Measurement of the thermal conductivity of helium up to 2100°K by the column method

The thermal conductivity of helium was measured at atmospheric pressure in the range 800–2100°K by the column method. The data could be correlated by the polynomial λ = 0.635 × 10−1 + 0.310 × 10−3T−0.244 × 10−7T2, where λ is in watts per meters degrees Kelvin and T is in degrees Kelvin. The results obtained were compared with previous thermal conductivity measurements. The data of Desmond and Saxena and Saxena agree closely with the present results; the data of Timrot and Umanskii appear to be too low and those of Blais and Mann too high. Values for f=λ/ηCv, computed using measured thermal conductivities and available viscosity data, were found to agree well with classical results from kinetic theory.