Calorimeters

Calorimetry: Heat Capacity

A calorimeter is an apparatus that measures quantities of heat of chemical or physical changes as well as heat capacity.

What are calorimeters used for?

Calorimeters are useful in various industries and academic settings, an industrial pilot plant can use a DSC to determine a change in a products formula and how it affects the formula itself. Oxygen bomb calorimeters are useful in food testing laboratories to determine the amount of heat (calories) in food.

R&D
Pharmaceuticals
Food
Chemical
Materials

What are different types of calorimeters?

Some of the most common types are adiabatic calorimeters, oxygen bomb calorimeters, and differential scanning calorimeters (DSC).

An adiabatic calorimeter is used to measure a “runaway reaction”, any heat generated by the sample under test causes the sample to increase in temperature, fueling the reaction.
Oxygen bomb calorimeters are used to measure things such as combustion reactions. This information is useful in determining the amount of heat (calories) in food and fuels.
Differential scanning calorimeters are useful for measuring molecular changes to determine the stability of a molecule in a formula.