staggered sampling is enabled, a set number of sensors fire each rotation until all sensors

have been used. Without staggered sampling all of the sensors fire on a single

rotation.

Step 13

–

Select the prompts to be displayed.

Step 14

–

Click the Save button.

3.6

Contact Agents

Three

standard contact agents are currently offered with the

C-Therm TCi

system: Water, Glycol

,

and Wakefield 120 thermal

grease

. Contact agents hav

e correction factors to prevent them from

negatively affecting measurements.

More information on contact agents is given in the testing

chapter.

Step 1

–

Open the Contact Agent table.

Step 2

–

Click the Add button.

Step 3

–

Enter the contact agent na

me.

Step 4

–

Enter the correction factor equation

A value

.

The equati

on is developed by testing materials of known thermal conductivity

with water and then

with the new contact agent. See the Testing chapter for more information on developing a

contact a

gent.

Step 5

–

Enter the correction factor equation B value.

Step 6

–

Click the Save button.

3.7

Notes

Notes can be attached to any other record in the

C-Therm TCi

software. They are accessible

through the Notes button on most records.

Step 1

-

Open a rec

ord.

Notes can be attached to material, project, and test method records.

TCi Operator Manual

21

Step 2

-

Click the Notes button.

The notes table is displayed.

Step 3

-

Click the Add button.

Step 4

-

Enter the note.

The note can be up to 200 characters long.

Step 5

-

Clic

k the Save button.

3.8

Calibration Materials

Calibration materials are materials with known stable thermal properties that are used to build a

calibration curve.

Note:

Calibration Materials are created differently in the User Cal Wizard. Please see User

Ca

librations for more information.

Step 1

–

Open the Calibration Material table.

Step 2

–

Click the Add button.

TCi Operator Manual

22

Step 3

–

Enter the calibration material name.

Step 4

–

Enter a description for the calibration material (optional).

Step 5

–

Click the Add

button twice in the Cal Material Values frame.

Step 6

–

Select Effusivity for the first row.

Step 7

–

Enter the calculated effusivity value.

The

thermal effusivity value is calculated from the following equation:

CpkEff





(W

√s/m

2

K)

Wh

ere k is the thermal conductivity

(W/m

∙K),

ρ is the density

(

kg/m3)

, and Cp is the Heat Capacity

(

J/Kg/K

).Note: 1 J

= 1 W

∙s

Step 8

–

Select Conductivity for the second row.

Step 9

–

Enter the literature thermal conductivity value.

Step 10

–

Click th

e Save button.

3.9

Calibration Material Groups

Calibration material groups contain at least three different materials of similar properties.

Preloaded groups include liquids and powders, foams, polymers, ceramics, and metals. Th

ese

records cannot be edited.

Any user created calibration material group can be edited in the

normal way.

Note: Permission to create and edit calibration material groups must be granted by the

system administrator.

Step 1

–

Open the Calibration Material Group table.

Click the Cal

ibration option from the Manage menu, and Calibration Material Group option from

the Calibration submenu.

Step 2

–

Click the Add button.

TCi Operator Manual

23

Step 3

–

Enter the Cal Material Group name.

Step 4

–

Click the + button to add a calibration material to the grou

p.

Step 5

–

Select a calibration material from the drop

-

down list

.

Step 6

–

Repeat steps 4 and 5 as needed to enter all calibration materials.

Step 7

–

Select a diagnostic material from the drop

-

down

list

.

The diagnostic material is the material teste

d when the calibration is selected for a reference

material test.

Step 8

–

Click the Save button.

3.10

Calibration Methods

Calibration methods contain the parameters used to calibrate sensors, including

timing options

,

power level,

frequency,

and calibration

material group.

Note: Only user created calibration

methods can be edited

.

Calibration methods are

created differently in the User Cal Wizard. Please see User Calibrations for more

information.

Step 1

–

Open the Calibration Method table.

Click the

Calibration option from the Manage menu, and Calibration Method option from the

Calibration submenu.

Step 2

–

Click the Add button.

TCi Operator Manual

24

Step3–

Enter a Calibration Method Name.

Step4–

Select an Instrument Family.

This may usually be left as ESP Family

.

Step5–

Select the Calibration Material Group.

Five calibration material groups come standard with the software: liquids and powders, foams,

polymers, ceramics, and metals. Others may be created and changed by users.

Step6–

Click the Ignore Cal

Re

sults from Sensor ID Chip option.

Step7–

Enter the Test Time in seconds.

The test time is the time during which voltage is applied to the sensor.

The standard test time is

0.8s.

Note: If the test time is 5 seconds or greater, the frequency must be de

creased to 50 Hz.

Step8–

Enter the Start Time in seconds.

The start time is the time into a test after which the data is used for calculations.

Prior to that

time, the heat wave is moving through the chip and contact agent.

The standard start time is

0.3s.

Step9–

Enter the Cooling Time in seconds.

The cooling time is the time the sensor requires to cool down after a measurement is taken. No

further measurements can be taken by a sensor during the cooling time.

The standard cooling

time is 60s.

Step10–Select the Frequency.

The frequency must be decreased to 50 Hz if the test time is 5 seconds or more but may remain

at 100 Hz for any shorter test time.

Step11–

Select the Power Level.

The power level is the amount of voltage applied to the sens

or. Use

90

when testing powders,

foams, liquids, polymers, and ceramics and

125

when testing metals.

Step 1

2–Set the Valid Ranges.

C-THERM TCi Operator's Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual