Measurement of thermal parameters of polymers across temperatures and during solidification

“水下和地下管道对于石油和天然气的运输至关重要，以满足我们的能源需求。这些通常是由聚合物通过挤压制造过程的组合。根据管道的预期用途，在材料和几何形状方面的最佳设计将有所不同。新管道的开发阶段是昂贵的，部分原因是需要“试错”方法来调整制造变量，以确保高质量的最终产品符合规格。降低这些成本的一种方法是计算模拟挤压过程；换句话说，创建流程的“虚拟双胞胎”。这些虚拟模拟的准确性高度依赖于对所用材料的热学和结构行为的了解。Metisec有限公司是一家工程咨询公司，多年来一直致力于解决这个问题。我们的经验是，当聚合物从挤出机中出来并放置在管道的金属支架上时，其冷却方式对于确保高质量的产品以及精确模拟过程都至关重要。该过程的实验表征以确定其控制热参数是具有挑战性的。在Metisec有限公司和国家物理实验室（NPL）之间的合作中，将开发一种获得这些参数的新方法。在与冷金属接触的熔融聚合物上进行的受控实验将通过放置在关键位置的传感器来测量温度变化。该实验的“虚拟双胞胎”将使用专门的计算软件开发，算法将自动将实验结果与计算结果进行比较。这将使我们能够确定聚合物与金属界面的关键热参数。该工艺将用于管道制造行业的任何聚合物或感兴趣的聚合物组合的表征，并将成为Metisec有限公司可以提供的旗舰服务。”

"Underwater and underground pipes are vital for the transportation of oil and gas to accommodate our energy requirements. These are usually made from a combination of polymers through the extrusion manufacturing process. Depending on the intended use of the pipe, the optimal design in terms of materials and geometry will differ. The development phase of new pipes is expensive, in part due to the 'trial and error' approach required to tune manufacturing variables to ensure a high-quality end product, which meets the specification. One way to reduce these costs is to simulate the extrusion process computationally; in other words, create a 'virtual twin' of the process. The accuracy of these virtual simulations is highly dependent upon knowing the thermal and structural behaviour of the materials in use. Metisec Ltd is an engineering consultancy that has been working on this problem for a number of years. Our experience is that the way by which the polymer cools when it comes out of the extruder and laid on the metallic scaffold of the pipe is critical both in terms of ensuring a good-quality product but also an accurate simulation of the process. Experimental characterisation of this process to define its governing thermal parameters is challenging.In this collaboration between Metisec Ltd and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) a novel approach to obtain these parameters will be developed. Controlled experiments on a molten polymer coming in touch with a cold metal will be performed with sensors placed at key locations to measure the temperature changes. A 'virtual twin' of this experiment will be developed using specialised computational software, and an algorithm will automatically compare experimental results with computational results. This will allow us to determine key thermal parameters at the interface of polymer with metal. This process will become available to the pipe manufacturing industry for the characterisation of any polymer or combination of polymers of interest and will become a flagship service that Metisec Ltd can provide."