What is a bomb calorimeter?
A bomb calorimeter is a device designed to measure the heat of combustion. The reaction takes place in a thermally insulated closed container called the main part of the calorimeter. This container is in contact with an outer casing that is kept at a constant temperature. The device contains components for temperature measurement, heating, cooling and mixing, and these parts work together to make precise calorimetric measurements (1).
The main part of the calorimeter usually consists of a metal container with a tight-fitting lid filled with water. The section filled with water is continuously stirred at a certain speed. This apparatus contains the analysis container (bomb calorimeter), which is a solid and leak-proof reactor in which the reactants react under constant volume conditions. The reaction is initiated by igniting the combustible material in an oxygen-enriched environment.
Historical development of the bomb calorimeter:
The history of calorimetry dates back to the 18th century and was shaped by scientists' discovery of heat as a measurable form of energy. In 1761, Joseph Black introduced the concepts of latent heat and specific heat, which separate heat from temperature, and laid the foundations of thermodynamics. In 1789, Antoine Lavoisier and Pierre Simon de Laplace developed the first calorimeter (2). This ice calorimeter showed that respiration was a combustion process by measuring the heat released during the respiration of a guinea pig, and became an important turning point in the quantitative study of heat.
In the 1870s, Pierre Eugene Berthelot introduced the first modern bomb calorimeter. Designed to precisely measure the heat in chemical reactions, this device also introduced the concepts of endothermic and exothermic processes to the scientific world. Berthelot's innovation formed the basis of modern thermochemical analysis.
The design of calorimeters has made great advances over time. In the late 1920s, Masuo Kawakami developed a calorimeter that could measure the mixing temperature of binary liquid alloys at temperatures between 110°C and 1200°C. In 1939, Kubaschewski and Walter designed an adiabatic reaction calorimeter that could operate at temperatures up to 700°C, and this device allowed the study of intermetallic compounds. Such developments allowed for more sensitive and high-temperature experiments.
In the 1950s and 1960s, O.J. Kleppa took the performance of calorimeters even further. The quasi-adiabatic calorimeters he developed provided more precise temperature control and high sensitivity. He also designed microcalorimeters for molten salt studies and increased the performance of these devices by using advanced insulation materials. These innovations made it possible to study complex chemical and physical systems and expanded the field of calorimetry (3).
This continuous evolution of calorimeters has allowed them to move from simple experimental devices to indispensable tools of science and technology. This progress in the discipline of calorimetry continues to be an integral part of the development of science.
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References:
1. B. (2015). Dictionary of Energy, 41–81. doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-096811-7.50002-0
2. Wigmans, R. (2018). Introduction: Seventy years of calorimetry. In Calorimetry: Energy measurement in particle physics (2nd ed.). Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198786351.003.0001
3. Meschel, S. V. (2020). A brief history of heat measurements by calorimetry with emphasis on the thermochemistry of metallic and metal-nonmetal compounds. Calphad, 68, 101714. doi:10.1016/j.calphad.2019.1017143-6.50064-3
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