Thermal Diffusivity Measurements of Biodiesel Fuel Using Thermal Lens Technique

Abstract

In this work the Photothermal Technique, Thermal Lens (LT) is used to obtain the thermal diffusivity of different kinds of biodiesel. The absolute values of thermal diffusivity were determined for samples obtained from fish, olive, animal fat, Piqui, Palm, and Pork fat. Thermal diffusivity essentially measures the thermalization time of a given material and it is known to be strongly dependent upon composition as well as processing conditions. Therefore, the use of non-conventional and advantageous methods to measure the biodiesel appears to be relevant.