An experimental comparison between isothermal calorimetry, semi-adiabatic calorimetry and solution calorimetry for the study of cement hydration (NT TR 522)

Abstract

  This is the final report from NORDTEST project 1534-01 in which four Nordic and one US partners have made hydration measurements on two types of cement with different calorimetric methods. Semi-adiabatic calorimetry and solution calorimetry are two standardized techniques used in cement science and technology to study the rate of cement hydration. In this study these methods have been compared with isothermal (conduction) calorimetry, a more modern and potentially more efficient way of doing cement hydration calorimetry. The result was that isothermal calorimetry probably can measure what the other two methods measure, but that some further studies are neccesary before its accuracy and precision are known. The study also found that semi-adiabatic calorimetry is not a good method to assess 7 days heats (isothermal) as there are many not so well known parameters needed for the neccesary evaluation of the result. A quite large difference was seen between the isothermal calorimetry and the solution calorimetry for the 7 days heat for a Portland cement with limestone filler. Appendix B contains a recommendation on how to perform measurements of heat of hydration with isothermla calorimetry.