Measurement of the thermal conductivity of helium using a hot-wire type of thermal diffusion column

A hot-wire type of thermal diffusion column is used to determine the thermal conductivity of helium in the temperature range 350-1350°K. The description of the apparatus, the theory of the method, and the various corrections to be applied to the apparent conductivity values are discussed briefly. The values for the thermal conductivity λ of helium agree well with those given by the relation λ×10 5 =17·201+6·764×10 −2 T -1·25×10 −6 T 2 . (λ is in cal cm −1 s −1 degk −1 and T is in °K). The present results are compared with the experimental data of other workers as well as with the predictions of the Chapman-Enskog theory and the modified Buckingham exp-six potential. The precision of our data is about ±2%, and our results agree with the theory to within an average absolute deviation of 1·9%.