Photopyroelectric Technique, in the Thermally Thin Regime, for Thermal Effusivity Measurements of Liquids

A photopyroelectric methodology using pyroelectric devices in the thermally thin regime, for the measurement of the thermal effusivity of liquids, is described. A commercial buzzer, taking advantage of the pyroelectric activity of the ceramic material (PZT in this case), is used to achieve this goal. Equivalence for thermal effusivity measurements between this photopyroelectric methodology and a previously reported photoacoustic technique, in the front configuration, is established. The thermal effusivity of six liquids was measured using this device, and very good agreement was found with corresponding values reported in the literature.