This paper presents a critical review of current industrial techniques and instruments to measure the thermal conductivity of thermal insulation materials, especially those insulations that can operate at temperatures above 250 • C and up to 800 • C. These materials generally are of a porous nature. The measuring instruments dealt with here are selected based on their maximum working temperature that should be higher than at least 250 • C. These instruments are special types of the guarded hot-plate apparatus, the guarded heat-flow meter, the transient hot-wire and hot-plane instruments as well as the laser/xenon flash devices. All technical characteristics listed are quoted from the generally accessible information of the relevant manufacturers. The paper includes rankings of the instruments according to their standard retail price, the maximum sample size, and maximum working temperature, as well as the minimum in their measurement range.

From 2002 to 2004 the Consultative Committee for Thermometry (CCT) carried out a Key Comparison (KC) of water triple point cells (CCT-K7). In 2005 the Regional Metrology Organization (RMO) EURAMET decided to initiate an additional KC of water triple point cells, EUROMET.T-K7, to extend the metrological equivalence to a larger number of national metrology institutes (NMIs) from the EURAMET region.The EUROMET.T-K7 comparison was carried out in 2006–2008 with the coordination of VSL and the participation of 24 EUROMET NMIs, 9 of them having participated in CCT-K7 as well (8 out of 9 used the same transfer cell they had used in CCT-K7).This report presents the results of this comparison, provides detailed information of the measurements performed by all participating laboratories and links the comparison results to the CCT-K7 comparison.Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCT, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

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The EUROMET.T-K4 comparison is the regional extension of CCT-K4, an intercomparison of the realizations of the freezing points of Al (660.323 • C) and .78 • C). The intercomparison was organized in four loops. Long-stem standard platinum resistance thermometers (SPRTs) were used as traveling standards: 25 thermometers to be used only at the Al freezing point and two high-temperature standard platinum resistance thermometers (HTSPRTs) to be used only at the Ag freezing point in each loop. Parallel to the measurements with thermometers, the pilots and sub-pilots organized an internal intercomparison using an Ag fixed-point cell. Most HTSPRTs showed a strong drift which is mainly due to mechanical stress and poisoning of the sensor by impurities. This drift can be partially compensated by a correction based on Matthiessen's rule. An evaluation of the data taking into account both HTSPRTs in each loop, the linkage of the sub-pilots by measurements at the Ag freezing point, and a possible compensation according to Matthiessens's rule, allows calculation of the results of the participants' measurements at the Ag freezing point. The results of the participating laboratories are summarized, and proposals for key comparison reference values and linking of the results to CCT-K3 and CCT-K4 are presented.

The EUROMET.T-K3 comparison is the regional extension of CCT-K3. The comparison involved the six European national metrology institutes (NMIs) previously involved in CCT-K3 (LNE-INM/CNAM, SMU, INRiM, NMi-VSL, NPL, PTB) and 18 additional European national laboratories. The comparison was divided into five different loops, each coordinated by a co-pilot chosen from the laboratories having participated in the CCT-K3 comparison. LNE-INM/CNAM played the role of pilot in linking the five loops. In each loop, an artifact in the form of a standard platinum resistance thermometer (SPRT, 25 ) was circulated among the participating Institut National de Métrologie (BNM-INM/CNAM at the time of the comparison, LNE-INM/CNAM since 1 January 2005), 123 992 Int J Thermophys (2008) 29:991-1000laboratories. To have sufficient information about the possible drift of the SPRTs, the co-pilots performed a calibration over the full temperature range at the beginning and at the end of the loop. A EUROMET reference value (ERV), taking into account the whole comparison, was defined, and the differences (T Lab − T ERV ) were calculated with the associated uncertainties. The method for establishing the link between the participants in CCT-K3 and in EUROMET.T-K3 is described.